How new temporal and spectral indices improve indicators of noise annoyance due to urban road vehicle pass-by noise
Invited paper
University of Lyon, Labex CeLyA, ENTPE
Tuesday 2 june, 2015, 15:40 - 16:00
0.4 Brussels (189)
Abstract:
Road traffic pass-by noise-induced annoyance is one of the main problems affecting health and well-being of residents in urban areas. Many studies suggest that energy-based indices, such as LDEN, insufficiently characterize noise annoyance. In order to identify annoyance-relevant sensations evoked by urban road vehicle pass-by noise and to propose adapted indices, a semantic differential test was carried out based on urban road vehicle pass-by noises equalized to the same A-weighted equivalent sound pressure level (LAeq). The stimuli comprised powered-two-wheelers, heavy vehicles, buses and light vehicles varying in driving conditions. From the analysis two different modulation-related sensations and a spectral sensation influencing annoyance judgments emerged. To characterize these sensations, adapted temporal and spectral indices were proposed. In the current work, these indices are tested based on annoyance responses obtained from two experiments employing a larger number of urban road vehicle pass-by noises. In Experiment 1, the pass-by noises were equalized to the same LAeq. Experiment 2 was based on the same pass-by noises but with level differences corresponding to differences observed in situ according to the type of vehicles and their driving conditions. It is shown that in both experiments, the characterization of annoyance based on the proposed temporal and spectral indices is improved compared to the psychoacoustic indices, such as roughness, fluctuation strength and sharpness. The results of Experiment 2 show the benefit of using loudness and the proposed indices as opposed to LAeq to better characterize noise annoyance due to urban road vehicle pass-by noise.