Assessment and Appraisal of Morning Peak Time Urban Road Traffic Noise at Selected Locations of Major Arterial Roads of Surat City, India

Abstract

Urban traffic noise is emerging as a crucial problem in the 21st century. Variation in the level of noise from urban traffic causes several health-related issues. This study demonstrates the noise assessment and appraisal of morning peak time urban road traffic noise at selected locations of major arterial roads of Surat city. The noise is compared against the norms and standards given by the noise pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000. MoEF&CC has published the Ambient Air Quality Standards in respect of noise under Rule 3(1) and Rule 4(1) as per Schedule in the annexe. In this research work, noise levels were measured at four different locations from Athwa line chowk to Dumas Road of Surat city. Traffic count has been done by calculating the numbers of two wheelers, three-wheelers, four-wheelers, and heavy vehicles (bus & truck). The A-weighted sound level was 78.9 dB(A) near the urban road, which exceeds the standard value recommended by CPCB. The maximum equivalent noise level was 114.9dB at Sushrut hospital, while the minimum was 46.1 dB at Keval chowk. Finally, the study indicates an increment in noise levels with an increment in the count of vehicles. The factors causing the increased noise levels are traffic flow, horn honking, lane indiscipline, heterogeneous traffic condition, morning rush, etc.