Analysis shows

Traffic as a source of constant noise: this is how many people suffer

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29.04.2024 07:00

Road traffic is the biggest source of noise in Tyrol: 145,000 people are affected by the busy routes alone, according to the VCÖ.

The road network in Tyrol is around 11,800 kilometers long. For around 920 kilometers of freeways, expressways and provincial roads, each with more than three million vehicles per year, and the Innsbruck conurbation, the official noise mapping survey determined how many people in Tyrol are affected by traffic noise.

Noise day and night makes people ill
The result: according to the Federal Environment Agency and the Ministry of Climate Protection, more than 145,000 Tyroleans live in an area where road traffic exceeds the threshold value of 55 decibels. At night, around 162,000 people are exposed to road traffic noise of more than 45 decibels, the guideline value set by the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, there are also noisy residents of municipal roads or roads with less than three million vehicles per year, according to the VCÖ transport association.

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Constant noise is not only a nuisance, but also a burden on the health of the population. This makes it all the more important to reduce traffic noise and take measures to make our mobility quieter.

Helena Schuch, VCÖ-Lärmexpertin

Long list of effects
Environmental physician Prof. Hans-Peter Hutter, spokesperson for a healthy environment, calls for swift action: "Noise has a massive impact on people's health and quality of life. Noise must finally be recognized as a serious health risk and combated." Medical studies have shown that noise can lead to sleep disorders, increased blood pressure and even heart attacks and strokes. Lack of sleep reduces stress resistance, satisfaction and productivity.

In Tyrol alone, traffic noise causes sleep disorders in around 8,000 people in the areas studied and more than 30 cases of heart disease, the main cause of heart attacks. Possible solutions: speed reductions, more footpaths and cycle paths.

How can road traffic noise be effectively reduced? 
In municipalities and cities, noise pollution can be reduced by calming traffic and traffic planning that promotes quiet mobility through walking and cycling. "Walking is the healthiest form of mobility. Unfortunately, there are still obstacles and barriers for pedestrians, which we now want to identify together with the population," explains VCÖ expert Helena Schuch. 

According to the VCÖ, traffic calming and lower speed limits also make traffic quieter. Experts explain that the human ear perceives a speed limit of 30 km/h instead of 50 km/h as halving the volume of traffic. Electric motors instead of diesel engines reduce noise pollution in small trucks and vans. In cars, the rolling noise of the tires drowns out the engine noise from around 30 to 35 km/h. The quieter drives of electric cars therefore represent an advantage, especially in 30 km/h zones.

Motorcycle noise will also increase in the coming months. Electric motorcycles in particular are much quieter. France, for example, also uses noise radar devices to control traffic noise.

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