ANNOYANCE FROM HIGH-SPEED TRAIN NOISE - A SOCIAL SURVEY

A social survey was carried out in 1993 to assess the impact of noise experienced by residents living in the vicinity of the new TGV Atlanti que line, along which noise protection (e.g., barriers, earth berms,.. ) was provided to comply with the noise guideline (daytime (8 a.m.-8 p .m.) L(eq) < 65 dB(A)). Two hundred and sixty residents were interview ed by a questionnaire; full 24 hour noise measurements were taken at e ach site in addition to 1 hour measurements. Analysis of noise annoyan ce levels and noise exposure levels suggests that the noise guideline should also cover evening and morning periods. Whilst L(Aeq) seems to be a relevant noise annoyance descriptor for the daytime period, the n umber of noise events or the length of time over 70 dB(A) seems to be more appropriate for the evening. In any case, these findings will hav e to be considered in the context of practical requirements (indices h ave to be easy to predict, acceptable to the public, etc.). (C) 1996 A cademic Press Limited