In Switzerland, approximately one in ten remains exposed to harmful or inconvenient traffic -related noises, according to national noise surveillance for the year 2021.
Regarding road traffic, some 740,000 people were exposed to noise in 2021, compared to 1.3 million in 2015. This reduction of 43% is due not only to increased precision of emissions calculation models, but also to concrete measures such as phonoabsorbent coating or speed reductions, the Federal Office of the Environment (OFEV).
Regarding rail noise, the drop in exposure reaches 63% and results, in particular, from the ban on noisy vehicles with gray cast iron clogs.
To calculate the noise of planes in 2021, the evolution was not representative due to the sharp decrease in flights during the COVID-19. The Office therefore used the 2019 data. In this context, the difference between 2015 and 2019 was modest with a reduction of 5%.
Day and night road noise
With noise monitoring, the office calculates the sound nuisances due to traffic every five years. Regarding road, air and rail traffic, the current monitoring shows that, respectively, around 740,000, 80,000 and 33,000 people are exposed in Switzerland to a harmful or inconvenient noise.
Road noise affects the greatest number of people, day and night. As for rail and air noises, exposed people are especially at night.
ATS/looked
