Reducing traffic noise
Sven Meier, President of the Zug Traffic School, provides information on traffic rules, situations and current events. Do you have any questions or uncertainties? Do not hesitate to contact him and you will receive competent information.
In Switzerland, around one in seven people during the day and one in eight at night are affected by harmful or disruptive traffic noise at their place of residence. The biggest source of noise is road traffic, followed by rail and air traffic. Traffic noise is primarily an environmental problem in cities and urban centres. At its meeting in mid-October 2024, the Federal Council has now decided to amend several legal bases in order to be able to sanction excessive vehicle noise more easily and effectively.
How traffic noise is generated
Noise levels are mainly influenced by the volume of traffic and noise emissions from vehicles. Driver behaviour also plays a role, particularly with regard to high speeds and engine revs. The propagation of sound is also an important factor. The noise sources on vehicles primarily include the engine, the intake and exhaust system, the transmission and tyre/road noise. For example, a rough pavement causes around six to ten decibels more noise than smooth mastic asphalt. The increasing use of electric vehicles could have further positive effects – especially at low speeds and in urban traffic.
This is new
To implement the motion ‘Effectively reduce excessive engine noise’, which calls for stricter penalties for excessive noise emissions from road traffic, the Federal Council has decided to amend the ordinance. The list of noise sources to be avoided has been updated and it is now expressly forbidden to generate unnecessary noise through exhaust systems. The Federal Council is also tightening the existing penalties. Based on the feedback from the consultation process, it is refraining from introducing new administrative fines, but is adjusting the level of existing fines. For example, the fine for leaving the engine running unnecessarily will increase from CHF 60 to CHF 80.
Noise limits
A noise level is measured or calculated in a standardised way so that the value determined can then be compared with the legal requirements. The legislator distinguishes between immission limit values (exposure limit values) and emission limit values. The exposure limit values define how high the sound level may be at the point of exposure (e.g. in a home). The emission limit values define the maximum amount of noise that a vehicle, for example, may emit into the environment.
If the existing limit values for a road are exceeded, the owner of the road (federal government, canton or municipality) must consider measures. In principle, interventions at the source (low-noise surfacing, speed reduction) are preferable to those that minimise the spread of noise.
My conclusion
The fact is: road traffic noise disturbs or impairs many Swiss people and can have far-reaching effects on their health. It impairs quality of life, can aggravate or trigger cardiovascular diseases or lead to sleep disorders. Calculations show that the proportion of people exposed to noise can be significantly reduced through the comprehensive implementation of individual noise reduction measures and a combination of these. The Federal Council has taken an important step and set an example with the current amendment to the legal basis.
