A preliminary study of the characteristics of noisy vehicles under cruising conditions – results of roadside measurements

YesIn the past it has been found that the maximum pass-by noise for the most noisy of vehicles can be 6-8 dB(A) above the average for the sample. It is therefore useful to consider the types of vehicle that make excessive noise and their condition and to reach some conclusions on how best to reduce the problem. Measurements of maximum noise, pass-by speed together with video footage were taken on a busy dual carriageway road (A34) in the UK carrying a high percentage of heavy vehicles. The intention was to collect sufficient information on light, medium heavy and heavy vehicles to enable typical characteristics of noisy vehicles to be identified. Peak noise levels produced by vehicles under normal operating conditions of steady speed were recorded and not of vehicle being driven in an aggressive manner e.g. under harsh acceleration. This paper reports on the characteristics of excessively noisy vehicles that were identified under these cruising conditions in free flow traffic conditions.The work described in this report was carried out in the Noise and Vibration Team of TRL Limited under funding from the Transport Research Foundation

How to make your house and garden more tranquil - tips from an acoustics expert

Ye

Towards quantifying the quality of tranquil areas with reference to the National Planning Policy Framework.

yesThe UK has recently recognized the importance of tranquil spaces in the National Planning Policy Framework, NPPF. This paper reports on applying the tranquillity rating prediction tool, TRAPT for predicting the perceived tranquillity of a place and using this tool to classify the levels of tranquillity in existing areas. The tool combines soundscape and landscape measures to produce a tranquillity rating on a 0-10 rating scales. For these purposes noise maps, spot noise level measurements, photographic surveys were used to predict tranquillity levels in 8 parks and open spaces in or near the city of Bradford in West Yorkshire in the UK. In addition interviews were conducted with visitors to validate these predictions. It was found that there was a reasonably close relationship between predicted and average assessments given by park visitors which confirmed the usefulness of the tranquillity rating prediction tool for planning and conservation purposes

Factors affecting tranquillity in the countryside.

yesPrevious work on elucidating the tranquillity of various environments has largely focussed on prediction and validation in urban environments. The setting for the latest phase of research was an English country park and surrounding moors on the urban fringe located 8 miles west of Bradford. Within the area selected there were a number of environments and man-made features and sounds that were thought to significantly affect tranquillity and which were not covered in earlier studies. The experiment extended over a number of months and utilised a jury technique for evaluation involving leading small groups of walkers to different locations in quasi-random order. At each location participants were asked to complete a short questionnaire and measurements of the physical soundscape and landscape images were used to interpret the results and give insights into the importance of the various factors affecting tranquillity. Such data will be useful for effective environmental management and conservation in the countryside

Investigation of noise and disturbance from vehicles crossing cattle grids and examination of options for mitigation

YesCattle grids are used on roads and tracks to prevent grazing animals from leaving an open space without fencing onto a more controlled area where access to the road from surrounded land is more limited. They are widely used in the UK at the entrances to common and moorland areas where animals are free to roam, but also on private drive entrances. Typically, they consist of a series of metal bars across the road that are spaced so that an animal’s legs would fall through the gaps if it attempted to cross. Below the grid is a shallow pit that is intended to further deter livestock from using that particular crossing point. The sound produced as vehicles cross these devices is a characteristic low frequency “brrrr” where the dominant frequencies relates to the bar passage frequency under the tyres. The sound can be disturbing to riders and their horses and walkers and residents living close by as evidenced by press reports and the need to consider noise aspects in planning for new installations. For this reason and due to the lack of available information on the size and nature of the problem measurements and recordings have been made at a number of sites in Yorkshire in the UK. In addition, questionnaire surveys of residents living close by and façade measurements have also been used to gauge impact. Results show that there is a wide variation in the maximum noise level produced by cattle grids of apparently similar design. This can be related to impact noise produced by the movement of all or part of the grid as the frame comes under impulsive loading as the vehicle crosses. It was further established that some residents living close to the cattle grids were disturbed by the noise, and in some cases vibration, and wanted them removed or suitably modified. Means of reducing the problem are proposed

Tranquillity trails for urban areas

YesTranquil spaces can be found and made in the city and their promotion and use by residents and visitors is an important means of building resilience. Studies have shown that spaces that are rated by visitors as tranquil are more likely to produce higher levels of relaxation and less anxiety that should ultimately result in health and well-being benefits. Such spaces can therefore be classed as restorative environments. Tranquil spaces are characterized by a soundscape dominated by natural sounds and low levels of man-made noise. In addition, the presence of vegetation and wild life has been shown to be an important contributory factor. Levels of rated tranquillity can be reliably predicted using a previously developed model TRAPT and then used to design and identify tranquil spaces, improve existing green spaces and develop Tranquillity Trails to encourage usage. Tranquillity Trails are walking routes that have been designed to enable residents and visitors to reflect and recover from stress while receiving the benefits of healthy exercise. This paper describes Tranquillity Trails designed for three contrasting areas. Predictions of the rated tranquillity have been made along these routes and feedback from users was elicited at one site that confirmed the expected benefits.Bradford Centre for Sustainable Environments in the Faculty of Engineering and Informatics at the University of Bradford

