A FIELD SURVEY ON EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE TO NOISE AND VIBRATION FROM RAILWAY TRAFFIC, PART I: ANNOYANCE AND ACTIVITY DISTURBANCE EFFECTS
✍ Scribed by E. Öhrström; A.-B. Skånberg
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1996
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 336 KB
- Volume
- 193
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0022-460X
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✦ Synopsis
The paper presents some of the results from field investigations on effects of exposure to noise and vibration from railway traffic. Effects on annoyance, sleep disturbances and psycho-social well-being, as well as disturbance of different activities, were evaluated by a postal questionnaire. Effects on sleep and psycho-social well-being will be presented in a second paper. Fifteen different sites located near railway lines in Sweden were investigated. The study covered areas with different number of trains per 24 hours in areas with strong vibration exceeding 2 mm/s, caused by the railway traffic, as measured in the buildings, as well as areas without vibration, or with vibration weaker than 1 mm/s: 2833 persons between 18 and 75 years of age participated in the study. The results show that railway noise is experienced as more annoying in areas in which there is simultaneous exposure to vibration from railway traffic. Disturbance of communication was the most frequently mentioned annoyance reaction, outside and inside the dwellings, especially in areas with a high number of trains per 24 hours. To ensure an acceptable environmental quality where less than 5% of the exposed population is rather or very annoyed by railway noise, these noise levels must be below 80 dB LAmax and below 55 Leq respectively in areas without vibration. In areas with simultaneous exposure to strong vibration, actions against vibration or a greater distance between the houses and the railway line is needed, corresponding to a 10 dB(A) lower noise level than in areas without vibration.