Noise from road traffic
This section provides information on traffic noise and what constitutes a noise nuisance.
In 1999/2000 the Building Research Establishment (BRE) carried out a National Survey of Attitudes to Environmental Noise in order to enable a UK wide assessment of noise attitudes.
This revealed that 40% of respondents were "bothered, annoyed or disturbed .... to some extent" by road traffic noise.
Further, 22% were moderately, very or extremely bothered, annoyed or disturbed by the noise.
Of all the categories in the survey, which include neighbours, aircraft, construction, entertainments and industrial noise categories, more were bothered by road noise than any other.
However, in terms of complaint, road noise accounts for only a small proportion of the noise complaints to local authorities (in absolute terms, about 37 complaints per year per million people).
It is not known why there is a discrepancy between being affected and formally complaining but this could be because people do not expect the matter to be actionable or resolvable, that no particular person is doing a wrong and that most people contribute towards the problem themselves.
The local authority has a number of legal powers to deal with noise problems but, unfortunately, except for the control which can be exercised at planning stages of schemes involving traffic, they are unable to act.
For example local authority powers to deal with noise nuisance specifically exclude that in respect of traffic noise.
Under specific circumstances where new traffic schemes have caused an increase in noise levels from traffic, Surrey County Council can offer noise insulation grants in respect of residential property.
The county council also have a major role to play in highway planning and administration as do the Highways Agency who are a part of the DfT and who can be contacted locally at:
Highways Agency
Federated House
London Road
Dorking
Surrey
RH4 1SZ
If noise of road works and similar construction causes a problem, the local authority has some powers which are described on our noise from road works, construction and demolition noise page.
Reigate & Banstead Borough Council
Town Hall
Castlefield Road
Reigate
RH2 0SH
01737 276000
customer.services@reigate-banstead.gov.uk
Reigate and Banstead Borough Council is not responsible for the content of external sites.
