Dynamic Traffic Modeling for Noise Impact Assessment of Traffic Strategies

This paper compares static and dynamic traffic representations to assess noise impact of three traffic strategies on an urban main street: (i) introduction of a bus line, (ii) implementation of a green wave, (iii) replacement of a traffic signal by a roundabout. The dynamic noise prediction model is the only one that can capture changes in noise environment due to those strategies, since it explicitly considers interactions between vehicles on the network. Noise impact of the three strategies is compared through the estimation of statistical descriptors (L-1, L-10, L-50 and L-90) and the minimum and maximum levels reached per cycle. Within the hypothesis of the study, it is shown that noise levels increase due to buses or speed increase whereas they decrease when a signalized intersection is replaced by a roundabout.