ROAD TRAFFIC AND THE ENVIRONMENT

This is a report of a broadly based survey, covering the whole of England, concerned with the disturbance caused by traffic noise within the home and in the home area. Results are included for a supplementary sample taken at high noise sites. A description is given of the measures of exposure to traffic, and the levels of exposure to which people are subjected in their homes is described. The concept of disturbance due to traffic is discussed and a description given of the degree of disturbance people attribute to different aspects of traffic nuisance. The development of indices of disturbance from the large number of specific ratings of disturbance collected is included. The relation between disturbance and measures of exposure is explored through the use of multivariate analysis. An attempt is made to pin-point the relation between disturbance due to traffic and attitudes to the area of residence as a whole. /TRRL/