Professional traffic noise monitoring for road traffic noise assessment, environmental impact studies, strategic noise mapping (Lden, Lnight calculations), and planning application support. Road traffic noise is the most widespread form of environmental noise in Europe and many other regions, affecting the health and quality of life of large populations living near major roads. Accurate measurement and assessment of traffic noise is required for compliance with the EU Environmental Noise Directive, national planning regulations, and WHO environmental noise guidelines.
Traffic noise assessment typically involves measuring representative samples of the noise climate adjacent to a road using Class 1 sound level meters, characterizing the noise using Leq, statistical percentiles (L10, L90), and noise indicators (Lden, Lnight), and using measurement data to calibrate or verify traffic noise prediction models. Long-term monitoring using dedicated noise monitoring systems may also be required for noise enforcement, construction project compliance, and infrastructure planning.
Applicable Standards and Legislation
ISO 1996-1 / ISO 1996-2 — description, measurement, and assessment of environmental noise
EU Directive 2002/49/EC — Environmental Noise Directive; Lden and Lnight noise indicators for noise mapping
CRTN (Calculation of Road Traffic Noise) — UK traffic noise prediction and assessment method
WHO Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region (2018) — health-based noise guidelines
BS 8233 — UK guidance on sound insulation and noise reduction for buildings
Recommended Instruments
Bedrock Elite i10 — Class 1 with full statistical analysis (Lden, Lnight, L10/L50/L90/L95), data logging, GPS position tagging for georeferenced measurements. The most capable instrument for comprehensive traffic noise assessment campaigns.
Bedrock AM100 — long-term acoustic monitoring system with remote access and automated reporting for permanent traffic noise monitoring stations.
Bedrock SM90 — Class 1 with Ln percentiles and data logging for general traffic noise surveys.
Typical Traffic Noise Measurement Scenarios
Planning application assessments — characterising existing road traffic noise at proposed residential, commercial, or mixed-use development sites to inform noise impact assessments and façade insulation requirements
Noise barrier design and verification — measuring noise levels before and after barrier construction to verify the predicted insertion loss against measured performance
Strategic noise mapping data collection — short-term measurement campaigns to calibrate and validate traffic noise prediction models for EU Environmental Noise Directive strategic noise maps
Road surface noise investigations — comparing noise levels from different road surface types (dense asphalt, porous asphalt, stone mastic asphalt) using close proximity or statistical pass-by methods per ISO 11819
Speed and traffic enforcement zones — documenting noise climate in areas where speed or traffic management measures are being introduced to justify or evaluate interventions