Heathrow campaigner and co-author of Why Noise Matters
Time to turn down the volume!
10 ways the Mayor can make a difference
London is a very noisy city and that can have a significant impact on many people’s lives. If we can find ways to reduce the amount of noise Londoners face day to day it would give us all a better quality of life.
Traffic noise is the main source of noise for most people.
We say:
- Introduce lower speed limits. Cutting the speed limit in London from 30mph to 20 mph would cut traffic noise by half. It’s quick. It’s fair. It works!
- Introduce quieter road surfaces. Has the potential to cut noise by 50%.
- Erect noise barriers. They are more expensive but are essential to give the worst affected communities – often poorer people living beside busy main roads – immediate relief.
Aircraft noise from Heathrow, according to the Civil Aviation Authority, disturbs 720,000 people; that is, 28% of all people disturbed in the whole of Europe. Thousands more are affected by London City Airport. Helicopter noise is also an increasing problem, particularly at night.
We say:
- End night flights. Flights before 6am could be banned without hurting the economy. Only national government has the power to ban night flights but the Mayor could add her/his powerful to the communities calling for relief.
- Introduce tight regulation of helicopters. This is particularly important at night. At present, the regulation of helicopters is minimal.
Noisy neighbours are a big problem, particularly for people in flats. The problem is made worse for many people by poor sound insulation.
We say:
- Invest in a London-wide programme of sound insulation, starting with the worst properties first. Link this in with a programme of thermal insulation.
- Encourage every local authority to have a pro-active noise team to assist noise sufferers. Shame those who don’t!
Just getting about is noisy
We say:
- Reduce the volume and number of announcements on the underground to the minimum needed to help blind and partially-sighted people
- Cut out piped music in public places like libraries, swimming pools and hospitals
- Sort out the police sirens. They are too loud and, we suspect, are used too often
4 Comments
John Stewart is absolutely right to focus on noise because it is yet another pressure on the modern man’s already poor mental health. Also, reducing traffic is a win-win situation: less casualties, less obesity, less pollution, etc.
Helicopters have to stop bothering us. I was in a little peaceful square this weekend, hidden in bloomsbury away from any kind of traffic. That was until an helicopter came around and stayed 1 hr over my head. It reminds me of some wasted outdoor theatre plays on the South Bank, at the Globe or at the Scoop…
Would the drones be silent, I’d say bring them on!!!
I think the common refrain is “we’re in a city, what do you expect?” but for me the issue is that we”re in a city so we have to have to keep on top of noise or it will get out of hand.
The combination of bad hosing and living near a noisy road could genuinely drive you round the bend with lack of sleep and simply not having any time when you are not being bombarded with road works, building works, roads, helicopters and sirens. I suspect there are ‘hot spots’ where these issues are particularly acute and, I think, we should be trying to raise the profile of this often forgotten environmental issue.
Have any of the mayoral candidates spoken about addressing noise issues yet?
The way noise is dealt with by councils at the moment is completely inefficient & ineffective — if they decide it’s the right kind of noise they will take the person/organisation responsible for the noise to court, a very time-consuming, costly, process. As a result if the noise complaint doesn’t fit nicely in that process, then the council will do nothing.
A more holistic, proactive way of addressing noise issues on a wider scale, as John Stewart suggests, would be a step change for the better.
I grew up in the london borough of brent and from my childhood upwards(i’m now 45 years old) everywhere I have lived in brent the sound insulation has been extremely poor…that suggests to me that this is a deliberate thing…perhaps to save money?
some people can put up with noise without it bothering them but for me I cannot stand it…what particularly irritates me immensely is hearing the sound of chairs being dragged across uncarpeted floors!!!!
and the sound of children running up and down shouting and screaming…both push my patience beyond the limit and occasionally I feel like breaking down in tears…yes it really does get to me bigtime…this morning for example I was woken up by my neighbour downstairs dragging their chairs once again…and this was around 7.45am!!!
sometimes it starts at 5am in the morning…and at night the chair scraping goes on even after 11pm…sometimes I spring out of bed tormented with frustration and bang down on the floor in the hope that my neighbours get the message and basically keep quiet!!!
it never works ; (
neither does approaching them in polite and calm manner because they believe it is their right to make noise as long as their front door is closed…even if the government finally decided to create a new law that says all new housing must have adequate sound insulation, that would be good for the people that will live in them…for for the many that are currently living in houses and flats that have little or no sound insulation, we will will continue to suffer and be tormented literally day and night.
this is why I was extremely offended when david cameron proudly announced the new government plan to allow people to buy their council homes.
I dont know anyone in their right mind that would part with a dud cheque in exchange for a council home!!!!!
if they do they must enjoy being tormented!!!!