Acoustic barriers play a pivotal role in motorway life

If you live close to one of the UK’s many motorways, you will no doubt be extremely grateful for the existence of acoustic fencing. We all know that a major road can generate a great deal of noise during any given day, and without acoustic barriers in place life would be pretty miserable for those whose houses and flats are located close by. Britain is a somewhat congested country, especially in areas close to the larger cities, so housing being located close to motorways is, to put it simply, a fact of everyday life.

The M25, London’s famous and somewhat notorious orbital road, is a good case in point. When it was first planned, designed and constructed, the M25 was mainly passing through quieter areas, and on the whole it didn't have a great effect on the lives of many people. Those who lived nearby were definitely disadvantaged by the existence of this motorway, of course, but there were fewer sufferers then than there are now. As the city has inevitably expanded, so the number of men, women and children who were affected by the road started to increase dramatically.

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These days, a drive right around the M25 will show you that it touches the lives of thousands of residents in Surrey, Hertfordshire, Essex, Buckinghamshire and many other counties. If you were a freelance copywriter working from home, to use an example, the quality of your working environment will have been greatly diminished. Trying to get important projects off the ground in what was once a quiet and peaceful place may not have been so easy once the M25 came to town. Most experts will tell you that the road was needed, of course, but along the way there has been a great deal of collateral damage.

With a strategically placed collection of acoustic barriers in place, a great deal of the noise can be absorbed, and this can make the difference between a bearable existence and an impossible one. We all need to have some peace and quiet in our lives every now and then, but if you live close to the M25 you will probably have less of an opportunity for tranquillity than others. One of the major problems for people who live nearby is that there are now fewer occasions when the motorway is quiet.

Acoustic fencing can make all the difference

At one time, local residents could at least rely on some peace and quiet at night, because the acoustic barriers would muffle the sound of a motorway that wasn't playing host to much in the way of traffic. In recent years, however, the M25 has become increasingly voluble during the night-time hours because of a significant amount of roadworks that have been taking place. In many areas, such as those around Heathrow and those near to Clacket Lane services, the motorway has been extended by the addition of extra lanes, and some of this work has taken place at night.

For the long-suffering local neighbours, the din has been almost unbearable. As well as the noise from the roadworks themselves, the subsequent lane closures have intensified the sound of the traffic. Rather than three somewhat empty lanes of cars, vans and trucks, there is often one single lane of concentrated traffic noise instead. All in all, you have to be a very patient person if you want to come to terms with living beside the motorway. These works will end at some point, of course, but that’s only small comfort for the neighbours.

It may be that during the height of the morning and evening rush hours, the decibel levels will be at the lower end of the scale. Traffic can be noisy, of course, but if many of the vehicles are barely moving this could lead to a little respite for the locals. The sad fact is that the M25 is already handling many more vehicles than would have originally been expected, and this figure looks set to rise even further in the years to come.

The M25 is perhaps the most extreme example of how life can be for those who live nearby, but it’s worth noting that there are many more motorways in Britain and of course many more people who live close by. The provision of acoustic fencing is very welcome and much needed, but in truth even the best acoustic barriers can only do so much. If you are looking to move home in the coming weeks and months, it might be a good idea to look into the proximity of the local motorway network before you make a decision about a particular property. This seems to be a very sensible precaution to take, as it could save you a great deal of heartache in the long run.

Noise Barriers are definitely NOT a Blot on the Landscape

In recent decades, the decibel level on our streets and in our towns has risen dramatically. It seems that every aspect of our lives has become far noisier than in the past, giving us more of a headache then we once thought possible. The general hubbub caused by cars, trains, lorries and airplanes seems to have risen year on year for a long time, despite the efforts of the authorities to do something about. Finding peace and tranquillity has become something of a forlorn quest for many of us, even during the holidays and at the weekends.

Car manufacturers have made great strides in producing quieter engines over the years, but in truth the only ones that make a real difference are in the new electric vehicles. With an eye on the safety of pedestrians, there is even talk that the electric cars of the future will have to have a noise added to them in order for people to hear them coming along in the first place. The last thing we need is more fatalities on our streets, especially if they are caused by cars that we can’t even hear as they approach when we are crossing the street.

