The Mayor's Ambient Noise Strategy - Greater London Authority

viii Mayor of London
The Mayor’s Ambient Noise Strategy
exemplar projects, improvements to poorly insulated London housing, and
other measures.
The issues
6 Noise can disrupt communication and other activities and increase stress.
One person’s music can be another person’s intense irritation. One
person’s business may disturb another’s concentration or sleep. This
should not be seen, however, as just a negative strategy. Sound is an
important part of communication, culture and many other aspects of
everyday life. Many parts of the city have their own distinctive
soundscapes. Minimising noise problems is a social balancing act.
7 Noise levels are often higher where transport and buildings are
concentrated. However, quiet areas screened from road and rail traffic can
still be found in high density areas, while more detached and semidetached
suburban development could allow noise to spread, eroding
remaining tranquillity. Old-style planning policies which relied only on
spatially segregating people and transport would not help London to gain
the benefits of a compact city. Making cities attractive means that, over
time, more people can gain access to more facilities while generating less
noise - a virtuous circle.
8 Busy roads, major rail corridors, and aircraft are the main sources of
ambient noise in London. In the London Household Survey 2002, 13%
rated noise from road traffic where they lived a ‘serious problem’,
compared with aircraft 6%, roadworks/construction/demolition 4%, noisy
neighbours 4%, trains/tubes 2%, industrial/commercial premises 2%, and
pubs/clubs/entertainment 2%. Larger percentages experienced at least
some level of problem.
9 The ways in which different noises are created and heard are complex. It
is rarely a case of just fitting a better silencer. Cars and other road
vehicles can be measured as quieter in terms of the official noise test
applied to new vehicle designs. However, traffic noise on typical urban
roads does not generally appear to have fallen. New buses should be
quieter, but driving on uneven roads overdue for spending on
maintenance can lead to unnecessary noise. New trains should be quieter,
but poor track quality can mean needless noise. Aircraft have been
becoming quieter, weight for weight, but numbers have been increasing.
People may notice bigger aircraft more, as they manoeuvre to join busy
airport approach paths. The tranquillity of many open spaces has been
eroded. On parts of the Thames, traditional sounds of working vessels
have been replaced by those of tourist and party boats. More riverside
housing means more people near working wharves and boatyards. Some