Noise map of Bolton

10:14am Thursday 22nd May 2008

LARGE areas of Bolton and Bury have been included in new interactive online noise.

The noise mapping website, launched by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs following a directive from the EU, allows people to see the levels of noise from road, rail, air and industry in their areas.

The mapping process has been carried out over the past two years in 23 urban areas around the country and, rather than monitoring actual noise levels, experts used computer models to calculate the noise.

They took into account factors like buildings, shape of the landscape and traffic flow.

In Bolton and Bury, the maps cover the postcode areas BL1, 2,3,4,6,8 and 9 with coloured charts representing the decibel levels in the area.

Unsurprisingly, road noise levels are lowest in rural areas, whereas busy roads such as the M61 and St Peter's Way register levels of more than 75 decibels.

Decibel levels range from a top level of 75- plus, indicated on the maps by the colour purple, to a lowest level of 0-54.9 decibels, shown by the colour green.

Industrial estates, such as the one at Middlebrook, register as the noisiest industrial areas and the rail lines into Bolton can be clearly identified.

The website, noisemapping.defra.gov.uk, also shows what percentage of the population is affected by each noise level.

In Bolton, the map shows two-thirds of the population is exposed to 60 to 64 decibels of road noise while only 0.6 percent of the population is exposed to 75 decibels and above.

The are no legal levels for noise but the World Health Organisation suggests guidelines of outdoor noise of 55 decibels during the day.

Research has shown that noise levels at 55 to 60 decibels creates annoyance, which increases considerably up to 65. Above that, serious damage can be caused.

Environment Minister Jonathan Shaw, who launched the website said: "Factors like transport and industry are a necessary part of modern life. But we need to look at what further practical steps we can take to make people's lives more tranquil."

He said the maps can be used to tackle unreasonable noise pollution and to draw up action plans to reduce noise from roads and railways, including using quieter surfacing materials and putting up noise barriers.

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