Traffic noise pollution in Rome

An objective survey was made of rush-hour traffic noise in Rome, on a statistically representative number of sites included in an area covering the Historical Centre. The mean values of the statistical noise levels L₉₀, L₅₀, L₁₀, i.e. of the noise levels exceeded for 90 per cent, 50 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively, of measuring time, were very close to those obtained during an investigation in Madrid and much higher than data from a ‘London Noise Survey’. For the purposes of a subjective evaluation of noise in various types of site in Rome, the nuisance indices of noise proposed by a few investigators were also determined and compared against each other.