Model study of urban traffic noise and quiet facades, in relation with annoyance and sleep disturbance

Annoyance and sleep disturbance caused by urban traffic noise are usually predicted from sound levels at the most exposed facades of dwellings. The predictions may be refined by taking into account sound levels at the other facades, in particular quiet facades. In this article a study is presented of the benefits of quiet facades in a large urban area in the Netherlands. Sound levels at all facades of dwellings were calculated with an engineering approach, taking into account traffic intensities on the roads. The sound levels were used for a logistic regression of self-reported annoyance and sleep problems, in a large population-based cohort study including over 18000 subjects.