Factors moderating the effect of noise barriers

摘要

In noise research, more often than not the dose-response relationship shows a modest explained variance. A field study was carried out to investigate the effects of 13 different noise barriers, and 500 people exposed to noise were surveyed using questionnaires. First it seems that the acoustic effectiveness of the noise barriers is responsible for the reduction in annoyance. However, a detailed analysis shows that further factors moderate the relation between the noise parameters and the reaction to noise. It seems that simply introducing a noise barrier can cause a reduction in annoyance to an extent equivalent to 5 dB. This confirms the fact that the outdoor noise levels and the design of the surroundings are among the principal parameters influencing annoyance. In addition, annoyance is determined by individual acceptance of noise barriers. The degree of acceptance splits the reaction curve with a separation around 4 units on the rating-scale of 11 units of annoyance. The design of the noise barrier partly affects this splitting. There is a higher degree of acceptance of naturally constructed and transparent noise barriers than for ones that are specially formed. Other determining factors for annoyance will be discussed.