Abstract
The City of Amman, Jordan, has been subjected to persistent increase in road traffic due to overall increase in prosperity, fast development and expansion of economy, travel and tourism. This study investigates traffic noise pollution in Amman. Road traffic noise index L 10(1 h) was measured at 28 locations that cover most of the City of Amman. Noise measurements were carried out at these 28 locations two times a day for a period of one hour during the early morning and early evening rush hours, in the presence and absence of a barrier. The Calculation of Road Traffic Noise (CRTN) prediction model was employed to predict noise levels at the locations chosen for the study. Data required for the model include traffic volume, speed, percentage of heavy vehicles, road surface, gradient, obstructions, distance, noise path, intervening ground, effect of shielding, and angle of view. The results of the investigation showed that the minimum and the maximum noise levels are 46 dB(A) and 81 dB(A) during day-time and 58 dB(A) and 71 dB(A) during night-time. The measured noise level exceeded the 62 dB(A) acceptable limit at most of the locations. The CTRN prediction model was successful in predicting noise levels at most of the locations chosen for this investigation, with more accurate predictions for night-time measurements.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abdel-Raziq, I. R., Zeid, Q. and She, M.: 2000, ‘Noise measurements in the county of Nablus in Palestine’, Acoustica 86, 578–580.
Abdelazeez, M. K. and Hammad, R. N. S.: 1987, ‘Traffic noise in Amman and measurement of the related annoyance’, Dirasat 56, 123–134.
Abo-Qudais, S. and Alhiary, A.: 2004, ‘Effect of distance from road intersection on developed traffic noise levels’, Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering 31(4), 533–538.
Barboza, M. J., Carpenter, S. P. and Roche, L. E.: 1995, ‘Prediction of traffic noise: A screening technique’, Journal of Air and Waste Management Association 45, 703–708.
Bhadram, V. K.: 2003, ‘Noise pollution status in Visakhapatnam city’, Nature Env Polln Techno 2(2), 217–219.
Bhattacharya, C. C., Jain, S. S. and Parida, M.: 2002, ‘R&D efforts in prediction of highway traffic noise’, J Inst Engrs India (Environ Engng Div) 38, 7–13.
Bies, D. A. and Hansen, C. H.: 1996, Engineering Noise Control: Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., E and FN SPON, London.
Dargay, J. and Gately, D.: 1999, ‘Income's effect on car and vehicle ownership, worldwide: 1960–2015’, Transportation Research Part A33, 101–138.
Davis, M. L. and Masten, S. J.: 2004, Principles of Environmental Engineering and Science, McGraw-Hill.
Funk, K. and Rabl, A.: 1999, ‘Electric versus conventional vehicles: Social costs and benefits in France’, Transportation Research Part D (4), 397–411.
Franssen, E. A., Staatsen, B. A. and Lebret, E.: 2002, ‘Assessing health consequences in an environmental impact assessment: The case of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’, Environmental Impact Assessment Review 22, 633–653.
Garg, S. K.: 1994, Sewage Disposal and Air Pollution Engineering, in Environmental Engineering, Vol. 2, 9th ed. McGraw-Hill.
Georgiadou, E., Kourtidis, K. and Ziomas, I.: 2004, ‘Exploratory traffic noise measurements at five main streets of Thessaloniki, Greece’, Global NestI International Journal 6(1), 53–61.
JAPS, Jordan Administrative of Public Security: 1997, Achievements and activities.
JEWS, Jordan Environment and Wildlife Society: 2005, Released Press.
Kugler, B. A., Commins, D. E. and Galloway, W. J.: 1976, Highway Noise, A Design Guide for prediction and Control. NCHRP Report 174.
Langdon, F. J. and Griffiths, I. D.: 1981, ‘Subjective effects of traffic noise exposure’, Journal of Sound and Vibration.
Langdon, F. J. and Scholes, W. E.: 1968, ‘The traffic noise index: A method of controlling noise nuisance’, Building Research Current Papers 38168, 2–3.
Levinson, D. and Gillen, D.: 1997, ‘The full cost of intercity highway transportation’, Transportation Research Part D4 (3), 207–223.
