Road Traffic Noise Forecast (RTNF) in the Process of Creating Urban Space - Case Study of Poland

Abstract

Road traffic noise is one of the main nuisance factors in a city. This creates the necessity of determining and monitoring not only its level in relation to the existing urban structure, but also precisely determining and monitoring the level of noise over time, accounting for the designed spatial and functional solutions. In Poland, issues connected with noise are taken on in ecophysiographic reports and forecasts of its impact on the environment, which are a component of the local spatial development plan (LSDP) creation processes. Unfortunately, studies carried out on the noise environment are done in a selective manner, while environmental reports assume the consistency of nuisance phenomena over time. In connection with the above, the present article focuses on the problem of noise nuisance derived from a planned road solution while making a planning decision in the process of creating an LSDP. The specific aim is to present an original Road Traffic Noise Forecast (RTNF) understood as an element of the procedure of choosing an optimal spatial and functional solution for noise sensitive areas in terms of maintaining noise-level standards. The above will be illustrated on the example of a selected LSDP of the Polish city of Bydgoszcz.