Noise limits and noise levels along motorways in Europe

Abstract

Environmental noise caused by traffic is one of the main local environmental problems in Europe. The National Road Authorities (NRA's), combined in the Conference of European Directors of Roads (CEDR), are aware of the environmental noise problem along their motorways. One of the main objectives of CEDR is to facilitate knowledge sharing on noise abatement issues among European NRA's. The CEDR noise group has made a comprehensive questionnaire survey on how the CEDR member states handle noise issues. The paper focuses on the part of the survey on noise limits and noise levels along motorways throughout Europe. It will deal with the: ‐ status of noise limits; ‐ noise indicators to express noise limits; ‐ noise limits (outdoor and indoor) for motorways; ‐ noise models to calculate noise levels. Due to the use of different noise indicators and different noise calculation models, the comparison of noise levels and noise limits along motorways in Europe is complicated to say the least. The only way to solve this problem is to have and to use a European noise model for road traffic based on the outcome of the HARMONOISE/IMAGINE projects.