National Academies Press: OpenBook

How Weather Affects the Noise You Hear from Highways (2018)

Chapter: Chapter 6 - Public Outreach Tools

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Suggested Citation:"Chapter 6 - Public Outreach Tools." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. How Weather Affects the Noise You Hear from Highways. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25226.
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Page 78
Page 79
Suggested Citation:"Chapter 6 - Public Outreach Tools." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. How Weather Affects the Noise You Hear from Highways. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25226.
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Page 79

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78 Currently Available Public Outreach Tools and Materials Several tools exist to approximate meteorological effects on sound propagation, including models specific to highway traffic noise that are used in the EU. While these tools are focused on the professional user, fewer resources are available to practitioners that help explain to the public how meteorology may affect their perception of noise from highways. Most of the available existing materials and information on meteorological effects is geared toward the professional user and few resources are available to explain these effects to the layperson. The FHWA Noise Barrier Design Handbook includes general descriptions of atmo- spheric refraction and air turbulence [107]. CALTRANS has developed an online, interactive training module titled “Highway Traffic Noise Fundamentals” that is available to the public [109]. The module includes slides that explain how changes in meteorology can affect sound levels with a focus on wind and temperature gradients. The European Environmental Agency (EEA) has a website called The NOISE Observation & Information Service for Europe [120] with noise maps of European cities prepared within the framework of the EU Environmental Noise Directive. The noise maps present values of two annual average noise levels: Lden and Lnight. The EEA website does not specifically address meteo- rological effects on noise levels. Newly Developed Tools and Materials The research team developed two separate public outreach tools: a brochure and an interac- tive PowerPoint tool. Brochure The brochure, “Why is it so Loud Today? Understanding how weather affects traffic noise levels in your community,” explains the basic relationships between sound levels and meteoro- logical conditions so that a layperson can quickly read the brochure and understand the concepts (Figure 55). The brochure is in a question and answer format and provides brief and concise descriptions with supporting graphics of how weather affects traffic noise levels. The goal is to build on the public’s understanding of weather and the fact that people have likely noticed changes in sound levels in their environment due to changing conditions. The brochure uses a Microsoft Word brochure template and standard Microsoft fonts, so SHAs can easily customize it to meet their own needs. The intended audience includes the public and other transportation professionals. A copy of the brochure can be downloaded in Microsoft Word format at the TRB website. C H A P T E R 6 Public Outreach Tools

Public Outreach Tools 79 Interactive Tool The PowerPoint tool expands on the contents of the brochure. The tool is more technical, but the goal is still to ensure that a layperson can understand the concepts. The narrated tool includes three modules: • The Relationship Between Weather and Traffic Noise Levels: This module includes intro- ductory slides explaining how wind and temperature changes affect sound levels. These slides include the images developed for the brochure and additional three-dimensional images showing a community adjacent to a highway. • Hearing the Sound Level Difference: This module provides an interactive listening experi- ence so the user can hear the differences under different meteorological conditions at a loca- tion 120 meters from an interstate. For example, the user can listen to traffic under neutral conditions and then click on the nighttime inversion condition and hear the difference. • The Effect on Communities: This module demonstrates how sound levels can change in a neighborhood adjacent to an interstate with and without a noise barrier. Color gradient shading overlaid on the neighborhood indicates how sound levels could change under various conditions. A copy of the Interactive Tool, with integrated audio, can downloaded from the TRB website. Source: RSG for NCHRP Project 25-52. Figure 55. Cover of brochure explaining meteorological effects.

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TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Research Report 882: How Weather Affects the Noise You Hear from Highways documents the meteorological effects on roadway noise propagation under different atmospheric conditions. Highway noise changes from day to day and hour to hour—not just because of variations in traffic volumes, vehicle mix, and speed, but also because of the weather. The report develops guidance to identify when atmospheric conditions should or should not be considered in noise analyses.

The report is accompanied a PowerPoint presentation and a tool called the AERMET sound speed profile calculator. The report also includes a brochure designed to communicate the concepts of the research to non-technical audiences. The brochure is made available in MSWord format to enable customization and the ability to insert an official logo and contact information. An Interactive Tool is also available for download. The interactive tool includes audio files that allow the user to hear differences in highway noise under various meteorological conditions.

Disclaimer: This software is offered as is, without warranty or promise of support of any kind either expressed or implied. Under no circumstance will the National Academy of Sciences or the Transportation Research Board (collectively "TRB") be liable for any loss or damage caused by the installation or operation of this product. TRB makes no representation or warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, including without limitation, the warranty of merchantability or the warranty of fitness for a particular purpose, and shall not in any case be liable for any consequential or special damages.

Original data used to develop NCHRP Research Report 882 are available upon request. Send requests via email to Ann Hartell, ahartell@nas.edu, and include a short explanation of the intended use of the data (for example, name of research project, research sponsor, affiliation and location of research team, and general plan for publication of results).

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