Abstract
With rapid urbanization of our cities and towns and resultant increase in the number of vehicles on roads, noise pollution is growing at an alarming rate. About 60% of total noise in the any urban environment can be credited to road traffic. The objective of the present study was to model and predict the road traffic noise and compare the results with observed values in an urban environment. Two models, namely, ‘Calculation of Road Traffic Noise’ (CORTN of U.K.) and ‘Federal Highway Administration’ (FHWA of U.S.A.) were used in the study. The study area selected for the investigation was Asansol town, an urban-industrial town, situated in eastern India. The values predicted by each of the models were analysed and compared with observed data collected at ten locations in the study area. Three tests, namely, ‘t’-test, correlation coefficient (r) and deviation between predicted and observed values was used to validate the modelling results. Based on the test criterions, statistical validation and comparison with other similar works, it can be said that both models gave acceptable results under Indian road conditions, with certain degree of error. The CORTN model (r = 0.8313) provided better prediction than the FHWA model (r = 0.8031). The deviation range of the CORTN was also lower 1-4 db(A) against the FHWA predicted range of 1-6 db(A). Refinement of the model inputs is required as per Indian road conditions to enhance the quality of prediction.