Charging the polluters: A pricing model for road and railway noise

This study outlines a method to estimate the short run marginal cost (SRMC) for road and railway noise. It is based on standardized calculation methods for total noise levels and monetary cost estimates from well established evaluation methods. Here official calculation methods and monetary values are used for Sweden, but the estimation method for the SRMC outlined can be directly applied using other standardized noise calculation methods and monetary values. This implies that the current knowledge regarding the calculation of total noise levels and the evaluation of the social cost of noise can be extended to estimate the marginal effect as well. This is an important finding since it enables policy makers to price noise externalities in an appropriate way. Several sensitivity tests run for the SRMC show that: (i) increasing the total traffic on the infrastructure has only a minor influence, (ii) estimates are quite sensitive to the number of exposed individuals, and (iii) to the monetary values used. Hence, benefits transfer, i.e. using monetary values elicited based on road noise for railway noise, should be done with caution or not at all. Results also show that the use of quiet technology can have a significant effect on the SRMC. The fact that this model is able to differentiate not only modes of transport, but also vehicles and even technologies is an important finding. It is essential that the noise charges give the operators the right incentives to choose their optimal allocation.Externalities; Marginal cost; Noise; Railway; Road

Thick barrier noise-reduction in the presence of atmospheric turbulence: Measurements and numerical modelling

Atmospheric turbulence causes scattering of sound, which can reduce the performance of sound barriers. This is an important inclusion in prediction models to obtain a correct picture of the sound reduction at higher frequencies. Here a prediction method is applied that uses the strengths of the wind and temperature turbulence to estimate the scattered power into the shadow zone of a barrier. The predictions are compared to full-scale measurements on a thick barrier, where both acoustic and meteorological data were recorded simultaneously under both calm and windy conditions. Comparison between the measurements and the predictions indicate that the method gives reasonably accurate results for mid to high frequencies and a slight overestimation at very high frequencies

Modelling of a city canyon problem in a turbulent atmosphere using an equivalent sources approach

The sound propagation into a courtyard shielded from direct exposure is predicted using an equivalent sources approach. The problem is simplified into that of a two-dimensional city canyon. A set of equivalent sources are used to couple the free half-space above the canyon to the cavity inside the canyon. Atmospheric turbulence causes an increase in the expected value of the sound pressure level compared to a homogeneous case. The level increase is estimated using a von Kármán turbulence model and the mutual coherences of all equivalent sources' contributions. For low frequencies the increase is negligible, but at 1.6 kHz it reaches 2–5 dB for the geometries and turbulence parameters used here. A comparison with a ray-based model shows reasonably good agreement

Charging the polluters: A pricing model for road and railway noise

By combining standardized calculation methods for total noise levels and monetary estimates from well established evaluation methods, this study outlines a model to estimate the short run marginal cost (SRMC) for road and railway noise that is able to differentiate not only modes of transport, but also vehicles and technologies. Several sensitivity tests run for the SRMC show that estimates are: (i) insensitive to the traffic volume, (ii) sensitive to the number of exposed individuals, and (iii) sensitive to the monetary values used. Results also show that the use of quiet technology can have a significant effect on the SRMC

Charging the polluters: A pricing model for road and railway noise

By combining standardized calculation methods for total noise levels and monetary estimates from well established evaluation methods, this study outlines a model to estimate the short run marginal cost (SRMC) for road and railway noise that is able to differentiate not only modes of transport, but also vehicles and technologies. Several sensitivity tests run for the SRMC show that estimates are: (i) insensitive to the traffic volume, (ii) sensitive to the number of exposed individuals, and (iii) sensitive to the monetary values used. Results also show that the use of quiet technology can have a significant effect on the SRMC

Charging the polluters: A pricing model for road and railway noise

By combining standardized calculation methods for total noise levels and monetary\ud estimates from well established evaluation methods, this study outlines a model to estimate the\ud short run marginal cost (SRMC) for road and railway noise that is able to differentiate not only\ud modes of transport, but also vehicles and technologies. Several sensitivity tests run for the SRMC\ud show that estimates are: (i) insensitive to the traffic volume, (ii) sensitive to the number of exposed\ud individuals, and (iii) sensitive to the monetary values used. Results also show that the use of quiet\ud technology can have a significant effect on the SRMC

Comparison between road and rail noise cost per transported ton of cargo

The social cost of noise is normally used when performing cost-benefit analysis while planning infrastructure projects or noise mitigation measures. In this study it is used together with the official noise prediction methods to estimate the acoustic and monetary impact of transporting 1 ton of cargo through two separate transportation corridors from Gothenburg to Stockholm in Sweden, one via railway and the other via truck transport. The noise cost per transported ton is approximately twice as high for rail transport due to higher noise emissions per ton and more exposed dwellings close to the railway

Benefit measures for noise abatement: Calculations for road and rail traffic noise

Purpose : the aim of this study is to estimate monetary abatement values for road and rail traffic noise that can be used for policy purposes. However, a main objective is to critically discuss the assumptions necessary to convert the monetary values elicited in willingness to pay (WTP) studies to values than can be use for policy purposes. Methods : we employ the hedonic regression technique on Swedish data to elicit individualsâ preferences for noise abatement. Our elicited values are then converted to policy values and critically examined based on findings from a literature review. Results : we show that WTP for road and rail not only differs in levels but also that the relationship between the noise level and the marginal value differs between the two sources. We also show that a health cost component added to the WTP estimate, based on the assumption of uninformed property buyers, will be small but not negligible and that also modest differences in the assumption of the discount rates will have a significant effect on the estimated values. Conclusions : the main implications from this study are: (i) WTP for road and railway noise abatement differs not only on absolute but also marginal levels, (ii) Even small differences in the chosen discount rate, which is necessary to convert WTP values from a hedonic price study to policy values, have large effects on the policy values, and (iii) We show how to add a health cost component to the WTP estimates in order for the monetary estimates to reflect the total social cost. However, we argue that the motivation for doing so is weak and that more research is needed on this issue. Document type: Preprin