We apply the SPARTA system to the solution of the types of problems which arise due to the increased noise level within the environment of a major road. Using SPARTA, we are able to identify candidate areas for development near a major road. This involves finding those areas for which the noise generated by the traffic flow falls below a certain specified level to maintain the ambient noise level within a cceptable limits. We are then able to calculate which areas previously unsuitable are brought into the acceptable domain by the construction of a barrier which minimizes the effects of noise. For projects in which the noise levels fall outside the acceptable limits, this enables developers to specify the mitigation measures to be applied in order to bring the levels inside the limits.
We examine two scenarios :
Note that in current practice, the route or development site is chosen and the effects of noise determined, rather than the other way round, in which the areas which fall within acceptable levels are identified as candidates for development.
We next examine the method of calculating acoustic levels due to road traffic, then show how this is incorporated into the SPARTA system to enable it to deliver solutions to the problems described above.