THE GEOGRAPHY OF TRANSPORT SYSTEMS
| Country | Year | Road transportation noise - Leq | Rail transportation noise - Leq | ||||||||
| >55 | >60 | >65 | >70 | >75 | >55 | >60 | >65 | >70 | >75 | ||
| Belgium | 1980 | 69.0 | 39.0 | 12.0 | 1.0 | - | na | na | na | na | na |
| France | 1985 | 54.4 | 33.1 | 16.6 | 5.5 | 0.6 | na | na | na | na | na |
| Germany | 1980 | 54.51 | 20.2 | 9.3 | 3.8 | 0.3 | 26.31 | 4.7 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| Sweden2 | 1987 | 36.9 | 23.2 | 10.5 | 3.3 | 0.6 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 0.3 | - | - |
| United Kingdom | 1972 | 50.0 | 25.0 | 11.0 | 4.0 | 0.6 | na | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.1 | - |
| Unites States2 | 1980 | 37.0 | 18.0 | 7.0 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.2 | - |
| Japan | 1980 | 80.0 | 58.0 | 31.0 | 10.0 | 1.0 | na | na | na | na | na |
Note: Leq are for the 6h00 - 22h00 period. Percentages are cumulative,
not additive.
1 Leq over 50 db(A).
2 Leq for the 24h00 period.
Source: CEMT, 1990.
The above table illustrates the wide diffusion of noise pollution in developed countries, particularly for road transportation noise. This is in part explained by the fact that most residential areas are served by high capacity road transportation infrastructure where high speed noise adds to the local circulation. It is likely that limited improvement in noise levels near transportation facilities have occurred in the recent years, particularly because of an increase in traffic.