Noise control plans in cities - selected issues and necessary changes in approach to measures and methods of protection

The Directive (2002) establishing the assessment and management of environmental noise mandates that the Member States of the EU to prepare action plans to manage noise-related issues and consequences of acoustic impact on areas adjacent to the busiest roads, railway lines, main airports and the biggest agglomerations. Every five years there are environmental noise control plans developed in the EU countries for the biggest cities with a population exceeding 100 thousand inhabitants. Each plan contains a set of proposed remedial measures aimed at improving noise conditions of the areas that have the greatest number of inhabitants exposed to noise above the limit values. As a rule, a few selected remedial measures are possible to apply in those areas and their combined effect is meant to result in a sensible improvement of noise conditions. In most programs, the tasks related to protection against environmental noise are based on single methods, which often present little effectiveness and are unrelated to other programs and policies. The present report describes the results of studies and analyses that were performed in most Polish cities where noise control plans were delivered. The studies enabled to determine the basic problems encountered in relation to noise control plans as well as issues confronted while adopting actual measures protecting the environment against noise. The conclusion points out the necessity to introduce changes in the approach to noise protection measures and methods in cities. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.