EXPRESSWAY NOISE AND APARTMENT TENANT RESPONSE

A questionnaire was distributed to tenants living in apartments within 1,200 ft (365.7 m) of an expressway in metropolitan Toronto to determine what aspects of the expressway affected them, positively or negatively, and how important these aspects were, relative to other factors affecting their residential satisfaction. Tenants indicated that travel convenience was the main advantage of the expressway and that disturbance from noise was the main disadvantage. Analysis of moving intentions indicates that the disadvantage of noise outweighs the advantage of travel convenience for those tenants whose apartments have direct exposure to the expressway. As in other research findings, there is no single demographic group that is particularly sensitive to expressway noise, and analysis of moving intentions by rent level indicates that rent reductions do not seem to componsate for noise disturbance. Rental level and occupancy policy thus are not seen as mechanisms for reducing the environmental impact of expressway noise. Minimum setback distances from the expressway and use of apartments with single-loaded corridors so that living units face away from the expressway are suggested as appropriate means of protection from hazards of expressway noise.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1976/580/580-010.pdf
• Summary URL:
  • https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=EXPRESSWAY+NOISE+AND+APARTMENT+TENANT+RESPONSE&author=J.+Hitchcock&author=A.+WATERHOUSE&publication_year=1976
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309024943
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Transportation Environmental Review Process. TRIS Files: TRIS, TRB Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Hitchcock, John
  • WATERHOUSE, ALAN
• Conference:
  • 54th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia
  • Date: 1975-1-13 to 1975-1-17
• Publication Date: 1976

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 90-96
• Monograph Title: Transportation Environmental Review Process
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 580
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Environmental impacts; Expressways; Location; Metropolitan areas; Questionnaires; Residential areas; Residential location; Tenants; Traffic noise
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Economics; Environment; Highways; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00141280
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309024943
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Oct 26 1976 12:00AM