Exploring Urban Road Traffic Noise Distribution using Automated Planning Frameworks

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articleContributedpeer-review

Abstract

Urban noise, especially from road traffic, is a significant public health hazard that affects vulnerable urban populations disproportionately and exacerbates transport inequality. Transport noise exposure remains unevenly distributed due to structural disparities in transportation and land use planning. This study establishes modelling methods for city-level traffic noise modelling employing an automated traffic planning approach - Rapidex. Using Rapidex traffic data, noise levels are modelled for cities across Europe based on traffic volume, road type and vehicle composition at link and district/zone level. The method using open-source pervasive data sources allows city-to-city comparative analysis at the global scale. Disparities in noise exposure are assessed by computing mean excess noise and Gini equality index for seven cities across Europe. The selected cities vary in population size, terrain, transport mode share, and noise regulatory contexts, enabling robust comparative analysis. District/Zone-level maximum and mean noise exposure are assessed to identify zones and districts with excess noise, high-exposure areas and noise disparities across the cities. Results reveal significant intra-urban inequalities, with Amsterdam exhibiting the highest disparity (Gini = 0.176) , followed by Belfast, Berlin, and Dresden. Zurich, by contrast, demonstrates comparatively lower inequality (EZ(%) = 20.24) . These findings underscore the importance of integrating equity considerations into noise mitigation policies and transport planning. The proposed approach offers a transferable framework for evaluating environmental justice in urban mobility systems globally.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)880-887
Number of pages8
JournalTransportation Research Procedia
Volume95
Early online date17 Mar 2026
Publication statusPublished - 2026
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0002-9937-8753/work/211721184
ORCID /0000-0002-2939-2090/work/211722491
ORCID /0000-0002-0135-6450/work/211722500
Scopus 105035530595

Keywords

Keywords

  • noise emissions, transportation equality, urban traffic noise, mean excess noise, road traffic analysis, Automated planning, Gini equality index