Assessment of Road Traffic Noise Differentials in the Land Uses of Jos, Nigeria

Abstract

The relationship between land use and traffic has been likened to the chicken and egg relation because of their inter-dependability. For instance, the way land is used affects the generation and character of traffic on the streets and roads corridors. This paper investigated the road traffic noise differentials in the land uses of Jos, Nigeria. Twenty-five (25) road corridors, five (5) in each of the selected land use were purposively chosen to constitute the sample frame for the study. Road traffic noise data were collected at the sampled locations along the selected road corridors using Graiger TL-200 digital Sound Level Meter at 1.5 accuracy level and measured range of 30-130 dB. The road traffic noise data were collected three times a day during peak hour periods, 7:00 - 9:00 am, 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm, and 4:00 - 6 pm from Monday to Saturday. Noise data were measured for 15 minutes at an interval of 6 seconds in each location for six days, making a total of 18 records per location. The RTN data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analyses. The findings of this study revealed that, there was a significant mean difference in RTN levels in the land uses of Jos. This paper therefore, recommends land use dispersal, markets and commodity specification within Jos as a strategy for reducing road traffic noise.