Traffic volume impact on noise levels in commercial and residential zones in the city of Zagreb

The paper gives a presentation of noise level measurements in commercial and residential zones in the city of Zagreb. The research on traffic volume impact on noise levels was conducted in cooperation with the City Office for Construction of the City of Zagreb, which initiated the elaboration titled as “ Study on Traffic Noise Impact in the Commercial - Residential Zones of the City of Zagreb” . In the first phase of the research three locations were chosen. For all of this locations constant complaints and petitions by citizens had been addressed to the City Authority, all of them connected with the problem of increasing noise levels due to road, railway and tram traffic. Continuous all day measurements and short-term daytime (morning and afternoon periods) as well as evening and nighttime period measurements were conducted. At the same time measurements of road traffic volume and vehicle categorization were also executed at these locations. Vehicles were divided into two categories, i.e. road and vehicles on rails. Based on results attained by traffic and noise level measurements at each of the locations at identical periods of time, the impact of certain vehicle categories on noise level increase (especially heavy vehicles, trams and railway vehicles) was obtained.