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Mobility is a
basic human need and an essential precondition for economic growth. But
mobility on roads, on rails, and in the air is associated with noise.
With more and more people feeling affected by and complaining about
noise, traffic noise has become a severe environmental problem. If
“livability” in traffic noise affected areas is to be maintained or
even enhanced without letting noise bottle-neck economical development,
measures must be taken to reduce noise levels created on roads, rails
and near airport communities.
To help support noise abatement measures,
manufacturers and operators, academia and research institutions, and
government agencies have decided to join forces and have established a
research network in Germany, dedicated to traffic noise abatement.
The
strategy is to create an open scientific platform for communication,
exchange of information, and cooperation in transparent and interdisciplinary
R&D projects. By concentrating their research efforts, the partners hope to increase
their output and optimize the use of resources.
To achieve an objective and subjective reduction of perceived noise loads
a two-pronged approach is planned. One goal is to enhance
noise awareness and demonstrate scientific responsibility in support of
Germany’s environmental policy, the
other is to augment the scientific knowledge and explore technical
solutions that will lead to reduction of
noise at the source, quieter traffic routes and less noisy operational
procedures.
Five subject
areas have been established in the first phase:
- Effects
on humans;
- low-noise
road traffic (tire-road interaction, noise at expansion joints);
- low-noise
trains and tracks;
- low-noise
transport aircraft; and
- common
technologies & methodologies (noise
sources, propagation, prognoses).
Further
information
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