Noise is a nuisance. I know this as we live on a main street and although it is fantastic to be 30s from the shops, bakeries, restraunts, cafes – life basically, the traffic noise is annonying.
What is great is that Bonn provides data on traffic noise and so I though to explore this data and see how bad it really is in the different areas.
Take a look at the noise level where you live.
What is the data and what does it mean?
Firstly, the data wasn’t measured with physical sensors—it was modeled using traffic metrics (volume, speed, vehicle type), along with road characteristics and building geometry. Secondly, it reflects a 24-hour average from this simulated data.
While these estimates of average traffic noise are useful, they miss a lot. They don’t account for rowdy parties, and more critically, they ignore the sudden spike from a modified car that woke my family at 2am.
Looking ahead, I expect overall noise levels to decline as electric vehicles become mainstream. But if we really want to protect our sleep and sanity, we’ll need regulations that curb car modifications designed to amplify engine noise.
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