Noise and energy impacts due to road traffic

NOISE AND ENERGY IMPACTS DUE TO ROAD TRAFFIC

NOISE DUE TO ROAD TRAFFIC

• According to the World Health Organization, traffic noise is associated with 

• sleep problems
• tiredness
• headaches
• high blood pressure
• hormonal effects
• stress and
• increased risk of heart disease. 

• It is this long-term impact on heart disease that leads to premature death.
• Communicating the impact of traffic noise to the community and other stakeholders has traditionally been difficult
• Road Agencies need to work with Planning Authorities to minimize the impact of traffic noise on the community through compatible zoning interfaces and by appropriate urban and site design that locates noise sensitive land uses such as homes and schools well away from busy roads.
• Road Agencies can increase the buffer area between the road and the community. Increasing the distance from the road from 20m to 100m can reduce noise by up to 7 dB.
• Designing road projects to increase the ability of the intervening ground to absorb sound, constructing earth mounds, having loose soil and protective vegetation can scatter the sound waves and absorb the noise levels.
• Design the road to minimize the road gradient or design new roads in cuttings or tunnels.
• Design the pavements to include quieter low noise pavements.
• Utilize ITS technologies to smooth traffic flows to avoid noise of constant starting and braking.
• Maintain road in good working order to minimize noise due to potholes, loose service covers, raveling of asphalt or uneven seal and expansion joints.
• Work with regulators to support mandatory use of low noise tyres.
• Install noise barriers and/or upgrading of homes to limit noise transmission - provide "silent" façades.
• Work with building regulators to improve existing housing stock near noisy roads to block sound transmission and provide "quiet" areas particularly for sleeping; and to require new housing stock to be designed such that the building fabric reduces noise entry and building layout is such that noise sensitive areas are located away from the road.
  

ENERGY IMPACT DUE TO ROAD TRAFFIC

• In a developing country like India, increased economic activity leads to growing income per capita. With rising standard of living, the demand for personal transportation increases.
• From the point of view of energy supply, uncertainty about the present and future availability and security of oil supplies, the prospect of rising oil prices and environmental concerns about emissions are the major challenges.
• Transport and energy are closely related
• Energy is a crucial constraint on transport and transport is a major determinant of energy demand
• India is increasingly dependent on imported petroleum
• In the transport sector, oil is extensively used in the road sector where  energy-inefficient designs, poor vehicle maintenance and low-grade roads are prevalant
• Energy consumption from trucks is expected to rise rapidly
• EcoTransit website is a practical tool used by freight services and decision makers to compare the environmental impacts of different options
• The calculation of energy consumption with emission data of a worldwide transport chain can be done quickly with the help of EcoTransIT World
• Other quantitative analyses used are:
• WTW index (Wheel To Wheel)
• WTT sub-index (Wheel To Tank)
• TTW sub-index (Tank To Wheel)