Noise mapping in Australia: completed studies, goals and outcomes

Benjamin Hinze

a)

SLR Consulting Ltd

Level 2, 15 Astor Terrace, Spring Hill, Brisbane, Queensland, 4000, Australia

Noise mapping over geographically large regions such as cities has yet to make a large

impact in Australia, with only a handful of noise mapping studies completed over the past

decade. Unlike the European Union (EU), where noise maps are used extensively and

carried out to achieve numerous outcomes, projects to date in Australia have been

undertaken to achieve more specific goals, with additional positive outcomes emerging

after project completion. This paper provides an overview of the key noise mapping

projects delivered in Australia to date, summarising their primarily goals and outcomes.

1 INTRODUCTION

Put simply, a noise map is the calculation of noise from a nominated source type, typically

presented visually across a large geographical area. A noise map typically represents sections of,

or entire cities, however can also be used to describe long road or rail corridors, either between

cities or throughout a larger region.

Australia has been slower to embrace noise mapping when compared to the EU. Feedback

from state and local governments suggest that this is primarily because – with the exception of

some inner city areas – Australia’s population densities are limited near major transportation and

industrial noise sources. Consequently, policies tend to address noise impacts targeted to

individual roads, rail lines or developments, rather than holistically on a wider scale.

In the EU, the European Union Environmental Noise Directive (2002/49/EC)b) relates to the

assessment and management of environmental noise, predominantly delivered through the

completion of noise maps. This directive features the following underlying principlesc)

:

a)

email: ben.hinze@slrconsulting.com

b) The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. Directive 2002/49/EC of the European

Parliament and of the Council of 25 June 2002 relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise.

OEJC 2002;189:12–25 c)

European Commission Working Group Assessment of Exposure to Noise (WG?AEN). Position Paper: Good

Practice Guide for Strategic Noise Mapping and the Production of Associated Data on Noise Exposure. European

Commission, 2003

• monitoring the environmental problem, which is used to assess the number of people

annoyed and sleep?disturbed respectively throughout Europe

• informing and consulting with the public about noise exposure, its effects and the measures

considered to address noise

• addressing local noise issues by requiring competent authorities to draw up action plans to

reduce noise where necessary and maintain environmental noise quality where it is good

• developing a long?term strategy which includes objectives to reduce the number of people

affected by noise in the longer term, and provides a framework for developing existing

community policy on noise reduction.

The noise mapping works completed within Australia to date have not intended to address

all of the above principles, but rather have been tailored to achieve specific objectives, namely to

provide:

• information to the public about the road traffic noise levels within inner city areas

• an asset and budget planning mechanism to chart what noise mitigation treatments are

required, where and when.

• calculated and predicted noise levels to direct action plans or policy to address

environmental noise impacts on local residents.

However, it was after the studies were completed that the maps and datasets immediately

provided secondary benefits:

• The ability to assess the impact of changing noise criteria was improved. This included the

ability to assess existing noise barrier performance and gauge – as much as practical – the

performance of existing noise infrastructure when set against a revised criteria.

• Another benefit was improved handling of noise complaints. When a member of the public

issues a complaint about road or rail noise, the controlling authority can access the noise

map to achieve a good indication of the actual noise levels at that property. From there, an

educated decision can be made regarding whether to apply resources to further investigate

the complaint.

• They also provide a shortcut for various governments to assess development applications for

new sensitive buildings.

In 2006, it is believed that Australia’s first city noise map was commissioned for the

Adelaide city centre, considering road traffic noise only. Since then, Victoria and Queensland

have been the leading states to develop larger noise maps, namely:

• Melbourne’s VicRoads Highways / Freeways Retrofit Noise Assessment (2010–2011)

• EPA Melbourne Noise Map (2013–2014)

• Queensland Development Code Noise Categories study (QDCNCS; 2010, revised in 2015).

A summary of the noise mapping studies completed to date in Australia is presented in the

following sections.