Needless to say, the electrification of our railway networks will make great strides in the battle against noise pollution, but in truth the main driving force for change in this sector is the need to be more environmentally friendly. Electric trains are far kinder to the planet, and with lower emissions they are seen as the future of rail travel. They will generally also be quieter, of course, but anyone who lives near a railway line will tell you that these things are relative; the noise and the general shudder caused by passing trains is still significant.

Acoustic barriers can make a huge difference

You would think perhaps that the noise generated by an airplane is something that we simply cannot do anything about it, but in truth there have been steps taken to make matters better for those who live close to airports. The more modern planes are quieter, but given the decibel levels involved you could be forgiven for not noticing. If your house is close to a runway, you will no doubt be grateful at least for the presence of a handful of strategically placed acoustic barriers which are able to reduce the racket to a large extent.

It’s interesting that the recent launch of a solar plane has generated so many headlines and so much attention from an interested public. The plane, Solar Impulse 2, has a wingspan of more than 70 metres and it is powered by over 17,000 solar panels. It is currently on a round the world flight that could take up to five months, and a fascinated world is watching its progress. Piloted by two pioneers from Switzerland, the plane started its epic journey in Abu Dhabi in March 2015. If it makes the trip, you can be sure there will be a great deal of fanfare from the public as well as the media at journey’s end.

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While the Solar Impulse 2 is nowhere near capable of carrying commercial fare-paying passengers, the ramifications for the future of air travel could be significant. If a feasible alternative to traditional petroleum-based fuel can be found, there are likely to be huge savings on fares and, more significantly, far less of an impact on the environment. It will be many, many years before acoustic barriers are no longer needed around an airport, of course, but that day may well come at some point in the not so distant future.

Sound barriers help to save our sanity

In the meantime, we are in desperate need of sound barriers in such locations, and it is important to remember what an excellent job they are doing day in, day out. Anyone who lives close to a runway at a major international airport will perhaps have almost got to the stage where the noise is barely noticed, purely because they have become immune to it. If you took away the acoustic barriers, however, the chances are that the change in noise levels will be noticed immediately. It’s worth remembering this the next time you happen to see one of these constructions at the side of the runway.

There are some people who will perhaps feel that noise barriers are in some way unsightly and unattractive, but this is far from the truth. These barriers have to be shaped in a certain way in order to absorb the noise, so their primary form cannot be altered, but they can be painted in a certain way in order to make them more pleasing to the eye. In some cases, they are also disguised thanks to the clever placement of shrubbery and other such items. It all helps to provide a little form in amongst the function, and that has to be a good thing.

Would you Spend Public Money on Acoustic Barriers?

Local authority spending is something of a hot potato in political terms these days, thanks in part to the ever watchful eyes of critics and commentators. Every time there’s a report about something that’s perceived as a waste of money, the media tend to steam in like a swarm of wasps looking for an unfortunate victim.

And while this alertness should be something we all applaud, there’s always something unsavoury about the way certain individuals end up being publicly vilified. Those rare occasions when money is deliberately spent unwisely, or perhaps even corruptly, are quite rightly seen as scandalous, but there are many occasions when an official will have made an unwitting error. It’s as simple as that, yet we often see what amounts to a witch-hunt in the newspapers and on the TV and radio.

Your local council has to control a huge amount of money over the course of any given year, but that cash needs to be spent on a vast array of goods and services. Items such as acoustic barriers, road repairs and social services do battle with school maintenance, transport infrastructures and industrial vehicles. It’s never easy for those in charge.

Noise barriers are only part of the picture

Finance managers in a number of commercial organisations are used to handling budgets every year, of course, but very few of them handle the sums of money that local authorities have at their disposal. They will also have a somewhat limited number of items that need to be paid for on an annual basis, and in most cases this is nothing life the diversity faced by the council.

