The Mayor's Ambient Noise Strategy - Greater London Authority

76 Mayor of London
The Mayor’s Ambient Noise Strategy
noise. Design and spacing can be optimised. 16 Heavy vehicles, especially
unladen lorries with older suspension systems, can generate annoying
noise, particularly over flat-topped humps. Traffic ‘cushions’ in theory
allow heavy vehicles, including buses, to avoid the hump, while still
reducing car speeds. In practice, kerbside car parking and manoeuvring
problems can prevent buses and other heavy vehicles from avoiding the
cushion. Humps and cushions need to be designed to avoid ground-borne
vibration. 17 Schemes need to be assessed not just in terms of long term
‘averaged’ noise, but potentially annoying noise peaks. Chicanes,
narrowing of vehicle lanes, and other ‘gateway’ design features can signal
that a street is not just for traffic. Newer technologies can provide driver
feedback and aid enforcement. Cameras could help enforcement in
shopping centres. Transport for London and the boroughs will need to
continue to innovate.
4A.38 In some cases, existing traffic calming schemes may need to be reviewed.
Safer Routes to School measures often accompany introduction of local
20 mph zones. They can form an integral part of school travel plans.
Measures to improve pedestrian and cycle routes and provide safer
crossings can help to reduce the ‘school run’ which otherwise adds to
traffic congestion and noise. School travel plans could include noise
action messages. Controlled Parking Zones (see glossary) can reduce
disturbance to residents, especially when controls extend into the
evening. Conditions attached to planning permissions can control delivery
hours to premises in noise-sensitive locations.
Box 26: Streets for People
The Mayor’s Transport Strategy (Proposal 4G.10) encourages boroughs to
‘design and manage appropriate local streets as ‘Streets-for-People’ areas,
emphasising their function as social spaces.’ It proposes to give priority
initially to areas of high deprivation, regeneration areas, and in particular,
areas of high density neighbourhood renewal. Many of these will be areas
of high ambient noise, where a comprehensive approach to urban noise
management could secure improvements.
100 Public Spaces
The Mayor’s ‘100 Public Spaces for London’ aims to show how existing
and new public spaces can improve quality of life, community vitality and
Londonwide livability - see concluding part of Chapter 4F.