Noise in public spaces: an omnipresent nuisance and an underestimated issue for our cities

Untimely telephone conversations, engine roar, construction sites, neighborhood noise... Noise pollution, too often underestimated, disrupts both our peace and our social relationships. This situation leads to an increase in altercations and complaints. Faced with this observation, the legal issues related to the sound environment are becoming a real social issue, calling for better consideration by public policies.

UNESCO Sound Week devotes the entire day of Tuesday, January 21 (from 10:30 a.m. to 19:30 p.m.) to the subject at UNESCO (room 1).

Noise and tension: an underestimated issue for our cities

According to Ademe and the National Noise Council (CNB), the social cost of noise in France amounts to more than 147 billion euros per year (2021). According to Bruitparif, the figure is 42,6 billion euros per year attributable to noise pollution in Île-de-France.

An unprecedented survey conducted by OpinionWay for UNESCO Sound Week shows that noise in cities threatens the peace and quiet of the French and social cohesion. Indeed:

• 69% of French people are bothered in their conversations by urban noise. Urban noise is identified as a major obstacle to communication: nearly 7 out of 10 French people consider that it hinders their exchanges in public spaces. Telephone discussions in transport (47%) or the roar of two-wheelers (38%) are among the main sources of irritation.
• In 2024, 34% of French people will be involved in noise-related altercations and 43% of residents of the Paris metropolitan area.

Noise nuisance even leads to conflicts: 1 in 3 French people report having had an altercation or alerted the police because of noise in 2024. In the Paris metropolitan area, this figure even reaches 43%. These tensions reflect social unrest and an urgent need for noise regulation in public spaces.

• 76% of French people would like devices to measure noise in the street and/or public places

The survey finally highlights a worrying lack of awareness of dangerous sound thresholds:

• Only 43% of French people correctly estimate the decibel levels acceptable for preserving their hearing.
• The rest are unaware (33%) or mistaken (24%) about the limits not to be exceeded, highlighting the urgent need to educate about the risks associated with noise.

Faced with these nuisances, more than 3/4 of French people would like to see the installation of devices measuring noise levels in public places. These sensors would allow for better regulation of sounds and would contribute to improving the quality of urban life.

A decibel meter soon in our cities?

Named "decibel" by Erik Orsenna, patron of the 22nd edition of Unesco Sound Week, and designed by Preventec on the initiative of Sound Week, this tool aims to familiarize the general public with the concept of decibel, a unit of measurement that is still little known, as this survey shows.

While everyone naturally perceives degrees Celsius for hot and cold, the decibel remains abstract, often associated only with noise annoyance thresholds. The ambition of this project is to make this unit tangible and understandable, in order to help everyone assess the noise levels to which they are exposed on a daily basis.

The project involves installing the "Decibelator" in the form of signs or flags in hearing aid shops, town halls and other public places. This device will allow passers-by to easily find their way around and better understand the sound environment around them. An educational initiative that raises everyone's awareness of the importance of protecting their hearing against noise pollution.

For Christian Hugonnet, founding president of UNESCO Sound Week: "Noise in public spaces is not just a personal nuisance: it is a major collective problem that impacts our well-being and our ability to live together. By generating stress and violence, noise weakens our exchanges, hinders listening and limits our openness to the world. It is urgent to regulate this noise pollution to restore serenity in our cities. And this regulation must begin with better information, an essential first step towards collective awareness."

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.