Factors Affecting Annoyance Reactions to Rail Noise

Principal Investigator:
Lam, Kin Che

Co-investigator(s):
Chan, Tin Cheung

Summary:
Transportation noise is a problem commonly found in many cities of the world and affecting an increasing number of people. In Hong Kong, the increase in the frequency of train services and extension of the rail network to previously less developed areas are likely to expose more and more people to rail noise resulting in greater annoyance.

This project attempts to unravel the intricate relationships between rail noise and human annoyance, focusing on the acoustical and non-acoustical factors that are significant in Hong Kong. The relative significance of various factors will be determined by a combination of laboratory simulation experiments and social interviews. The findings will not only fill the current knowledge gaps in our understanding of noise-annoyance relationships, but also provide the basis for setting noise standards and formulating transportation strategies.