International Joint Study for the Development of Mixed Traffic Noise Evaluation - Japanese Part of Joint Study with Gothenburg University, Sweden

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As a part of the joint study program with Muroran Institute of Technology, Japan, and the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, social surveys of community responses were performed in residential areas heavily exposed to road traffic noise in three cities in Hokkaido, Japan. Personal interviews with a standard questionnaire were made with 146 persons randomly selected from official registers. After the interviews, 24-hour noise measurements were made at the area reference points in the three cities. Noise exposures ay all respondents' houses were estimated by measuring relative noise levels to the respective area reference points. Regression analyses were performed on annoyance due to road traffic noise and noise exposure defined by Equivalent Noise Level (L_<Aeq>), Day-Night Average Sound Level (L_<DN>) and Maximum Noise Level (MNL). The regression models could not explain a large part of the variation in the annoyance responses. A path analysis was performed to explain the annoyance responses by nine exogenous and two endogenous variables obtained via the personal interviews. The path model explained about half of the variation in the annoyance responses. The model confirmed the strong effect of sleep disturbance to road traffic annoyance. It also showed important effects of hearing disturbance, satisfaction with the area, employment status and the self-reported sensitivity to annoyance due to road traffic noise.