Adjusted Controlled Pass-By (CPB) Method for Urban Road Traffic Noise Assessment

Ricardo Moreno, Francesco Bianco, Stefano Carpita, Alessandro Monticelli, Luca Fredianelli () and Gaetano Licitra ()
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Ricardo Moreno: Institute for Chemical-Physical Processes of the Italian Research Council, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Francesco Bianco: iPOOL S.r.l., Via Antonio Cocchi 7, 56121 Pisa, Italy
Stefano Carpita: iPOOL S.r.l., Via Antonio Cocchi 7, 56121 Pisa, Italy
Alessandro Monticelli: Physics Department, University of Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy
Luca Fredianelli: Institute for Chemical-Physical Processes of the Italian Research Council, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Gaetano Licitra: Pisa Department, Environmental Protection Agency of Tuscany Region (ARPAT), Via Vittorio Veneto 27, 56127 Pisa, Italy

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-17

Abstract: Noise associated with road infrastructure is a prominent problem in environmental acoustics, and its implications with respect to human health are well documented. Objective and repeatable methodologies are necessary for testing the efficacy of sustainable noise mitigation methods such as low noise emission pavement. The Controlled Pass-By (CPB) method is used to measure the sound generated by passing vehicles. Despite its popularity, the applicability of CPB is compromised in urban contexts, as its results depend on test site conditions, and slight changes in the experimental setup can compromise repeatability. Moreover, physical conditions, reduced space, and urban elements risk confine its use to only experimental road sites. In addition, vehicle speed represents a relevant factor that further contributes to the method’s inherent instability. The present paper aims to extend the applicable range of this method and to provide more reliable results by proposing an adjusted CPB method. Furthermore, CPB metrics such as L A m a x do not consider the travelling speed of the vehicle under investigation. Our proposed method can yield an alternative metric that takes into account the duration of the noise event. A hypothetical urban case is investigated, and a signal processing pipeline is developed to properly characterize the resulting data. Speed cushions, manhole covers, and other spurious effects not related to the pass-by sound emissions of ordinary vehicles are pinpointed as well.

Keywords: urban noise monitoring; environmental acoustics; road traffic noise; sustainable mitigation; Controlled Pass-By; road elements noise; low-noise surfaces; electric vehicles (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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