Skip to main content

Norwegian study says nearly 5,000 healthy life years lost to traffic noise

According to a survey conducted for the Climate and Pollution Agency (the former SFT), a directorate under the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment, 4, 512 healthy years of life are lost each year in Norway due to traffic noise. The study, which claims to have quantified for the first time the relationship between traffic noise and health problems, also showed that 1.5 million people in the country are exposed to noise levels that exceed the recommended maximum level of 55Db. In such cases, residents can c
April 16, 2012 Read time: 1 min
RSSAccording to a survey conducted for the 4893 Climate and Pollution Agency (the former SFT), a directorate under the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment, 4, 512 healthy years of life are lost each year in Norway due to traffic noise. The study, which claims to have quantified for the first time the relationship between traffic noise and health problems, also showed that 1.5 million people in the country are exposed to noise levels that exceed the recommended maximum level of 55Db. In such cases, residents can complain to the road operator. Although the agency acknowledges that the figures are alarming, it says that, having quantified how traffic noise degrades people’s lives and health, it will allow it to focus on specific measures to reduce traffic noise.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Point Grey celebrates 15 years of innovation
    July 3, 2012
    Point Grey, one of the world's largest and most innovative manufacturers of industrial digital cameras for machine vision, bioscience, traffic, and GIS applications is celebrating 15 years in business. Founded in 1997, the company has evolved from a handful of university students to a thriving global business pushing the boundaries of imaging technology. The company has grown to offer a comprehensive portfolio of over 115 camera models used in a variety of industries including machine vision, bioscience, tr
  • Jakarta's chronic congestion
    May 16, 2012
    Indonesia’s capital Jakarta suffers a heavy economic penalty for its chronic traffic congestion. This has been revealed by a new report from the Jakarta Transportation Agency, which says that the city loses some US$3.2 billion/year from traffic congestion. To deal with the problem the city authorities have a series of plans to upgrade the road system. The plans include building flyovers and widening roads, as well as constructing a further six inner-city toll roads.
  • Largest electric bus fleet in world nears
    April 25, 2012
    BYD, manufacturer of the first long-range (300+ km), all-electric bus has been selected as the sole eBus provider for the 2011 International Universiade Games which will be held in Shenzhen, China. The company will deliver over 300 eBus-12 units by this coming August. After the Universiade Games, they will be will be incorporated into Shenzhen’s city bus fleet, creating the largest all-electric bus fleet in the world.
  • The UK’s busiest crossing adopts free flow charging
    April 30, 2015
    Colin Sowman looks at the transition to free-flow charging on the Dartford Crossing, a notorious congestion blackspot on the UK motorway network. The Dartford Crossing, where London’s orbital M25 motorway crosses the lower reaches of the River Thames 32km (20 miles) to the east of Central London, has long been a major source of congestion. Now, to alleviate the congestion caused by some 50 million crossings per year, the Highways Agency has adopted a free-flow charging system - but the Crossing’s location a