Noise abatement in Espoo

One important means of noise abatement is the reduction of traffic, the most significant noise source in Espoo. Traffic reduction measures also reduce noise, although their main purpose is to reduce climate emissions. Land use planning is another way of combating noise. Other measures include noise barriers and buffer zones. You can read more about them here. The city’s noise abatement efforts are, among other things, based on an action plan that presents measures to reduce environmental noise.

The EU Environmental Noise Directive requires cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants to carry out a noise survey every five years and prepare a noise abatement action plan based on it. The purpose is to find ways to reduce environmental noise and exposure to it. Environmental noise refers to man-made, unwanted outdoor noise.

Espoo’s latest noise abatement action plan covers the years from 2018 to 2022, and it can be downloaded below. The plan was made together with the City of Kauniainen. The noise survey and the noise abatement action plan are made every five years. The plan aims to solve the problems identified in the noise survey. To this end, it includes measures to prevent noise and exposure to it.

Espoo has taken measures to reduce exposure to noise in line with the noise abatement action plan by, for example, building noise barriers along the ring roads and the Turunväylä road. Several electric buses have been introduced in Espoo, reducing the noise emissions from public transport. Also, charging points for electric cars have been increased, and a city bike system was introduced to promote quiet modes of transport.