2 PROGRESSION OF NOISE MAPPING WITHIN AUSTRALIA

2.1 Adelaide City Centre and Greater Adelaide Road Traffic Noise Maps

A road traffic noise model was created by Bassett Acoustics (now AECOM) with

collaborative assistance from the Adelaide City Council, the South Australian Department of

Transport, Energy and Infrastructure, the South Australian Environment Protection Authority

(EPA) and Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI). The model provided a

road traffic noise map which focused on the inner city area of Adelaide (City of Adelaide) and

fed into a noise technical fact sheet aimed at introducing road traffic noise levels to the general

public. The model and subsequent map covered an area of approximately 15 km2 and featured

terrain and buildings in addition to the local road network. Figure 1 presents the calculated road

traffic noise levels throughout the inner city study area presented by the Adelaide City Council.

Following the inner city model, a wider road traffic noise map was created by AECOM in

2008. This map used road sources only, and covered the wider DPTI road network within the

greater Adelaide region.

Both maps calculated the LA10 (18hr) road traffic noise levels from 6:00 am to 12:00

midnight. At the time of this assessment, the LA10 (18hr) noise level was the descriptor used to

assess road traffic noise within a number of Australian states for residential dwellings. The LA10

noise level is representative of the level of noise exceeded for 10% of any period (usually one

hour). The LA10 (18hr) is an arithmetic average of the LA10 (1hr) noise levels over the 18

consecutive hours between 6:00 am and 12:00 midnight on a weekday.

Adelaide City Council stated that the benefits of the Adelaide City Road Traffic Noise Map

and noise technical fact sheet were:

• improved noise management in South Australia

• assistance with planning for new development

• help for new residents to understand the existing noise environment within the city.d)

The noise map and other technical fact sheets form part of a larger noise management

program. The program incorporates acoustic advisory service site visits from acoustic engineers

to provide solutions for residents concerned about external noise, funding towards the cost of the

solutions, and other noise management services.

To date, Adelaide City Council has not conducted further public studies in relation to

mapping traffic noise.

d)

Adelaide City Council, Noise Technical Fact Sheet, Fact Sheet 9 – Adelaide City Road Traffic Noise Map, viewed

25 May 2015, www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/assets/noise_fact_sheet_9_adelaide_city_road_traffic_noise_map.pdf

Figure 1 – Adelaide City Road Traffic Noise Map Image provided by Adelaide City Council – Noise Technical Fact Sheet #9

2.2 Melbourne – VicRoads Highways / Freeways Retrofit Noise Assessment

In 2010 VicRoads, under the requirements of its traffic noise reduction policy, looked to

investigate the requirement of retrofitting (i.e. increasing the height and / or length) of existing

noise barriers and / or the construction of new noise barriers for the state controlled road network

within Melbourne. Approximately 786 km of Melbourne’s highway and freeway network was

modelled by AECOM, with noise modelling taking into consideration terrain, buildings, noise

barriers, reflective ground surfaces and the road sources themselves. Traffic volumes and

composition were adjusted based on modelled growth rates through the road network to predict

the road traffic noise levels every 5 years for the next 25 years.

The need for a barrier to be retrofitted was based on road traffic noise levels calculated for

the year 2011 at surrounding residences, and predicted noise levels for the following 25 years.

Where a dwelling had a road traffic noise level that exceeded the retrofit trigger noise level of

68 dB(A) LA10 (18hr), VicRoads sought to understand the height and location of retrofits to

existing noise barriers and/or requirement for new noise barriers in an attempt to lower the

modelled road traffic noise levels at all dwellings to meet the retrofit trigger noise level; and

when these works would be required.

The VicRoads noise reduction policy also considers the ‘whole?of?life’ aspect of the

retrofitting of noise barriers. The purpose is to ensure that the ability of a noise barrier to reduce

road traffic noise levels at the surrounding dwellings to meet 68 dB(A) LA10 (18 hr) matches

closely the physical life time of the noise barrier. In other words, noise barriers should approach

the end of their physical life as the retrofit trigger noise level is approached, in line with the

increase in traffic volume over the years. VicRoads has been retrofitting traffic noise barriers to

existing freeways since the mid?1970s. The program of retrofitting noise barriers is based on

retrofit trigger noise levels being exceeded and funds for the retrofitting being made available.

