| 1. |
- Andersson, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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Marginal cost pricing of noise in railway infrastructure
- 2009
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Ingår i: Railway Transportation. - : Nova Science Publishers, Inc.. - 9781617285745 - 9781606928639 ; , s. 141-162
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In order to mitigate negative effects from traffic it has been decided that infrastructure charges in the European Union (EU) should be based on short run marginal costs. The Swedish Parliament has legislated that operators in the Swedish railway infrastructure must pay charges based on short run marginal social costs in order to mitigate externalities in railway infrastructure. Internalization of the social cost of noise is of particular interest, since it is the only environmental problem perceived as more troublesome today than in the early 1990s. Inclusion of a noise component in rail infrastructure charges raises two issues: (i) the monetary evaluation of noise abatement, since noise is a non-market good, and (ii) the estimation of the effect on the noise level that one extra train will create. Regarding the latter, we are interested in the marginal noise, since infrastructure charges based on the short-run marginal cost principle should be based on the effect from the marginal train, not the noise level itself. Using already existing knowledge, this study shows that it is possible to implement a noise component in the rail infrastructure charges. The values that are used today to estimate the social cost of noise exposure in cost benefit analysis can also be used to calculate the marginal cost. We recommend, however, that further research be carried out in order to get more robust estimates based on railway traffic. We also show that the existing noise estimation models can easily be modified to estimate the marginal noise. Noise infrastructure charges give the operators incentives to reduce their noise emissions. We believe that this kind of charge can be used to reduce overall emission levels to an optimal social level, but that it is important for the charge to be based on monetary estimates for rail-traffic and not road-traffic.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Gidlöf-Gunnarsson, Anita, 1957, et al.
(författare)
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Noise annoyance and restoration in different courtyard settings: Laboratory experiments on audio-visual interactions
- 2007
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Ingår i: Proceedings of Inter Noise 2007, Istanbul 28-31 August, Paper no IN07_117 (Available on CD)..
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Having access to restorative, natural environments in urban residential areas is important for health and wellbeing. However, previous research on restorative environments is mainly focused on the visual impression. Knowledge is needed on the interaction between the acoustic/perceived soundscape and the visual appearance in residential settings intended for restoration and recreation. The present study examines audio-visual interactions in two laboratory settings – an attractive vs. unattractive courtyard. At each courtyard setting, six sound conditions were presented in a randomised order during 4 minutes each: only sounds from road traffic at LAeq 43, 50 and 55 dB, and these traffic sound levels together with birdsong. 24 subjects (12 men, 12 women) participated in the experiment. The results indicate that visual courtyard perception, road traffic noise annoyance, perceived soundscape (e.g., soothing, stressing), emotional reactions, and possibilities to rest/relax were affected by courtyard setting, sound levels, and birdsong. For example, noise annoyance decreased with the attractive courtyard setting and presence of birdsong. However, about 35 to 50% and 75 to 90% were annoyed at 50 and 55 dB, respectively. At these sound levels, few of the participants reported that they would like to visit the courtyards, even if it was the attractive one.
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| 4. |
- Thorsson, Pontus, 1974, et al.
