SITO

The aim is to harmonise the noise policies of EU member states. The noise studies will be conducted in two stages. In the first stage in 2007, noise studies were carried out in the city of Helsinki, in the busiest roads and railways, and at the Helsinki-Vantaa and Helsinki-Malmi airports.

The second stage studies, which began in 2010 and will continue until 2012, will focus on cities of over 100,000 inhabitants; roads with traffic volumes of over 3 million vehicles per year; railways with traffic volumes of over 30,000 trains per year, and airports with over 50,000 flights per year. In addition to the cities of the capital region, the second stage study will include the cities of Lahti, Oulu, Tampere and Turku.

Noise study of the Helsinki Metropolitan area

The noise study for the capital region will be conducted in cooperation with the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen and the Finnish Transport Agency. The Uusimaa Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment will also take part in the road study.

The work is carried out to determine the noise impact of roads, streets and railways located in these cities. The noise study includes some 777 kilometres of streets, 511 kilometres of roads, and 75 kilometres of railway in the capital region. The work includes establishing the number of residents who are exposed to road and railway noise. The noise study will be completed by 29 February 2012.

Road noise study

The road noise study of the Finnish Transport Agency will cover approximately 1,700 kilometres of roads around Finland. The study includes all highways and roads that serve over three million vehicles per year and that are managed by the state. The majority of Finnish highways meet this criteria, including Highways 1, 3 and 4. In addition to prevailing noise levels, the work includes establishing the number of residents who are exposed to road noise. 

The work is carried out in cooperation with the Finnish Transport Agency and regional centres for economic development, transport and environment. The noise study will be completed by 30 June 2012.

The most extensive noise studies in Finland

The noise studies now underway are the most extensive studies ever carried out in Finland. This poses challenges with regard to providing a universal terrain model, the management of vast amounts of information, and the noise measurement capacity.