An important aspect of this project was verification of the calculated road traffic noise levels

against actual measured data. Noise measurements provided noise levels to compare against the

calculated noise levels from the road traffic noise model. Over 200 measurements were included,

with a goal for the noise model to calculate the measured noise level to within ± 2 dB without the

need for corrections outside of those for varying road pavement surfaces. This was not achieved

throughout the model, with calculated noise levels on some sections of freeway being

significantly higher than measured due to heavy congestion.

Once completed, a summary detailing where and when noise attenuation measures would be

required was completed for the entire highway / freeway network. The predicted noise levels at

each dwelling and noise contour lines were then brought into Google Earth. This step allowed

users to enter a physical address to determine the calculated / predicted noise level at that

address, in addition to the noise environment throughout the localised area. This tool assisted

VicRoads to respond to noise complaints.

Figure 2 provides a snapshot of a section of a road traffic noise model within Google Earth,

presenting the road source lines, buildings (shaded according to calculated noise level), existing

noise barriers and concrete crash barriers, noise contours and areas of reflective ground.

Figure 2 – Calculated noise levels presented in Google Earth Image © Sinclair Knight Merz & Fugro, 2015, Courtesy of Google ©

Today VicRoads still uses its map when responding to noise complaints from residents. In

most cases, complaints come from locations where noise levels are well below the criteria for

consideration of noise mitigation works. This has eradicated the need for consultants who would

previously have been engaged to physically measure noise levels at these locations. VicRoads

also use the map for scenario testing possible noise policy changes.

2.3 EPA Melbourne Noise Map

The Victorian EPA considers community noise, or environmental noise, as one of the most

common pollutants. It is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as noise emitted

from all sources, except noise at the industrial workplace. ‘Community noise includes the

primary sources of road, rail and air traffic, industries, construction and public works and the

neighbourhood’e)

.

Environmental noise is increasingly becoming a community concern both internationally

and in Australia. Despite efforts over the past four decades to reduce noise impacts from

transportation sources such as road and rail traffic and aircraft, many of the benefits of these

efforts have been lost due to increased traffic volumes (by all modes) over longer periods of the

day and evening.

e)

World Health Organisation 1999, Guidelines for Community Noise, viewed 25 May 2015,

http://www.who.int/docstore/peh/noise/guidelines2.html

At the same time, urban population increases have resulted in greater exposure of a larger

percentage of the population to increased noise levels. There is now sufficient evidence

internationally that community noise may pose a general public health risk. To date, the financial

and social cost of due to the health burden from environmental noise is unknown.

The Victorian EPA has a long?term aim of achieving a minimal disturbance from noise. A

key measure of this aim is the health burden from environmental noise. To understand the health

burden associated with environmental noise, first the population exposed to various ranges of

noise levels needs to be established. In 2013, this was achieved through the construction of a city

wide noise model by WSP / Parsons Brinckerhoff for the greater Melbourne region. This was a

collaborative effort between the Victorian Government Departments of the EPA, VicRoads,

Department of Transport, the Department of Sustainability and Environment and the City of

Melbourne local council.

Visualising noise exposure as a noise map and calculating the noise related health burden

was intended to inform the EPA’s input into activities such as land use planning, transportation

planning and design standards that change the community’s exposure to noise. In 2011, the

WHO published a report on the burden of disease from environmental noise based on a health

risk assessment approachf).

The process for quantifying the environmental noise related health burden used by the WHO

was adopted for the Melbourne Noise Map. This included modelling outputs (noise level

descriptors and number of people exposed) suitable for use in the exposure?response

relationships documented by the WHO. The measure for noise exposure was based on LAeq

noise levels that were calculated for the day, evening and night time periods. The LAeq can be

described as an equivalent continuous noise level over a nominated the time period. It is a level

of a notional steady sound that would contain the same amount of sound energy as an actual,

possibly fluctuating, noise source.

One?off maximum noise levels (e.g. truck air brakes or train horns) were not considered. It

was recognised that alterations in sleep structure and awakenings from noise events depend on

‘the number of noise events, the acoustical properties (such as maximum sound pressure levels,

LAmax) of single noise events, the placement of noise events within the night, and noise=free

intervals between noise events’g. However, as described by the WHO, it is currently not clear

how the instantaneous effects such as awakenings could be used to assess the burden of disease.