(författare)
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Macroscopic modeling of urban traffic noise influence of absorption and vehicle flow distribution
- 2005
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Ingår i: Applied Acoustics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0003-682X .- 1872-910X. ; 66:2, s. 195-209
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Prediction of noise levels at shielded positions in urban areas is more difficult than on exposed positions. At shielded positions, the predictions method must include multiple reflections, and many sources must be taken into account. Using numerical methods that solve the wave equation is possible, but very computationally heavy. Here two methods have been used, a very simplified ray model and a statistical model. The results show that concentrating the traffic and introducing absorption onto building façades will give lower levels at shielded positions. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 5. |
- Öhrström, Evy, 1946, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of railway noise and vibration in combination: field and laboratory studies
- 2009
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Ingår i: Proceedings of EuroNoise 2009, Edinburgh, Scotland, October 26-28, paper 270.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Most socio-acoustic surveys show that railway noise causes less general annoyance than road traffic and aircraft noise. While speech interference is recognized as a dominating effect of railway noise, few studies have investigated how railway noise affects sleep. Vibrations induced by trains may be a severe problem in areas where the ground consists of clay, especially near railway lines with heavy freight traffic. There is, however, little knowledge of the combined effects of noise and vibrations from railway traffic, especially on sleep. Railway transport is steadily increasing both in number, speed and more heavily loaded freight trains. New knowledge is therefore needed on the combined effects (e.g. annoyance and sleep disturbances) of noise and vibration, effects of a very large number of trains and if and under what conditions a railway bonus is justified. The large Swedish research project TVANE (Train Vibration and Noise Effects) addresses these research questions. This paper presents preliminary results from ongoing socio-acoustic surveys involving residents (n=980) living at different distances from the railway line in areas without train vibrations and in areas with different levels of vibrations (0.10 - 1.43 mm/s) induced by trains. Furthermore, results from experimental studies on the combined effects of noise and vibrations on sleep quality and sleep disturbances are presented. It is concluded that railway vibration levels used in the experiment (1.4 mm/s) disturb sleep to a greater extent than the railway noise levels (Lnight 31 dB). Results from field studies confirm the strong effect of railway vibrations on sleep. An interaction effect exists between noise and vibration and general annoyance to railway noise increases when combined with railway vibration.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Öhrström, Evy, 1946, et al.
(författare)
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Experimental studies on sleep disturbances due to railway and road traffic noise.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 9th Congress of the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Noise (ICBEN) 2008, July 21-25, Foxwoods CT,USA. - 9783980834254 ; available on CD
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- According to EU position papers on annoyance and on sleep disturbance, railway noise causes less adverse effects than noise from road traffic and aircraft. Some more recent studies show, however, similar or even stronger effects from railway noise than road traffic. The present experimental study examined effects on sleep from railway and road traffic noise. Eighteen young, healthy subjects with normal hearing slept 5 nights in the laboratory. They were exposed during three nights to railway noise and two types of road traffic noise, one with the same equivalent sound level as the railway noise (Lnight 31 dB) and one with the same maximum sound level as the railway noise (LAFmax 54 dB). The frequency spectra of the three sound exposures were filtered to correspond to a realistic situation in the home with the bedroom window slightly open. Sleep quality was evaluated by questionaires. The overall results revealed no differences in subjective sleep (time for falling asleep, difficulties in falling asleep, sleep quality or nighttime annoyance due to noise) between nights with railway noise and nights with road traffic noise. The average number of awakenings per night was however somewhat higher for railway noise (2.2 awakenings) as compared with the road traffic noises (1.5 and 1.3). The results from the present study contradict, to some extent, the results obtained in the latest meta analysis of dose-response relationships between sleep disturbances and different types of traffic noise, which suggest that railway noise causes less sleep disturbances than road traffic noise.
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| 9. |
- Öhrström, Evy, 1946, et al.
(författare)
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Listening experiments on effects of road traffic and railway noise occurring separately and in combination
- 2007
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Ingår i: Proceedings of Inter Noise 2007, Istanbul 28-31 August, 2007, Paper no IN07_116 (Available on CD)..
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In urban areas, exposure to several noise sources (e.g., road-traffic/railway noise) is a common situation. Knowledge is needed for evaluating soundscapes with more than one dominant noise source. In comparison to road-traffic noise, railway noise interferes more with speech communication. This was confirmed in a recent large field study, which also indicated that noise annoyance significantly increased in situations with combined railway/road traffic noise exposure as compared to situations with one dominant source. In the present experimental study, 12 men and 12 women were exposed to different noise situations (only road LAeq 53 dB, only railway 53 dB, road+railway 53 dB, road+railway 56 dB) in a randomised order when listening to a played-back radio program during 10 min in each situation. The laboratory room was furnished as a living room and noise levels were chosen to simulate a situation with windows kept fully open or an outdoor situation. Road traffic noise at 53 dB caused a higher amount of annoyed subjects, greater listening disturbance, and a more negatively perceived soundscape than railway noise at 53 dB. In comparison to when noise sources occurred separately, annoyance increased with 38% for railway and 13% for road traffic when combined at 56 dB (= 88% annoyed).
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