Noticed sound events management as a tool for inclusion in the action plans against noise in medium-sized cities

European Directive on Environmental Noise Management set forth the need to undertake strategic noise maps as a diagnostic action for the development of action plans. The competent authorities are faced with the problem of determining which specific measures can be undertaken from a technical and economical standpoint. On the other hand, one of the typical aspects of urban sound environments is the appearance of noticed sound events, occurrences that generate the appearance of sudden increases of sound pressure level, in instantaneous time intervals. In terms of the effect generated on the exposed population, this can cause a great annoyance level due to the large amount of sound energy that sharply affects the population. That is, this type of event increases sensitivity to the surrounding sound environment, heightening perception of the environmental noise, as the sound event becomes the focus of attention. For these reason, this paper studies and analyzes the establishment of a program based on the detection and reduction/elimination of noticed sound events as a tool for inclusion in the action plans against urban noise. In light of the results obtained in this work the night-time periods and residential areas are strongly affected by noticed sound events, which is really significant since those are the urban scenarios where these events have the most potential to impact upon public health through noise annoyance and sleep disturbance. Moreover, the identification and elimination of these sound events can achieve important reductions in the environmental noise of the evaluated location, LAeq.

► From their spectral characteristics, we were able to identify three categories of noticed sound events.
► Night-time periods and residential areas are the urban scenarios with the highest impact of noticed sound events.
► In these urban scenarios noticed sound events have the most potential to impact upon public health through sleep disruption and noise annoyance.
► The occurrence of a specified incremental value of sound pressure level generated by the appearance of noticed sound events follows a univariate skew normal (SN) distribution.
► The implementation of a plan based on identification and elimination of noticed sound events can achieve significant reductions in the LAeq.