Consideration of Environmental Noise Effects in Transportation Planning by Governmental Entities

The increasing public concern in recent years over the problem of environmental noise has resulted in the enactment of technology-based regulatory agencies and statutory measures to control technological applications. Most of the earlier controls, however, were reactive measures rather than positive efforts to assure development of a new technology in the public interest. This situation is beginning to change as new environmental codes are being implemented in various states and cities.

This paper describes how the noise factor has influenced the planning of transportation systems by various legislative and regulatory entities at the federal, regional, state, and local levels.