Reducing exposure to traffic noise using microscopic simulation

Abstract

The article presents an analysis of the patterns of changes in the level of automobile noise in a residential area depending on the parameters of traffic flows. The results of field studies of noise characteristics in accident-prone areas of the city road network are presented. It is shown that these areas are characterized not only by a high level of road traffic accidents, but also by high values of noise pollution indicators, such as equivalent sound level Leq and noise exposure E. The use of microscopic simulation modeling is proposed to reduce exposure to traffic noise and reduce acoustic load to a residential area. A simulation model of an emergency-prone section of a city highway has been developed and validated using standard statistical parameters: the Cochran criterion and the approximation coefficient. High validity indicators indicate the homogeneity of variances and the adequacy of the model. A method has been proposed to increase the capacity of this section of the road network, and virtual experiments have been carried out. As a result, the average time for cars to cross this section of the road decreased by 33.3%, and exposure to traffic noise decreased by 14.2%.