Noise prediction for urban traffic conditions—related to measurements in the Sydney Metropolitan Area

Abstract A method for the prediction of the noise levels from road traffic, developed at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), has been used for comparison with measured values of road traffic noise in the Sydney Metropolitan Area. As the comparison was not good, multiple regression analysis, using the basic format of the NPL formula, was performed. A better comparison was obtained from a formula in which the term relating to the average road speed of the vehicles was excluded. This new formula permits a simple graphical representation for the determination of L 10 for urban traffic. A similar formula and graph for the determination of L eq is also provided.