The relationship between road traffic noise and annoyance levels in Phuket Province, Thailand

Road traffic noise generates unpleasant sounds in communities, which not only makes enormous noise pollution in road areas, but also disrupts the quality of life in buildings located near these roads. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between road traffic noise and annoyance levels in Phuket, Thailand. Traffic noise levels were measured during the day and night time on nine roads in Muang Phuket, Thalang, and Kathu Districts. The annoyance levels of 253 people living in these areas were determined using questionnaires. Noise annoyance level was estimated using the ICBEN method, which classified annoyance level into a five-point verbal scale (extremely, very, moderately, slightly, and not at all annoyed). The results showed that traffic noise levels (Leq 24 hr) were in the range of 70.0-70.9, 72.7-74.7, and 74.6-74.8 dB(A) in Muang Phuket, Thalang, and Kathu Districts, respectively, exceeding 70 dB(A) for the ambient noise standard of Thailand. Moreover, Ldn ranged from 74.0-75.8, 77.5-78.1, and 79.7-80.1 dB(A) in Muang Phuket, Thalang, and Kathu Districts, respectively. The average annoyance scores for traffic noise in Muang Phuket, Thalang, and Kathu were found to be 1.78, 2.52, and 2.75, respectively. Thus, the average annoyance score of Phuket Province was 2.24. The annoyance responses of residents in surveyed areas indicated that people in Muang Phuket were more sensitive to road traffic noise than those in Talang and Kathu. Moreover, the result showed a significant positive correlation between road traffic noise and annoyance level (Pearson correlation coefficient= +0.733, P=0.025).