Acoustics, noise and vibration
Traffic noise consultancy services are relevant for infrastructure owners, developers, consultants, airports, rail operators, and port organisations that need to assess and document noise from roads, railways, lightrails, tramways, metro systems, aircrafts, ships and ferries. The service is typically used in connection with new infrastructure, rebuilding projects, environmental assessments, EIAs, environmental approval, or when housing and other noise-sensitive land use is planned close to traffic infrastructure.
Without a documented basis, it is difficult to evaluate noise impact, compare mitigation measures, and communicate results to authorities and project organisations. The service is part of our catalogue of acoustic services. It includes accredited measurements, calculations, noise mapping, and consultancy across multiple traffic noise sources. For road noise, the results can also be communicated through auralisations in audio files that reproduce how the noise is expected to sound after planned changes.
Challenges
Unclear noise impact delays project decisions
When traffic noise is not documented early, project teams lack a reliable basis for environmental assessment, design choices, and dialogue with authorities and stakeholders.
Mitigation options become difficult to compare
If the effects of barriers, earthworks, facade measures, surface changes, rail grinding, or traffic regulation are not calculated or measured, it is hard to choose the most relevant noise-reduction approach.
Noise-sensitive development lacks documentation
Where housing or other noise-sensitive use is planned close to roads, railways, airports, or ports, missing documentation can delay assessments of whether the location and design are appropriate.
Complex traffic environments require special expertise
Noise from rail systems, aircraft, ships, ferries, and port areas involves different conditions for calculation, propagation, and regulation, which makes generic assessments insufficient.
Benefits
Support environmental assessment and approval
Traffic noise mapping and documentation support environmental assessments, EIAs, and environmental approval where noise consequences must be described clearly for roads, railways, airports, and ports.
Build decisions on documented noise consequences
Measurements, calculations, noise maps, and reports provide a documented basis for understanding how traffic noise affects surrounding areas and for using that knowledge in planning and environmental assessment work.
Evaluate mitigation before implementation
Calculations and advisory input enable assessing the expected effects of barriers, earthworks, facade measures, road surfaces, rail grinding, and traffic regulation before changes are made. Using EAR initial assessments of typical scenarios can be experience with sound bits.
Listen to the effect of noise mitigations
Auralisations make it possible to asseses the effekt of mitigations using true-to-life listening scenarios. EAR makes it possible to compare difference mitigations like noise barriers and windows.
Contact us if you need advisory support, accredited measurements, calculations, or noise mapping for roads, railways, airports, ships, ferries, or ports.
Service scope
Consultancy, measurement, and calculation of road noise for new roads, rebuilt roads, and new developments close to roads. The work can include noise maps, reports, and evaluation of mitigation measures such as noise barriers, earthworks, road surfaces, traffic regulation, and façade insulation.
For large infrastucture and development projects clearity in the road noise experience can be reach using auralisations. Smaller projects can benefit from using the auralisation tools in EAR.
Standards
Reach out to Per Finne for more information.