The Melbourne Noise Map covers an area of approximately 5,600 km2 and features the

noise contribution from road, rail and industrial noise sources. Approximately 8,000 km of

Melbourne’s road network was assessed in conjunction with 1,100 km of rail line, featuring

metro, V/Line (regional express), freight and tram services. Noise from industry was also

considered, with a simplistic representation of approximately 58,500 cadastral land parcels zoned

for industrial use throughout the city. Other noise model inputs included the existing noise

barrier network, bridges (including concrete crash barriers), a digital terrain model built from

LiDAR survey and areas of hard ground.

f) World Health Organisation 2011, Burden of disease from environmental noise: quantification of healthy life years

lost in Europe , WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, viewed 25 May 2015,

http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/136466/e94888.pdf g)

World Health Organisation, Copenhagen, 2011

Figure 3 presents a map of the calculated road and rail traffic noise levels within the

Melbourne CBD – a minor section within the study ? while Figure 4 demonstrates a façade noise

map within the CBD, where the noise levels were calculated for every level on every façade.

Figure 3 – Calculated road and rail traffic noise levels within Melbourne CBD Image supplied by WSP / Parsons Brinckerhoff

Fig. 4 – Building façade noise levels within Melbourne CBD Image supplied by WSP / Parsons Brinckerhoff

The noise models were segregated into the 32 local government areas that stretch throughout

greater Melbourne. They featured over 2 million buildings, where the noise level at every level

of every façade of every habitable building in the project area was calculated. Noise

measurements were taken at key locations throughout the project area. These were used to

validate both the source noise levels used within the study, and to verify the road and rail traffic

noise results of the noise model.

The number of inhabitants for each dwelling was calculated based on the 2011 Australian

Census data, with a distribution of population based on the physical volume of each dwelling

within each Census area (i.e. the building area multiplied by the number of storeys). This process

allowed a larger proportion of residents to be allocated to apartment buildings that typically have

a larger footprint and multiple storeys.

In addition to the calculated noise levels, the percentage of the 3.8 million residents exposed

to various noise sources throughout the day, evening and night time periods was reported. This

data fed into a wider study on the health burden of noise on the general population.

2.4 Queensland Development Code Noise Categories Study

In September 2010, the Queensland Department of Housing and Public Works (QDPW)

released the policy Queensland Development Code Mandatory Part 4.4 – Buildings in Transport

Noise Corridors (QDC MP4.4)h. The purpose of the policy was to ensure that new residential

buildings located near roads and railways are constructed in a way that attenuates any adverse

noise impacts for building users / occupiers and focuses on land designated as a ‘Transport Noise

Corridor’ under the Queensland Building Acti for QDC MP4.4.

Previously, building applications for the construction of residential buildings on properties

near state?controlled roads generally required an on?site noise assessment and a supplementary

state government approval. This approval was often conditional on certain noise reduction

measures, such as specific building materials being included in the building’s design and

construction. The QDC 4.4 provides a more consistent standard across the state and reduces the

time and costs involved in gaining final building approvals. It also continues to minimise the

effects of transport noise on the building occupant’s health and acoustic amenity from major

transport corridors.

Transport noise corridors were declared for all state?controlled roads in Queensland in

September 2010. Under the Building Act, land can be designated as a transport noise corridor if

it is within 100 metres of a state?controlled road or railway (or up to 250 metres where the level

of noise emissions exceeds certain thresholds stipulated in the Building Act)j.

h)

Queensland Department of Housing and Public Works, Queensland Development Code, Mandatory Part 4.4 –

Buildings in Transport Noise Corridors, viewed 25 May 2015,

http://www.hpw.qld.gov.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/mp?4?4?buildings?in?transport?noise?corridors.pdf i) Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel 1975, Building Act, Section 246(X), viewed 25 May 2015,

https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/B/BuildA75.pdf j) Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel 1975, Building Act, Section 246(Z), (1975)

Noise categories were calculated based on the traffic volume, composition, speed and road

surface pavement for each state?controlled road throughout the neighbouring transport noise

corridor. The calculations were produced using a ‘flat?earth’ model and did not take into account

topography, existing buildings, or existing noise barriers – attributes which can significantly

affect the extent of land adjacent to a state?controlled road that is impacted by noise.

