Road traffic noise – the relationship between noise exposure and
noise annoyance in Norway
Applied Acoustics, (2004)Abstract
Exposure–effect relationships between the level of road traffic noise
at the most exposed side of a dwelling's façade and the residents'
reactions to road traffic noise have been estimated. The relationships
are based on five Norwegian socio-acoustic studies featuring 18 study
areas from two cities and a total of near 4000 respondents. The survey
questionnaires distinguish between noise annoyance experienced right
outside the apartment and when indoors. Exposure–effect relationships
for all degrees of annoyance are estimated simultaneously from ordinal
logit models. These predict road traffic noise annoyance when right
outside the apartment and when indoors, respectively, as a function
of the road traffic noise level outside the most exposed façade.
Separate analyses indicate that Norwegians react stronger to road
traffic noise than results from a recent compilation of socio-acoustic
surveys would lead one to believe. People having inferior single
glazing windows report higher indoor annoyance.