Gone are the days when a long train journey was ideal for catching up on work
or just letting your brain wander over those great ideas it never had time
to have. Noise levels in public spaces are sky-rocketing with the growth of
loud mobile phone calls, iPods, and mobile internet access, letting people
view sites like YouTube while on the move.
Some cities are taking action to protect our ear drums and our sanity.
Stockholm has just introduced mobile
phone free zones on all its buses, trains and subways. A city
spokesperson said the move was driven by "the need for peace and quiet
when travelling" as well as criticism of travellers who speak too
loudly on public transport upsetting others.
If other cities follow suit, increasing numbers of business travellers would
breathe a sigh of relief as they recognise that increasingly noise is
ramping up their stress levels and reducing their ability to work during
their travels.
Professor Trevor Cox of the University
of Salford's Acoustic Research Centre said: "There are just more
ways of making noise these days."
"We are trained to listen out for the noise of the animals that might
attack us. Noises like waves lapping we don't have to be alert for. Constant
sound isn't danger." But sudden or dramatic sounds were difficult to
ignore, he said, and while a crowd of people chatting to each other could
turn into an easy-to-ignore babble, one person talking urgently on a phone
could be more intrusive.
Cox said increasingly people were carrying around their own "soundscape"
to drown out the noises of others. However, the downside of this is that if
their noise leaks out of earphones it adds to the hubbub.
Dr Deepak Prasher, professor of audiology at University
College, London, said: "The noise level in public places is going
up. There are very few places you can go now for absolute peace and quiet."
Noise readings carried out by UCL on London's Northern and Victoria lines
found sound levels as high as 105 decibels - much higher than the 85 decibel
level at which UK workplaces must provide hearing protection. Dr Prasher
said: "Our measurement of noise in the Underground is very high indeed,"
he said.
There is a bank of evidence that high noise levels affect concentration and
attention, so it is no wonder that it is becoming more and more difficult to
consider writing an important marketing pitch or analysing vital data while
you wait for your plane or take a train trip from Edinburgh to London.
Research shows noise and stress are very much related, said Dr Prasher. "Noise
has an impact on health generally," he added.
While some train companies have attempted to address the problem with "quiet"
carriages, anyone who has travelled in one of these designated coaches soon
finds that there are plenty of fellow passengers who will happily ignore the
signs, and little sign of enforcement from train staff.
As external noise on trains - such as clanking of machinery - has become
quieter, noise from other passengers has grown, said Dr Prasher.