To complement the transport noise corridors for state?controlled roads, transport noise

categories were calculated for major local roads within the Logan and Brisbane city local

government areas by their respective councils, with Logan including ground terrain.

The purpose of the QDC MP4.4 policy is to provide guidance on requirements for the

construction of new dwellings or upgrades to existing sensitive properties that are located within

a transport noise corridor. The general public can log on to the online portal, look up their

property and easily determine the noise category the building envelope would reside in. This is

done through the QDPW Noise Affected Properties mapping (NAPmap) portalk. Based on the

appropriate noise category, construction materials and techniques to limit noise ingress into the

property are recommended within QDC MP4.4.

Figure 5 presents an example of noise categories for some of Queensland’s state?controlled

roads and Logan City’s designated local road networks.

Figure 5 – Noise categories for Queensland State and Logan City designated local roads Image from QLD Department of State Development and Infrastructure and Planning

k)

Queensland Department of Housing and Public Works, Transport Noise Corridors

The NAPmap portal is somewhat limited by its simplicity. For example, factors which may

directly affect noise levels such as other buildings, noise barriers and topography are not

considered within the portal. This simplicity of modelling in generating noise categories has

generated some angst among builders and home owners who have found their property to fall

within a higher noise category despite, for example, being screened by other dwellings or a noise

barrier. In order to have the noise category reduced, an acoustic consultant is required to

complete a study, adding a cost that builders and owners have felt unwarranted.

Property owners and building designers have the choice to either adopt the code's acceptable

solution for the relevant noise category from the NAPmap search result (which will be deemed to

satisfy the performance requirement), or to have an on?site noise assessment completed to

identify alternative options for meeting the noise reduction targets. An on?site noise assessment

can also be used to identify situations where a lower noise category might apply to the property

and features. For example, other buildings, noise barriers or topography not considered within

the Napmap portal.

Currently the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR) are in the

process of revising the noise categories for the state controlled road network through more

detailed modelling completed by SLR Consulting. This modelling included ground terrain, noise

barriers and buildings extending 500 m each side of the road centreline for 33,353 km of state

controlled roads.

3 PRECEIVED FUTURE OF NOISE MAPPING IN AUSTRALIA

Unlike the Environmental Noise Directive (2002/49/EC) within the EU, there is no

overarching policy within Australia that requires noise mapping or city noise modelling, with the

exception of the QDC MP4.4.

In 2014, a draft issue of the National Construction Code (NCC)l featured the inclusion of

measures to address noise intrusion into habitable rooms. The NCC is developed to incorporate

all on?site building requirements into a single code and sets the minimum requirements for the

design, construction and performance of buildings throughout Australia. Consideration of noise

intrusion was abandoned prior to release of the NCC 2015. However should it return, an

understanding of the local noise environment would prove invaluable for regulatory authorities

for building approvals.

Slowly but surely, consideration of noise intrusion has already begun for council planning

schemes, in particular within Queensland. Currently, the Redland City Council in Queensland’s

south east is looking to build a detailed city noise model for road and rail noise to feed into the

Redland City Council planning scheme. If constructed, the noise model would provide indicative

road and rail noise levels to assist with mitigating noise into private outdoor and internal living

areas of new – or upgrades to existing ? dwellings and sensitive buildings.

Similar (albeit simplified) examples of this approach have already been undertaken by

Brisbane City and Logan City councils for road traffic noise, complimenting the QDC MP4.4

policy for state controlled roads.

l) Australian Building Codes Board 2015, National Construction Code, view 25 May 2015,

http://www.abcb.gov.au/ncc?products

Generally, interest has been raised throughout Australia by various state and local levels of

government on the potential of noise mapping, however at the time of writing no other active

progression had been made.

Based on the noise mapping work completed within Australia to date, the points below

summarise the direct and actively used benefits of noise mapping:

• It is an education tool to help the community understand more about noise levels, and help

people understand the noise environment when moving to a new area.

• Noise mapping provides a method for quantifying the population exposed to environmental

noise levels for further health studies.

