Roadside Noise and Vibration Measurements – Petersham Road

Southdowns Environmental Consultants Ltd was commissioned by London Borough of Richmond

Upon Thames to undertake roadside noise and vibration assessments adjacent to a newly installed
traffic calming measure on Petersham Road, Richmond. The purpose of the study was to identify
any detrimental noise and vibration effects associated with these traffic calming features and to
provide information to the highways department that will assist in understanding potential impacts
associated with future proposals for such measures.

The surveys and analysis were undertaken in accordance with procedures developed and
extensively used by the Transport Research Laboratory for such studies, where the maximum noise
and vibration levels from a number of individual vehicle passbys are measured and analysed for
trends. The analysis is conducted for measurements gathered adjacent to the calming measure
and away from the calming measure to enable a direct comparison of any differences.

The results of the study provide guidance on the magnitudes of change in both noise and vibration
that might be expected at sites where traffic calming features are proposed, compared to those
without calming measures.

The following findings were reported for the dual speed cushions at Petersham Road:

Noise

- a derived noise increase of 1.6 dB(A) to the LAmax,F has been identified for light vehicles
adjacent to speed cushions at Petersham Road compared to the levels at the control site;
- this increase reduces to only 0.4 dB(A) if the same speed is assumed at both sites for light
vehicles;
- a derived noise increase of 2.8(A) dB to the LAmax,F has been identified for heavy vehicles
adjacent to speed cushions at Petersham Road compared to the levels at the control site;
- this difference increases further to 3.1 dB(A) if the same speed is assumed at both sites for
heavy vehicles; and
- possible causes of the increases in noise associated with heavy vehicles include vehicle
body noise generated from wheel impacts on entry and exit of the speed cushions, and
engine noise components associated with acceleration away from exit of the speed
cushions.

A change of 3 dB(A) in everyday event noise levels is generally considered to be the minimum
perceptible change under normal everyday listening conditions.

Vibration

- the maximum vibration magnitudes from light vehicles traversing the calming measure are
relatively similar to those at the control point;
- the maximum vibration magnitudes from heavy vehicles traversing the calming measure are
higher than those at the control point by a factor of up to 3, although the mean values are
relatively similar at the two sites;
- there is a large spread in vibration magnitudes adjacent to the calming measure probably
due to the different proportions of vehicles that either do, or do not, straddle the speed
cushions; and
All measured roadside vibration magnitudes at Petersham Road were below the threshold above
which complaints could be expected.