Mapping project shows decibel level for every London home

New figures have been released which will show the level of traffic noise for every property in London. They are part of an ambitious government project to map the level of noise across the whole country.

The map reveals that Hounslow is the noisiest borough in London (excluding the City of Westminster and the City of London) with 25% of its area experiencing decibel levels of over 60. The main source of noise appears to be busy roads like the A4 where homes nearby experience some of the highest level of noise in the capital. Alarmingly, the analysis does not take into account aircraft noise which is likely to rise from current high levels with the building of a 5th Terminal at Heathrow and a Third Runway.

Residents close to the A4 in Chiswick have long been campaigning for measures to reduce the impact of noise on their homes either by screening or providing less noisy road surfaces. The noise mapping project will provide them with ample evidence to support their case.

The London Road Traffic Noise Map is the first such detailed noise map of the whole of Greater London. It has been produced by gathering together and inputting a huge body of information on the London environment, such as the speed and flow of traffic, the locations and shape of buildings and the profile of the ground, into specialised noise prediction software which then generates a map of noise levels. An on-line map has been published which allows you to enter your post code to see how much noise your home is likely to experience.

The local data represents a further blow to the environment in the Borough. Recent data showed that the level of Nitrogen Dioxide in the borough was not declining and had actually risen by 42% in Chiswick during 2003.

September 14, 2004