Replacing diesel buses with electric buses reduced residential low frequency noise

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2024

Subject Area

infrastructure - vehicle, mode - bus, place - europe, place - urban, planning - methods, technology - alternative fuels

Keywords

Bus, combustion engines, electric, noise level

Abstract

Low frequency noise (20 - 200 Hz) from combustion engines typically dominates the indoor sound environments and is a source for annoyance and sleep disturbance. This study investigated the impact on low frequency noise when diesel operated buses were replaced by electric buses along a bus line in Gothenburg, Sweden. Noise measurements were performed indoors and outdoors for a selection of apartments directly exposed to bus traffic as well as for reference apartments, before and after the intervention. In addition, noise levels were calculated. The results show a significant reduction of the indoor low frequency noise in the range 40 - 80 Hz in the apartments directly exposed to passing buses, both during bus passages (on average 10 dB), and in one-hour measurements (on average 5 dB). The results further show that A-weighted values fail to accurately represent the reduction in noise achieved by the intervention.

Rights

Permission to publish the abstract has been given by Elsevier, copyright remains with them.

Comments

Transportation Research Part D Home Page:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13619209

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