Quieter suburban streets

Press, 29 November 1976, Page 16

Quieter suburban streets

Traffic is not the only source of annoying. and possibly harmful, noise in Christchurch. But traffic noise can probably be reduced more easily than noise from many other sources. Undue attention is usually focused on traffic noise in Cathedral Square and on the streets of the central city, which are admittedly noisy at times. But traffic noise on suburban streets probably upsets more people more often.

One of the ways in which traffic noise on most suburban streets can be reduced is to channel all through traffic on to selected major streets which traverse the suburbs. Ways in which this could be done were considered by a committee which has been studying the cadses of noise in Christchurch, and the concentration of traffic on a few through streets is already a goal of the City Council’s traffic policy.

The people who live on the streets to which through traffic would be channelled would almost certainly have to put up with higher levels of noise. But the levels might not be greatly higher, and some local traffic would probably be directed along other routes. The side streets should also require less maintenance which would enable the council’ to ensure, even within its present financial limitations, that the main streets were well surfaced. Traffic flowing smoothly on properly surfaced streets generates far less noise and causes far less vibration than traffic

moving haltingly and over rough road surfaces.

Traffic noise could also be reduced by stricter control over the noise emitted by individual vehicles. Some way will have to be found to quieten the increasingly popular smaller cars whose engines use less petrol but make more noise. This is partly outside New Zealand’s control because cars are not designed here. But the Ministry of Transport can keep a close eye on improvements in car design which reduce noise, just as it is already watching for improvements which reduce pollution. One other way, and the most economical way, in which traffic noise could be reduced would be to clamp down on inconsiderate drivers whose manner of driving results in unnecessary commotion. Traffic officers may issue noise offence notices to such drivers, but there are not enough officers to be on the spot whenever engines are revved unnecessarily or corners taken too fast—especially when such behaviour is most annoying in residential areas late at night. The 1975 blitz on noisy vehicles and noisy driving may have been briefly effective, but it appears to have had no long-term effect in diminishing traffic noise. But, like the casting of litter, against which all kinds of laws can be devised, the noise of vehicles is very much the responsibility of drivers, many of whom could drive with much less annoyance to other people.