Barriers and traffic noise peaks

Abstract This paper puts forward design rules for estimating the effects of long noise barriers on the propagation of motorway noise peaks. The rules take into account the effects of wind and ground absorption on barrier performance and thus cover a range of practical situations. This paper also suggests that, until the results of current research become available, these design rules may provide a useful indication of the effects of long barriers on the propagation of motorway noise in terms of L 10 . The rules have been obtained by applying the results of an experimental study of barrier performance, which used a point sound source, to the spectrum of motorway noise to calculate barrier performance in dB(A). The values of barrier performance, so derived, yield a simple ‘rule of thumb’ relating the performance of long barriers, in attenuating motorway noise peaks, to barrier height.