Contribution
Assessing Pro-environmental Noise Behaviour and its Role in Road Traffic Noise Reduction
* Presenting author
Abstract:
To enhance the mitigation of road traffic noise, behavioural aspects are increasingly considered in the range of measures to reduce sound emissions directly at the source. In urban areas with limited space for physical solutions like noise barriers, encouraging pro-environmental noise behaviour could be an alternative way to reduce noise conflicts. However, existing literature often focuses on the perspective of individuals exposed to noise. To address this gap, the VELMA research project investigated the potential of pro-environmental noise behaviour in road traffic. Within the project, an instrument to assess noise related behaviour was developed by conducting and analysing an international online survey with over 400 participants. To explore the noise reduction potential by strengthening noise-conscious driving behaviour with visual cues, a driving experiment in conventional road traffic was carried out with 35 participants. In addition, the behavioural potential for noise and annoyance reduction was evaluated via car pass-by measurements and a related listening experiment. This work summarises the findings and contains parts of the commissioned research project FE-No. 69.0013/2022, which was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport represented by the German Federal Highway Research Institute. The responsibility for the content lies solely with the authors.