Documents

The Noise Action Plan for the Ostrava Agglomeration

The Noise Action Plan for the Ostrava Agglomeration (NAPOA) was drawn up in order to coordinate reductions in urban noise levels. It focuses primarily on reducing noise at critical locations where noise levels are most in excess of stipulated limits and those affecting the largest numbers of people.

For each location, the total number of inhabitants of the residential buildings was determined, as was the mean noise level. The locations were then assessed from the perspective of health risks and assigned a value for the indicator HSD (highly sleep disturbed); the HSD value expresses the total number of inhabitants likely to suffer from disturbed sleep. The locations were then classified according to their HSD values into three different levels of priority: I, II and III. The Noise Action Plan determines noise reduction measures to be applied at various locations, especially when planning transport infrastructure.

Ostrava’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan

Many noise reduction measures are based in the City’s support for sustainable mobility. Reductions in road traffic intensity, support for public transport, the construction of transport terminals, the replacement of diesel buses by CNG vehicles, support for pedestrian and cycle transport, telematics and other measures all combine to produce synergic effects leading to reductions in CO2 and other pollutants, and also noise (see  Sustainable Urban Mobility Topic). These include support for cycle and pedestrian transport (which do not produce noise) and the construction of transport terminals to reduce private car use.

Measures to reduce transport noise listed in Ostrava’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP):

Improving quality of life and reducing environmental impacts

• Eco-friendly transport (noise reductions, modernization of public transport vehicles, low-emission zones, etc.)
• Smart urban planning and transport planning to reduce car use (development of soft mobility, i.e. pedestrian/cycle mobility), prevention of population drain and small business closures
• Minimizing impacts of traffic noise on the population
• Improvements in barrier-free access
• Protection of rest areas from heavy traffic, planting of protective greenery