An Unexpected Trick to Reduce Noise Pollution
We’re surrounded by noise, it’s everywhere. If we’re not trying to reduce it, we’re trying to drown it out with other noise. One of the most omnipresent forms of environmental noise we constantly hear is generated by traffic on roads. The relentless flow of traffic past homes and businesses leads to restless sleep patterns, disrupted work flow and brings down property values.
By replacing lose gravel driveways with asphalt, you can drastically reduce noise pollution in your immediate surroundings. Homes will be more relaxing and businesses can generate more workflow with less distraction.
Even Julius Caesar Had to Deal with Road Noise Pollution
Road noise has been the bane of human existence for thousands of years. Even Julius Caesar had to struggle with the issue. The first recorded road noise regulation was a law in which Caesar decreed that chariots be banned from the streets of Rome at night, as the rattle of wheels over cobblestones was disturbing the sleep of residents. We’ve come a long way since cobblestones and chariot wheels, and continued research into pavement technologies continues to find better ways to reduce sound from roadways.
Paving the Road with Lego’s
A variety of paving is being engineered to solve the problem of road noise. In the Netherlands, VolkerWessels is developing the world’s first plastic road by using 100% recycled material. They claim it will be more sustainable, quieter, cheaper and virtually maintenance free. Built with a hollow space in the center, it will allow cables, pipes and rainwater to run easily under the road surface. At this point, it’s still an idea on paper and more hours with Lego’s are required.
Shhh! It’s All in the Asphalt Mix
Quiet Pavement is the latest buzz word in reducing traffic noise. By resurfacing a road with certain asphalt mixes, it has been shown they will reduce highway noise by 3 to 5 decibels or more (similar to hearing the road from two football fields away instead of one). This reduces the need for sound barriers, makes for a more pleasant ride for drivers and a quieter atmosphere for residents.
Using Rubber to Keep Environmentally Friendly
In Arizona, the Department of Transportation has been using rubberized asphalt (RAC) to resurface 115 miles of Phoenix area roads. Scrapped tire rubber is ground up and added to an asphalt concrete mix. Not only does this make use of the millions of tires that would otherwise be thrown into landfills, it helps to improve road performance and reduces noise pollution and vehicle skidding. Noise levels have been lowered by over 5 decibels by using RAC.
A recent study in Sweden by the Stockholm Diabetes Prevention Programme reported that exposure to traffic noise creates a physiological stressor that increases the production of cortisol. So, when your other half is complaining about you gaining weight around the waist, you can now blame it on the paving outside. Or you can request an estimate from AC Paving to resurface your parking lot or driveway. You’ll get more sleep, more productive work time and your jeans will fit better.