Field measurement and residents’ perceptions on the effects of road humps on traffic noise

Increase in traffic noise especially by motorcycles at residential roads is a common concern for many residents affecting their living environment. This paper attempts to measure the noise characteristics at few predetermined points along four residential roads in two different residential areas. The selection of points to measure noise level at the selected residential roads is to understand the changes in noise level as the vehicles approach at and near the road humps. To corroborate the field measurement of noise level at the residential roads, this study also considered the perceptions of the residents in the selected residential areas on the effects of road humps in reducing traffic noise level. The results show though the traffic noise levels before and at the road humps decrease significantly but it is not the case at points immediately after the road humps as the vehicles begin to increase its speed. The relationship between the residential areas and the perceptions of the residents on both daytime and nighttime noise level was found to be statistically significant. The perceptions of the residents on whether road humps can reduce traffic noise were also found to be statistically significant when related with the residential areas.