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

  • Commuting habits come under scrutiny
    March 28, 2017
    Cities have a moral responsibility to encourage the smart use of transportation and Andrew Bardin Williams hears a few suggestions. Given the choice of getting a root canal, doing household chores, filing taxes, eating anchovies or commuting to work, nearly two-thirds of Americans said that they wouldn’t mind commuting into work—at least according to a poll conducted by Xerox (now Conduent) over its social media channels at the end of 2016.
    Read More
  • Air quality tops transportation agendas
    November 17, 2014
    Colin Sowman catches up on some of the latest research around outdoor pollution and looks at options available to authorities in areas of poor air quality. Iair quality hasn’t already reached the top of the agenda in transportation department meetings in your area, it probably soon will with national, trans-national and even global bodies calling for authorities to reduce pollution levels.
    Read More
  • Phoenix rises to the Smart City challenge
    December 10, 2015
    Andrew Bardin Williams looks at the City of Phoenix where voters backed a $30bn plan to revamp its transportation network to cultivate a more connected community. According to a Land Use Institute study, half of all Americans and even more millennials (63%) would like to live in a place where they do not need to use a car very often. The City of Phoenix is putting in place plans to revamp its urban development and transportation policies to meet these changing quality of life perceptions.
    Read More
  • California traffic deaths drop for fifth consecutive year
    April 20, 2012
    California saw a decline in overall traffic deaths for the fifth year in a row. According to federal government figures, total vehicle fatalities dropped 11.9 per cent, from 3,081 in 2009 to 2,715 in 2010. Since the latest high of 4,333 in 2005, the 2010 figures show a total decline of 37.3 per cent.
    Read More

Highlighted Content