Noise and annoyance from motorbikes, scooters and mopeds in urban areas

Abstract

Motorbikes, scooters and mopeds (altogether called Powered-Two-Wheelers or PTW) are considered, based on surveys performed in the past, amongst the most annoying environmental noise sources in the cities. A test campaign was performed in Athens to verify how the PTW influence the perception of annoyance outdoors in the cities. The results of the test campaign showed that PTW are a consistent part of the traffic with specific annoying features that distinguish them from the rest of the road traffic noise. These different annoying features are reflected in a survey conducted on pedestrians simultaneously to the PTW pass by, to verify how relevant the influence of the PTW may be. The tests and the results are presented in this paper.