Maschke, C. P.: 1999, ‘Preventive medical limits for chronic traffic noise exposure’, Acoustica 85, 448.
Mateu, G. and Vicente, J.: 1997, Statistical Analysis of Noise Level Measurements Carried Out During 24 Hours in Spanish Urban Areas. PhD Thesis, UMI Company.
Mato, R. R. and Mufuruki, T. S.: 1999, ‘Noise pollution associated with the operation of the Dar es Salaam International Airport’, Transportation Research Part D, 81–89.
Montgomery, D. C. and Runger, G. C.: 1999, Applied Statistics and Probability for Engineers, 2th ed., John Wiley and Sons.
Morrell, S., Taylor, R. and Lyle, D.: 1997, ‘A review of health effects of aircraft noise’, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 21, 221–236.
Mufuruki, T. S.: 1997, Environmental impacts arising from the operation of Dar es Salaam International Airport, Advanced Diploma Project, Environmental Engineering Dept., UCLAS Dar es Salaam.
Nelson, P. M.: 1987, Transportation Noise Reference Book (ed.) Buttrworth & Co., London.
NHC, Netherlands Health Council: 1997, Committee on a Uniform Environmental Noise Exposure Metric, 1995: Assessing Noise Exposure for Public Health Purposes, Report 1997/23E.
O'Cinneide, D.: 1997, ‘Noise pollution, in: Kiely G. (ed.), Environmental Engineering, McGraw-Hill.
Panadya, G. H.: 2003, ‘Assessment of traffic noise and its impact on the community’, International Journal of Environmental Studies 60(6), 595–602.
Piccolo, A., Plutino, D. and Cannistraro: 2004, ‘Evaluation and analysis of the environmental noise of Messina, Italy’, Applied Acoustics.
Ramis, J., Alba, J., Garcia, D. and Hernandez, F.: 2003, ‘Noise effects of reducing traffic flow through a Spanish city’, Applied Acoustics 64, 343–364.
Salter, R. J. and Hothersal, D. C.: 1977, Transport and Environment, Granada Publishing limited, London.
Skanberg, A. and Ohrstrom, E.: 2002, ‘Adverse health effects in relation to urban residential soundscapes’, Journal of Sound and Vibration 250(1), 151–155.
Sommerhoff, J., Recuero, M. and Suarez, E.: 2004, ‘Community noise survey of the city of Valdivia, Chile’, Applied Acoustics 65: 643–656.
Stoilova, K. and Stoilov, T.: 1998, ‘Traffic noise and traffic light control’, Transportation Research Part D (6), 399–417.
Suksaard, T., Sukasem, P., Tabucanon, S.M., Aoi, I., Shirai, K. and Tanaka, H.: 1999, ‘Road traffic noise prediction model in Thailand’, Applied Acoustics 58, 123–130.
Tang, S. K. and Chu, S. H.: 2001, ‘Noise level distribution functions for outdoor applications’, Journal of Sound and Vibration 248(5), 887–911.
Theebe, M. A.: 2004, ‘Planes, trains, and automobiles: The impact of traffic noise on house prices’, The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics 28(2_3), 209–234.
Zannin, P. H. T., Calixto, A., Diniz, F. and Ferreira, J.A.: 2002, ‘A survey of urban noise annoyance in a large Brazilian city: The importance of subjective analysis in conjunction with an objective analysis’, Environmental Impact Assessment Review 22.
Zannin, P. H. T., Diniz, F., Calixto, A. and Barbosa, W.: 2001, ‘Environmental noise pollution in residential areas of the city of Curitiba’, Acoustica 87, 1–4.
Zeid, Q., She, M. and Abdel-Raziq, I. R.: 2000, ‘Measurement of the noise pollution in the community of Araba’, Acoustica 86, 376–378.
Zheng, X.: 1996, ‘Study on personal noise exposure in China’, Applied Acoustics 48, 59–70.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jamrah, A., Al-Omari, A. & Sharabi, R. Evaluation of Traffic Noise Pollution in Amman, Jordan. Environ Monit Assess 120, 499–525 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-005-9077-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-005-9077-5