Impact of Railway Noise on People Based on Strategic Acoustic Maps

Marcin Wrótny and Janusz Bohatkiewicz
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Marcin Wrótny: Department of Roads and Bridges, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Lublin University of Technology, Nadbystrzycka 40, 20-618 Lublin, Poland
Janusz Bohatkiewicz: Department of Roads and Bridges, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Lublin University of Technology, Nadbystrzycka 40, 20-618 Lublin, Poland

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 14, 1-14

Abstract: The main objectives of the introduced Directive 2002/49/EC are to harmonize the activities intended to control the harmful effects of noise pollution and to standardize the methodology for their assessment. Strategic acoustic maps drawn up in the EU Member States allow for determining the state of environmental noise pollution and planning preventive measures. This study involved analyses of noise levels in selected European capitals and Polish cities. The number of inhabitants who may be affected by a high degree of sleep disturbance caused by railway noise was also analyzed. An attempt was made to present a correlation between the scale of noise exposure and population density, the length of the existing railway infrastructure, and the type of areas with railways running through them. The most unfavorable type of development in terms of the number of people exposed to noise is compact development located directly along railway lines. Thanks to the acoustic maps, it is possible to locate the most noise-polluted places and establish a hierarchy of protective measures.

Keywords: railway noise; acoustic maps; noise impact on people; environmental noise pollution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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