For this reason more than any other, a great many financial experts will prefer to stay in the private sector rather than work for a local or national authority. Given the amount of pressure involved, and the flak that arises when a mistake is made, you can’t blame these individuals for being so reluctant to move. They may argue that they’d prefer to think about lesser issues.

Spending rate-payer’s money on everything from acoustic barriers and sound barriers to bus services and social workers may seem like something most of us could do with the right training, but the truth is there are only some men and women who can handle the pressure. It really is a hectic, high-calibre job, and that’s why prestigious recruitment specialists are often needed when the search for a specialist gets under way. 

A Desperate Need for Noise Barriers around Factories

For a great many people, the perfect place to live would be in the heart of a friendly and welcoming rural community, without any need for noise barriers. There are many who like the idea of living in a big city, of course, with all the convenience of local amenities and transport networks to help them, but for others there is something almost magical about life in a village, especially if they are fortunate enough to have a home that is large enough to give them everything they need.

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The perfect village would no doubt have a shop or two and perhaps a pub, as well as a green which remains a focal point for local life throughout the year. The neighbours would be friendly but never overly intrusive, and the local school would provide the perfect educational start for youngsters before they go on to join a junior school in a nearby town at a later date. The roads would never be too busy, even during what we consider the morning and evening rush hours.

This all sounds rather idealistic, of course, but there are some people who are fortunate enough to have made this fantasy a reality. For the rest of us, though, the harsh truth is somewhat different. There’s no harm in dreaming, however. Many of us like to think about where we would like to live, but sometimes we should perhaps be thinking more in terms of where we would NOT want to call home.

Acoustic Barriers keep the neighbours happy

Most people will tell you that it isn’t always much fun to live close to schools, nightclubs, railway stations and hospitals, but what if your home was close to a factory? Some of the noisier workplaces may have installed acoustic barriers in a bid to keep the neighbours happy, but these may be seen by some as not enough. Keeping the decibel level at an acceptable rate is something that many company owners, directors and managers have been worrying about for several years.

In some cases, there is a need for a factory to be operating on a 24/7 basis, and this can cause major issues with neighbours. The constant hum of traffic, the operation of heavy machinery and the shouts of passing workers can make life unbearable for anyone who lives close by, especially when these disruptions carry on through the night and all through the weekend. Even the finest noise barriers may struggle to cope with the ever-present nuisance.

A good example would be a tile factory, and there are several in the UK which are located close to private residences. These locations use a great deal of concrete and aggregate, and transporting these materials to the factory itself will always be noisy. In a similar vein, the constant noise of heavy duty tile-cutting machines will be something that many neighbours will have got used to, but will still be despised nonetheless.

Those factories, workshops and warehouses which create a great deal of noise for their neighbours to contend with will no doubt have an effect on house prices in the local area. Any potential buyer will almost certainly think twice before agreeing to pay a significant sum of money to live near to the racket, even if the finest sound barriers in the world are installed. Even people who like the idea of a gamble will have to stop and consider the consequences of such a purchase.

Sound barriers always make a difference

It should be pointed out that many of those in charge of industrial workplaces are very aware of their responsibilities to their neighbours, and are prepared to go to great lengths to make the best of a bad situation. They will have paid significant sums of money to muffle the sound of various pieces of plant and machinery, for example, and will have installed strategically placed acoustic barriers around the site in order to minimise the upset. They deserve credit for at least trying to be considerate.

The men and women who live nearby may not appreciate, or even be aware of, such efforts. Many of them will understandably be extremely upset by the constant noise, especially during those occasions when they are unable to get to sleep. We’ve all known that situation at times, of course, but just imagine how difficult it must be if you have constant industrial noise in the background. Even the sound barriers may not be able to help on such occasions.

If you are looking to move house at the moment, it might be a good idea to check whether there are any factories close to your chosen property. You should ask around before agreeing to any move, because once you have made the switch it might be difficult to change your mind. A little homework at this stage of the process may save you a great deal of heartache in the long run. If necessary, speak to the neighbours about your concerns, and don’t be afraid to ask a few awkward questions.