• Better residents' health after switch to

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Fri Apr 29 22:30:48 2022
    Better residents' health after switch to electric buses

    Date:
    April 29, 2022
    Source:
    University of Gothenburg
    Summary:
    The health of residents living alongside a bus route in Gothenburg,
    Sweden, became considerably better when hybrid buses were replaced
    by buses fully powered by electricity. Along with the noise levels
    there was a reduction of fatigue, day time sleepiness and low mood,
    a new study shows.



    FULL STORY ==========================================================================
    The health of residents living alongside a bus route in Gothenburg,
    Sweden, became considerably better when hybrid buses were replaced by
    buses fully powered by electricity. Along with the noise levels there
    was a reduction of fatigue, day time sleepiness and low mood, a study
    at the University of Gothenburg shows.


    ==========================================================================
    In the fall of 2019, all-electric buses were introduced on bus route 60
    in Gothenburg. The implementation was linked to the ElectriCity project,
    with its participants from industry, research, and public agencies
    working for sustainable travel in an urban setting.

    In places, the roads along this bus route in question are highly
    uneven. Noise levels from the preceding system of bus transportation had
    been perceived as disturbing, especially on the uphill stretches. Previous noise-level measurements had indicated that disturbance from low-frequency noise in indoor environments was present in the residential area.

    How much the electric bus transportation would affect the noise levels
    was not clear, and the same applied to how people's health would be
    influenced. The low-frequency noise was particularly important, since it
    has a high disturbance potential and it is further less well attenuated
    by fac,ades or noise barriers.

    Low-frequency noise hard to block "We can be disturbed by different
    noises, but the issue with low-frequency noise is that it's attenuated
    less well by facades or windows and therefore intrudes into people's
    homes more easily. Even small increases in its level are perceived as
    very noticeable," says Kerstin Persson Waye, Professor of Environmental Medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, who heads
    the Sound Environment and Health group that conducted the research.



    ==========================================================================
    The study involved questionnaire surveys of randomly selected residents
    in two phases, before and after the switch to electric buses. Half of the residents lived in homes that lined the bus route in two city districts: Masthugget and Lunden. The other half, who lived some distance away,
    made up the reference group.

    In parallel, noise measurements were performed in several homes --
    including indoors, which is not otherwise standard procedure. These measurements required special rigging with 10-12 microphones in
    each dwelling unit to provide correct and representative data of the low-frequency noise.

    The changes that took place between phases one and two were clear
    and statistically significant. They applied to changes of the sound
    levels especially in the low frequencies, what the residents themselves noticed, and their reported noise annoyance. For example, the proportion
    of respondents who noticed noise from buses fell from 75 to 39 percent,
    and the proportion who were noise annoyed to a very high degree decreased
    from 26 to 5 percent.

    Distinct improvement in health There was also a clear reduction of
    perceived health effects. The proportion who felt exhausted once or
    twice a week declined from 49 to 39 percent -- that is, down to the same proportion as in the reference group. The proportion who were in a low
    mood decreased from 22 to 17 percent, and considerably fewer also stated
    that they were very sleepy in the daytime.

    "So, there was an improvement: People felt significantly better. Although
    we can't say with certainty that the results reflect the whole population
    and how lasting the positive health changes are, we think they may
    be generalizable in residential settings where bus transportation
    makes up a large share of the exposure. Given, too, that other forms
    of transportation in the urban environment are getting more silent,
    this could influence public health," Persson Waye concludes.

    Respondents in the study numbered 1,326 in Phase 1, June-September 2019 (response rate: 34 percent) and 1,191 in Phase 2 the following year
    (response rate: 36 per cent). The response rate was as expected.

    To investigate whether those who did not answer differed from
    the respondents, a follow-up study was conducted with a simplified questionnaire in the group who did not answer. No major differences in perceptions of the noise situation were found, but the level of education
    and the proportion who owned their home were lower in the group who had
    chosen not to participate in the large survey.


    ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Gothenburg. Note:
    Content may be edited for style and length.


    ==========================================================================


    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220429145618.htm

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