A Sound Investment to Reduce Vehicle Noise

Cities, noise experts, politicians and civil society organisations have come together in support of a joint declaration calling on the EU to increase the ambition level of European noise limits for new vehicles.    Read the Sound Investment Joint Declaration below and add your name to the list.

A Sound Investment - Joint Declaration

Traffic noise is the most widespread environmental problem in the European Union, we therefore welcome the European Commission’s revision of the existing Vehicle Noise Directive (70/157/EEC) which adopts tighter noise emission limits for vehicles.

There is strong evidence that noise affects the health of one in three EU citizens[1] and that steps to tackle noise from vehicles, including tyres, are overwhelming cost effective (research shows that benefits outweigh costs by more than 30 times[2]). Accordingly, we urge the European Parliament and Council to agree a package of amendments to the Directive that strengthen the Commission’s proposal (2011/0409 COD) by:

  1. Accelerating the introduction of the revised standards, with step 1 to be enforced in 2013 and step 2 in 2015;
  2. Setting out a pathway for further noise reductions, by introducing a further step to enter into force in 2020 that achieves a significant further reduction in noise from vehicles;
  3. Ensuring that testing is representative of real world noise emissions
  4. Requiring information on vehicle noise to be publicly available; and
  5. Introducing stricter limits for highly intrusive peak levels of noise 

This five step plan[3] is a sound investment, reducing by half traffic noise in urban areas. We urge members of the European Parliament and Environment Council to seize this once in a lifetime opportunity to substantially and cost-effectively improve the health and wellbeing of EU citizens.

Signatories

Cities and Regions

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Berlin
  • Brussels
  • The Hague
  • Ile de France
  • Nordrhein-Westfalen
  • Rheinland-Pfalz

Organisations

  • ALD
  • CertiBruit
  • Decibel Ingenieros, S.L.
  • De Wolff Adviesbureau
  • EEB
  • EHIMA
  • Eurocities
  • HEAL
  • Het GeluidBuro
  • INFOLUTION.net e.K.
  • Noise Abatement Society
  • Noise Abatement Society of Malta
  • Norwegian Association against Noise
  • Norwegian Association for Conservation of Nature
  • Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association
  • NSG
  • Padmos Geluidadvies
  • Stichting Innonoise
  • T&E
  • The Future in Our Hands (Norway)
  • UKISC
  • UK Noise Association

Politicians

  • Cabinet of Evelyne Huytebroeck, Minister of the Environment, Energy and Urban Renovation, Brussels
  • Gisela Splett, MdL Secretary of State, Baden-Württemberg