Residents of 23 English towns and cities can now measure noise pollution from industry, road, rail and airports via a new interactive map system developed by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Visitors to noisemapping.defra.gov.uk can now search by postcode and view maps of 80,000 kilometres of urban roads, 28,000 kilometres of major roads and 5,000 kilometres of railways, as well as study noise maps of England’s 18 airports. Users can choose data taken over an average 24-hour period, or select night-time only. The maps have been created in line with the EU Environmental Noise Directive, which requires member states to ‘produce strategic noise maps on the basis of harmonised indicators, to inform the public about noise exposure and its effects, and to draw up action plans to address noise issues’.

Campaign groups have welcomed the maps but say that more needs to be done. ‘This is a good start to addressing noise pollution – it’s been a long time coming,’ said Peter Wakeham, director of the Noise Abatement Society. ‘But what we would like to see is more real-time mapping by local authorities, as these maps are only projected levels of noise. And they don’t include things such as stadiums or nightclubs, which are obviously significant sources of noise.’

August 2008