EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Chapter 4: Environmental Noise Figure 4.2  Dublin agglomeration roads noise map (Source: EPA) The strategic noise maps can be viewed on the EPA Maps section of the EPA website under ‘Environment and Wellbeing – Noise’. 3 The maps can be used to assess noise exposure in a given area (Topic Box 4.2). An example map for the Dublin agglomeration is shown in Figure 4.2. The purpose of this public information on noise mapping is to increase public awareness around these strategic maps and the noise action plans . Topic Box 4.2 EPA Maps Tool: using the noise maps as a public information resource Figure 4.3  Dublin Airport noise map – L night (Source: EPA) In 2018, Fingal County Council received 580 submissions on its draft Dublin Airport Noise Action Plan. Fingal County Council officials used the noise mapping information on the EPA website to explain to the local community about the Fingal County and Dublin Airport noise maps (Figure 4.3). Residents were shown how to access their local map and zoom in to street level to see how they could be impacted by transport noise. The EPA Maps online facility enables users, for example planners, developers and the public at large, to assess the predicted noise levels along the busiest roads and in the larger cities, with a range of features to help visualise the data. 3 Environment and Wellbeing – Noise; https://gis.epa.ie/EPAMaps/ In Ireland, road transport, particularly in urban areas, is the predominant source of transport noise. In 2017, when the current maps were developed as part of the 5-yearly cycle, approximately 45 per cent of the total population living in the two urban areas of Dublin and Cork were exposed to a noise level of L den ≥ 55 dB from road transport noise. For those people living outside these urban areas, less than 5 per cent of the total population were exposed to a noise level of L den ≥ 55 dB from road transport noise. The mapping also showed that around 2 per cent of the urban population in Ireland were exposed to noise levels of L den ≥ 55 dB from rail or aircraft noise (EEA, 2019a). 87