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Now you can see noise pollution

  2. mischabarrett
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The government yesterday published online maps which allow users to enter their postcode to find out noise levels in their area. They show the level of environmental noise from airports, industry, and road and rail networks over 24-hour periods or during the night.

The environment minister, Jonathan Shaw, said: "Factors like transport and industry are a necessary part of modern life. But we need to look at what further practical steps we can take to make people's lives more tranquil. These maps provide the most comprehensive snapshot yet of noise in our country, all at the click of a mouse.

"We will use them to draw up action plans to reduce noise where practical from major roads and railways, as well as urban areas. The plans will include measures to protect designated quiet areas from any increase in noise."

But Peter Wakeham, director of the Noise Abatement Society, said: "What the maps don't have are football stadiums, nightclubs, military training ranges. If you live near Wembley it's terrible at the weekend. The maps need to be validated. At the moment they're just computer projections, not sound level recordings. At least they recognise there's a problem."

The maps cover 67,000 miles of road, 3,000 miles of railway and the areas around 18 airports. The website also includes the number of people exposed to noise levels. The areas covered are: Birkenhead, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Brighton, Bristol, Coventry, Hull, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Sheffield, Southampton, Southend, Teesside, the Potteries, Tyneside, West Midlands and West Yorkshire.

Do you think noise pollution is dangerous enough to warrant measures such as these noise maps?
mischabarrett

2 responses // Now you can see noise pollution

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