Strategic noise maps and action plans of noise protection
Road traffic is a source of noise in the environment and bothers most population in developped countries of the world and Europe. This problem grows in developped urban areas, mainly along the motorways, express roads and I. class roads.
In the EU various legal actions have already been undertaken aimed at solving this problem. The most important document was the framework in the Directive 2002/49/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council from 25 June 2002 relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise. This Directive was transpositioned to the Slovak legislation by the Act NR SR No.2/2005 on the assessment and management of environmental noise and the Amendment to the Act No.272/1994 on the the protection of human health as amended and the secondary legislation adopted.
This Directive obliges the EU Member States to draft strategic noise maps and action plans of noise protection. The strategic noise maps and action plans of noise protection as defined in the Directive must be drafted for defined agglomerations, larger towns surroundings, major railway tracks, larger airports. The definition of major agglomerations, roads, rails and airports is part of the Directive, the size of the territory is defined in the Slovak legislation. The strategic noise maps define average noise burden in the environment per year which is the result of road, tram, railway or air traffic and industry. Noise burden is defined by the calculation and mathematical modeling application. The number of people suffering the noise burden is a compulsory information.
Slovak Road Administration as the I. class roads administrator in SR is obliged to ensure the drafts of strategic noise maps and action plans for the surroundings of the I.class roads where in respective years the intensity of traffic was higher than 6 mil. vehicles per year (as per 2006) or 3 mil. vehicles per year (as per 2011 and each 5 years since then).
Strategic obejctive of the Direction is considerable decrease of the number of inhabitants affected by noise defined by Ldvn noise indicator value over 65dB:
- 10% by 2010
- 20% by 2020
Ldvn – is a noise indicator charging for the cost of noise in period of 24 hours. The value is defined in the environment. The number of inhabitants bothered by noise is defined by calculation of the values in the indicator in front of the facade of the building.
Updated: 30.5.2016
Published: 27.11.2008