Assessment of Traffic Noise Near Schools in a Developing Country

Abstract

Schools are one of the land uses that are sensitive to traffic noise. While schools must be silent zones, many are located in urban areas and are exposed to high noise levels. In this study, an assessment of traffic noise around multiple schools in the city of Doha, Qatar was conducted during school hours. The results indicated that the noise is positively correlated with the traffic volume around the schools, indicating that locations with higher traffic volumes tend to have higher noise. The results also showed that the noise levels exceed the reference value of 53 dBA according to the World Health Organization. Furthermore, the measured noise levels exceeded the Qatar local standards for residential area and public corporation day-time noise level (55 dBA). To address this problem, several solutions were recommended.