The effects of “greening” urban areas on the perceptions of tranquillity

YesTranquil environments can provide relief from stresses of everyday of life and can be considered restorative environments. This paper considers the effects of “greening” urban environments to enhance tranquillity and ultimately well-being and health benefits. A number of studies have been conducted at the Bradford Centre for Sustainable Environments at the University of Bradford which have examined the effects of natural features on ratings of tranquillity. These include quantifying the effects of the percentage of natural and contextual features and soundscape quality on rated tranquillity. Recently the resulting prediction equation TRAPT (Tranquillity Rating Prediction Tool) has been used to examine a number of scenarios including city parks and squares, country parks and moorland areas and validated using tranquillity ratings made by visitors to these green spaces and their reported levels of relaxation. In this paper TRAPT is used for predicting tranquillity in city squares of different sizes, to examine rated tranquillity behind natural (green) and manufactured noise barriers and to predict changes in urban streets of introducing avenues of trees, hedges and grass verges. Using such scenarios this paper demonstrates how the application of TRAPT can enable changes in tranquillity to be estimated. This can provide planners, environmentalists, civic leaders and concerned citizens with a further tool to guide improvements in the urban environment by “greening” measures and noise reduction of various kinds and to help counter threats such as over development, tree removal or traffic densification that might threaten existing benefits.Bradford Centre for Sustainable Environments in the Faculty of Engineering and Informatics at the University of Bradford

The effects of “greening” urban areas on the perceptions of tranquillity

YesTranquil environments can provide relief from stresses of everyday of life and can be considered restorative environments. This paper considers the effects of “greening” urban environments to enhance tranquillity and ultimately well-being and health benefits. A number of studies have been conducted at the Bradford Centre for Sustainable Environments at the University of Bradford which have examined the effects of natural features on ratings of tranquillity. These include quantifying the effects of the percentage of natural and contextual features and soundscape quality on rated tranquillity. Recently the resulting prediction equation TRAPT (Tranquillity Rating Prediction Tool) has been used to examine a number of scenarios including city parks and squares, country parks and moorland areas and validated using tranquillity ratings made by visitors to these green spaces and their reported levels of relaxation. In this paper TRAPT is used for predicting tranquillity in city squares of different sizes, to examine rated tranquillity behind natural (green) and manufactured noise barriers and to predict changes in urban streets of introducing avenues of trees, hedges and grass verges. Using such scenarios this paper demonstrates how the application of TRAPT can enable changes in tranquillity to be estimated. This can provide planners, environmentalists, civic leaders and concerned citizens with a further tool to guide improvements in the urban environment by “greening” measures and noise reduction of various kinds and to help counter threats such as over development, tree removal or traffic densification that might threaten existing benefits.Bradford Centre for Sustainable Environments in the Faculty of Engineering and Informatics at the University of Bradford

Emotional response to images of wind turbines: a psychophysiological study of their visual impact on the landscape

YesSocial acceptance for wind turbines is variable, providing a challenge to the implementation of this energy source. Psychological research could contribute to the science of climate change. Here we focus on the emotional responses to the visual impact of wind turbines on the landscape, a factor which dominates attitudes towards this technology. Participants in the laboratory viewed images of turbines and other constructions (churches, pylons and power-plants) against rural scenes, and provided psychophysiological and self-report measures of their emotional reactions. We hypothesised that the emotional response to wind turbines would be more negative and intense than to control objects, and that this difference would be accentuated for turbine opponents. As predicted, the psychophysiological response to turbines was stronger than the response to churches, but did not differ from that of other industrial constructions. In contrast with predictions, turbines were rated as less aversive and more calming compared with other industrial constructions, and equivalent to churches. Supporters and non-supporters did not differ significantly from each other. We discuss how a methodology using photo manipulations and emotional self-assessments can help estimate the emotional reaction to the visual impact on the landscape at the planning stage for new wind turbine applications.This work was partly funded by an ESRC First Grant RES-061-25-0512 to D

Tranquillity and soundscapes in urban green spaces ¿ predicted and actual assessments from a questionnaire survey.

A pilot study had previously demonstrated the utility of a tranquillity prediction tool TRAPT for use in 3 green open spaces in a densely populated area. This allows the calculation of perceived levels of tranquillity in open spaces. The current study expands the range of sites to 8 and importantly considers the views of visitors to these spaces. In total 252 face to face interviews were conducted in these spaces. An important aim of the survey was to determine the extent to which reported tranquillity obtained from the questionnaire survey could be predicted by a previously developed prediction tool TRAPT. A further aim was to determine what additional factors may need to be considered in addition to the purely physical descriptors in TRAPT. The questions included the sounds and sights that were noticed, factors affecting tranquillity as well as questions relating to the benefits of visiting these areas. Predictions were considered satisfactory and could be further improved by taking account of issues surrounding personal safety. Examining the trends in these data it was also shown that the percentage of people feeling more relaxed after visiting the spaces was closely related to overall assessments of perceived tranquillity. Further trends and their implications are presented and discussed in the paper.Made available in full text March 2014 at the end of the publisher's embargo period