Summary of the technical guide "Rolling noise"

According to a recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO), transport noise is the second environmental nuisance affecting health after air pollution. In France as well as in Europe, all studies, Parliamentary reports and surveys clearly show that the exposure and annoyance of populations in relation to environmental noise, are mainly caused by road traffic.

The tyre-road contact noise, or rolling noise, is the most important source of noise emitted by road traffic under most traffic conditions. Road surfacing, which play an important role in the emission of rolling noise, can contribute through their optimization to a better noise environment and to the reduction of nuisances. Thus, in its recent analysis of the noise reduction policy, the French General Council for the Environment and Sustainable Development (CGEDD) mentions among its main recommendations, that of encouraging the labelling and promotion of low-noise surfacing materials.

A survey conducted in 2014 by IDRRIM via the National Group on Pavement Surface Characteristics (GNCDS) revealed that road specifiers (road authorities, road managers, etc.) were poorly informed about low-noise surfacing materials and their performance, and that very few of them introduced acoustic performance criteria into their contracts.

IDRRIM therefore undertook to write this technical guide on "Rolling noise", to fill this gap by addressing the stakeholders of road construction, namely. road manufacturers, project managers, contracting authorities, managers of road networks, engineers in technical services or design offices in charge of noise issues. It is organized in seven chapters which present the state of knowledge and practices, and provide concrete examples and recommendations.

This summary highlights the main findings and recommendations of the guide.