Strategic noise maps for the settlement area of the Municipality of Maribor

Strategic noise maps for the settlement area of the Municipality of Maribor are drawn up in accordance with Directive 2002/49/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 June 2002 relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise and the Decree on the assessment and regulation of environmental noise (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia No 121/04). The database is a spatial representation of the noise pollution caused by road and rail transport in the area of settlement of the Municipality of Maribor. The assessment of environmental noise pollution from road and rail traffic is made by means of a model calculation on the basis of the prescribed calculation method and on the basis of measurements of the total environmental noise pollution at typical locations along the noise sources under consideration. In order to calculate the environmental noise pollution, it is necessary to know the operating characteristics of noise sources or the extent and distribution of their noise emissions, as well as the meteorological, relief and settlement characteristics of the area under consideration, including data on existing obstacles to preventing the spread of noise in the environment, such as noise barriers and embankments. The different colours on the noise maps represent different long-term average noise levels for the Ldvn indicators (full-day period: day-evening-night) and Lnight (night period), in bands of 5 dB(A). In accordance with the provisions of the legislation, roads with an annual flow of more than 1 million vehicles and railway lines with an annual flow of more than 10 000 trains were considered in phase III of the preparation of strategic noise maps for the settlement area of the Municipality of Maribor. Traffic data for roads are from 2016 and for railway lines from 2017. Strategic noise maps are designed to assess the exposure of residents to noise in the environment and are the starting point for the preparation of measures to reduce noise from road and rail traffic, which are defined in more detail in the operational noise protection programme.