Road Noise Levels in England, Modeled on a 10m Grid

England's strategic noise mapping data for road sources in areas with populations over 100,000 and along major traffic routes. It contains annual average noise levels (LAeq,16h) for the 16-hour period between 0700 and 2300, modeled on a 10m grid at a receptor height of 4m above ground. The data was produced in 2017 by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to meet the requirements of the Environmental Noise Directive.

Use Cases

• Assess population exposure to road traffic noise based on modeled noise classes from <54.9dB to 75.0+dB.
• Identify noise pollution hotspots along major traffic routes for mitigation planning.
• Model the correlation between noise levels and urban density in English agglomerations.
• Support policy evaluation for the Environmental Noise Directive using standardized strategic noise mapping.

Strengths

• Noise levels are modeled on a detailed 10m grid, providing high spatial granularity.
• Data covers all English agglomerations with populations of at least 100,000 people.
• Analysis was conducted to meet specific legislative requirements (Environmental Noise Directive 2002/49/EC).

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data is from a 2017 analysis; its current applicability for real-time or recent conditions is limited.

Provenance

Source

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Collection Method

Strategic noise mapping analysis, modeling noise on a 10m grid and merging neighboring cells into noise class polygons.

Time Range

2017

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-29 22:06:27.526042; freshness should be verified.

Geography

England, specifically agglomerations with populations over 100,000 and major traffic routes.