The Mayor's Ambient Noise Strategy - Greater London Authority

26 Mayor of London
The Mayor’s Ambient Noise Strategy
representative figures. For example, areas most affected by aircraft noise
were not captured in the national sampling frame. Differences between
inner and outer London are likely. The London sample is not large enough
to estimate population exposure reliably at different levels. The National
Noise Incidence Surveys 1990 and 2000, however, do allow such estimates
to be made for homes in England and Wales (see box 11).
Box 12: Qualitative description
■ Ambient noise levels in a big city tend to be higher where transport
facilities are concentrated. However, quiet areas screened from road
and rail traffic can still be found in areas of high population density.
■ Busy roads, major rail corridors, and aircraft are the main sources of
ambient noise in London. New vehicles have been becoming quieter,
but traffic has been growing, except in parts of London where the
street network has already reached saturation. New buses should be
quieter, but driving on uneven roads overdue for spending on
maintenance can lead to unnecessary noise. New trains should be
generally quieter, but track condition also needs to be managed.
Aircraft have been becoming quieter, weight for weight, but their
numbers have been increasing. People may notice bigger aircraft more,
along with manoeuvering to join busy airport approach paths. London’s
network of parks and green spaces can provide relief from urban noise,
but the tranquillity of many open spaces may have been eroded.
■ On parts of the Thames, traditional sounds of working vessels have
been replaced by leisure uses, including party boats, and the growth of
riverside housing means more people near working wharves, and
boatyards. Some areas are less affected by noise from traditional
industries, but more ventilation and air-conditioning plant can mean
more sources of annoying tonal noise and vibration, particularly in
central areas.
■ Parts of London are becoming more of a ‘24 hour city’ in response to
global economic and lifestyle trends. More late night eating, drinking,
clubbing and other entertainment, and more flexible patterns of living
and working generally, tend to mean more noise in hitherto quieter
periods of the day and week.
2.35 In many parts of central and inner London, the road network has
effectively reached saturation. With congestion, traffic speeds have fallen
for much of the day. The Transport for London Road Network carries some
of the highest flows, but many borough roads will be almost as noisy.
Road traffic noise issues are considered in detail in Chapter 4A.
2.36 Decades of under-investment in Britain’s railways suggest that levels of
noise and vibration may be higher in some situations than would be