ACOUSTICAL IMPACT OF ROADS ON MEDIUM-SIZED MEDITERRANEAN COASTAL TOWNS

In the littoral region near Barcelona, roads belonging to the national network go through towns. Among the problems that this situation caus es on the urban quality of life is a high degree of noise pollution. B y-pass roads (under construction) will modify acoustical maps of mediu m-sized cities by changing all circulation itineraries inside the city and increasing urban life quality by reducing noise pollution. As an example, we present our study carried out in Mataro, a city located 30 km from Barcelona on its north side. The high traffic noise is compar ed to the predicted acoustic level when a new by-pass road comes into operation.