• It shortcuts the screening process for development or building applications.

• Noise mapping offers an asset management and budget planning tool, to firstly understand

what noise mitigation infrastructure exists, but secondly to gain an understanding on where

and when the existing infrastructure will need to be supplemented with either new noise

barriers, or retrofit to existing.

• It helps prioritisation of infrastructure projects to target areas that are currently exposed to

higher noise levels, while aiming to preserve quieter areas.

• Noise mapping acts as a first pass to gauge response for community noise complaints.

4 DISCUSSION

As previously mentioned, Australia has taken a relatively slow move into large scale noise

mapping, with current polices targeting specific sections of road or rail line as they are either

newly built or upgraded.

It is the author’s opinion that noise mapping is not solely an acoustic based exercise. Rather

it’s a geographical information systems (GIS) exercise with an acoustic lead. While the majority

of data collation, manipulation and processing is completed in a GIS domain, it’s important to

have the acoustic knowledge to understand the implications of the processes completed and how

data in the GIS environment can be manipulated to best serve an acoustic model.

As the majority of the work to create a noise map is GIS based this background work is

often completed internally by councils and state governments. When these levels of government

are considering undertaking a noise mapping exercise, it may be prudent to consider noise maps

as a by?product of datasets acquired for alternate studies. For example, a detailed digital terrain

model often forms the backbone of most internal geographical datasets and typically would

already exist. However the survey of building footprints and impervious ground surfaces is

predominantly aimed to assess flooding. Traffic volumes are collated through traffic modelling

and the documentation / survey of existing noise barriers is often an asset management exercise.

When all of these datasets are combined, a digital, 3D model of the city or local government

area can be built, allowing noise levels (and air quality levels if atmospheric data is available) to

then be easily calculated.

As illustrated in the case studies presented within this paper, alternative benefits are often

realised with a 3D model of a city after the model is completed. The author’s observations from

state and local government city noise maps, is that often greater benefits are realised once the

studies are completed and the model is accessible.

In other words, ‘if you build it, he will come’m

5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank James McIntosh (VicRoads), Dung Nguyen (Victorian EPA), Rebecca

Draysey and Megan Cox (Adelaide City Council) and Sheng Zhang (Queensland Department of

Transport and Main Roads) for their assistance.

I also wish to thank Melanie Hinze (Sirona Communications) for editorial revisions in

helping to transform my ramblings into something more legible.

6 REFERENCES

1. The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. Directive 2002/49/EC of

the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 June 2002 relating to the assessment and

management of environmental noise. OEJC 2002;189:12–25.

2. European Commission Working Group Assessment of Exposure to Noise (WG?AEN).

Position Paper: Good Practice Guide for Strategic Noise Mapping and the Production of

Associated Data on Noise Exposure. European Commission, 2003.

3. Adelaide City Council. Noise Technical Fact Sheet 9: Adelaide City Road Traffic Noise

Map, Adelaide, viewed 25 May 2015,

www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/assets/noise_fact_sheet_9_adelaide_city_road_traffic_noise_

map.pdf

4. World Health Organisation 1999, Guidelines for Community Noise, viewed 25 May 2015,

http://www.who.int/docstore/peh/noise/guidelines2.html

5. World Health Organisation 2011, Burden of disease from environmental noise: quantification

of healthy life years lost in Europe , WHO Regional Office for Europe,

Copenhagen, viewed 25 May 2015,

http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/136466/e94888.pdf

6. Queensland Department of Housing and Public Works 2011, Queensland Development

Code, Mandatory Part 4.4 – Buildings in Transport Noise Corridors, viewed 25 May 2015,

http://www.hpw.qld.gov.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/mp?4?4?buildings?in?transport?noise?

corridors.pdf

7. Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel 1975, Building Act, Section 246(X) and

Section 246(Z), viewed 25 May 2015,

https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/B/BuildA75.pdf

8. Australian Building Codes Board 2015, National Construction Code, viewed 25 May 2015

http://www.abcb.gov.au/ncc?products

9. Field of Dreams, 1989, motion picture, Universal Pictures, USA

m)

Field of Dreams, 1989, motion picture, Universal Pictures, USA