EVALUATION OF NOISE NUISANCE: A STUDY OF WILLINGNESS TO RECEIVE PAYMENT FOR NOISE INTRODUCED INTO THE HOME

This report first considers some of the theoretical and practical problems associated with trying to put monetary values on noise nuisance. It then gives the results of two pilot investigations carried out by Metra Consulting Group Ltd under contract with TRRL. The basic idea behind these studies, originally put forward by Metra to the Roskill commission, is to offer people a payment to have a "noise machine" in their home for a fixed period of time in order to assess the compensation required to make them as satisfied after the imposition of a noise nuisance as they were before. After investigating several approaches, a method was developed of relaying tape recorded traffic noise by adapting a commercial background system. In the first investigation 39 people, an acceptance rate of 43 per cent, agreed to have the machine in their main bedroom for payments, varying with socio-economic class, from 5found to 8found. In the first phase of the second contract the machine was developed to relay noise in all the rooms of the house. In the second the sample was divided into four groups who were offered either 15found or 25found for either a "one room" or a "whole-house" installation. The adjusted acceptance rates were 18 percent for offers of 15found and 27 percent for offers of 25found with very little difference between the acceptance rates for "one room" and "whole-house". The report concludes with a discussion of the lessons learned and Metra's suggestions for possible future research. /Author/

• Corporate Authors:

  Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)

  Wokingham, Berkshire  United Kingdom 
• Authors:
  • Plowden, SPC
  • Sinnott, PRJ
• Publication Date: 1977

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 43 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Acoustic equipment; Dwellings; Employee compensation; Equipment; Evaluation; Evaluation and assessment; Indemnity; Noise; Payment; Population; Present value; Simulation; Sound; Tape recorders; Traffic; Traffic noise
• Uncontrolled Terms: Compensation; Value
• Subject Areas: Economics; Environment; Finance; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Society; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00159821
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: TRRL Suppl Rpt. 261
• Files: TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Dec 27 1977 12:00AM