Transport noise
Pages in Transport noise
- 1. Aircraft noise
- 2. Noise from car audio systems
- 3. Ice cream van noise
- 4. Car alarm noise
- 5. Car exhausts noise nuisance
- 6. Off-road motorcycle noise
- 7. Rail noise
- 8. You are here: Road traffic noise
8. Road traffic noise
In 1999/2000 the Building Research Establishment (BRE) carried out a National Survey of Attitudes to Environmental Noise in order to enable a UK wide assessment of noise attitudes. The survey revealed that:
- 40% of respondents were 'bothered, annoyed or disturbed .... to some extent' by road traffic noise
- 22% were 'moderately, very or extremely bothered, annoyed or disturbed' by the noise
- more were bothered by road noise than any other (out of all the categories in the survey, which include neighbours, aircraft, construction, entertainments and industrial noise categories)
However, in terms of complaint, road noise accounts for only a small proportion of the noise complaints to local authorities (in absolute terms, about 37 complaints per year per million people). It is not known why there is a discrepancy between being affected and formally complaining but this could be because people do not expect the matter to be actionable or resolvable, that no particular person is doing a wrong and that most people contribute towards the problem themselves.
Our legal powers
The local authority has a number of legal powers to deal with noise problems but, unfortunately, except for the control which can be exercised at planning stages of schemes involving traffic, they are unable to act. For example local authority powers to deal with noise nuisance specifically exclude that in respect of traffic noise.
Under specific circumstances where new traffic schemes have caused an increase in noise levels from traffic, Surrey County Council can offer noise insulation grants in respect of residential property.
The county council also have a major role to play in highway planning and administration as do National Highways who can be contacted locally at:
National Highways
Bridge House
1 Walnut Tree House
Guildford
Surrey
GU1 4LZ
Parking: no car parking available. Disabled access: disabled parking bays - check with switchboard. Offices are open from 7am to 7pm. For all offices call the national switchboard on 0300 123 5000.