Characterization of Traffic Noise and Honking Assessment of an Indian Urban Road

Abstract

To study the traffic noise on an Indian urban highway, traffic noise levels (Leq, Lpeak, Lmax and Lmin), traffic volume, speed and honking incidents were measured in peak traffic hours in the morning and evening. An attempt has been made to characterize the traffic noise including the impact of honking. Honking of horn was positively correlated with Leq and negatively correlated with traffic speed. In case of traffic volume and road width, no significant correlation was established with Leq. Based on the observed honking and Leq in each time interval, statistical analysis was performed for assessing the impact of honking on traffic noise and its estimation through trend analysis. Further, quantification of honking noise was carried out considering frequency analysis of audio spectrum of traffic noise. Both the analyzes confirm the honking contributed an additional noise of 1–4[Formula: see text]dB(A) over and above the traffic monitoring noise. The study suggests that honking noise must be included as a factor while monitoring traffic noise in some places where honking is common practice. This study will help in characterizing the traffic noise and the impact of honking for further abatement studies.