Proposal for Sound Barriers in Arch Hill

April 2014

From Newton Central School and Residents.

The Northwestern motorway through Arch Hill currently has no sound barriers and 8-12 lanes of traffic. The noise travels up the

hill and affects at least 70 homes and businesses, a primary school, and a kindergarten. We propose 3 meter sound barriers in Arch Hill from Newton Road to Bond Street, on crown land at

the current border fence on the motorway.

Newton Central Primary School, and Arch Hill backs on to the Northwestern motorway.

Please note in the orange circle the schools old hall, swimming pool and courts right beside the motorway.

Noise Pollution levels according to The World Health Organisation (W.H.O):

Sleep disturbance occurs indoors with sound over 35db.

Childrens playgrounds (and outdoor areas) should not be over 55db. They believe that at 55db the annoyance can affect thinking.

They advise at over 70db in 24 hours there is hearing impairment.

They advise at over 80db in 1 hour there is hearing impairment.

Longterm it is linked to stress, anxiety, heart disease and learning difficulties

WHO docs Comnoise 1999 Table 4.1: Guideline values for community noise in specific environments.

Reference - Guidelines for community noise WHO

http://www.who.int/docstore/peh/noise/Comnoise-1.pdf

This WHO document on the Guidelines for Community Noise is the outcome of the WHO- expert task force meeting held in London, United Kingdom, in April 1999. It bases on the document entitled Community Noise that was prepared for the World Health Organization and published in 1995 by theStockholm University and Karolinska Institute.

NZTA Sound Map of Newton Central School by Marshall Day Acoustic Consultants shows;

The pool and the lower courts and playground lie in yellow zone-65-69db (24hr average). Part of the lower courts is within the pink zone which is over 70db.

As these measurements are averaged the readings during daytime/school hours are much higher which tally's with our daytime 75-85db readings in the kids play ground and around Waima bridge.

What do Ministry Education, NZTA, New Zealands standards say about traffic noise;

Areas over 65 db, according to 2008 Transit New Zealand Environmental report pg 23, can be considered for retrofitting sound barriers.

According to the New Zealand standard NZS 6806:2010 Acoustics - Road-traffic noise - New and Altered Roads; -This motorway could not be built now without much sound insulation for residents and school.

According to 2012 Designing quality learning spaces; ACOUSTICS by BRANZ for Ministry of Education. Recommends to; consult with your roading authority to help reduce traffic. Plan and zone the site to minimise noise, install noise barriers or sound-insulating envelope around the buildings. Pg 17

Existing conditions on the Arch Hill side of the NW motorway

5-10 meters of trees

The trees have been planted to decrease pollution but dont dull sound.

The Arch Hill school and homes should have sound barriers.

This photo is of timber board sound barriers directly across from Arch Hill on the Eden Terrace side of the Northwestern motorway.

The photo on the left is the St Marys Bay

Clear Plexiglass Sound Panels

Transit NZTA Environmental Plan 2008 Guidelines for retrofitting Barriers

Responses to guidelines in blue The measured traffic noise level at relevant noise-sensitive locations need

to be at least 65db; Areas in Arch Hill proven to be over 65db according to the NZTA Marshall Day mapping.

The sensitivity of receiving activities; School (300 children and proposed child care centre on Partridge street)backing on to motorway with no current noise abatement. Homes on Keppel, Partridge, Niger Street are uphill within 20 meters of the motorway.

Number of properties beneting from potential mitigation; At least 70 homes, school, kindergarten. The incline and dense population mean that 3 rows of homes are affected seriously by the noise and another 2 rows of houses moderately. Also the houses are zone 1 residential therefore cannot build their own sound barriers on the front and have poor sound insulation due to age and old design.

Legal risk Low risk - crown land to place barriers on.

Access Easy access for building without affecting motorway.

Achievable noise level reduction from potential mitigation; A 3m high barrier on crown land, retrofitted and replacing current fences and bordering school then properties along Partridge, Keppell, and Niger streets, should result in a high level of noise reduction for the school and families on these streets and a halo effect for the whole neighbourhood.

Cost to mitigate and whether those beneting will contribute to the cost (offers equal to or greater than 50% of the total cost of the mitigation will receive higher relative priority); NZTA advises sound barriers $400 per meter cost (NZTA acoustic website). From Newton Road to Bond Street along crown land this is about 1100m= $440000. Just the School, 230 meter = $92000. Local businesses, Ministry of Education, and community could be approached for help with the costs. Please note- St Marys Bay Plexiglass Barriers were not paid for by the community!

Years of occupation or establishment of sensitive receiver(s); School has been present as Newton Central since 1921 the motorway only since 1979. Residents since 1910.

Number of complaints Potential for complaints is 300 children and families, and local residents and businesses.

Waima Street Footbridge/Car park No sound barriers, adult waist height mesh

sides, access through a car park and hundreds of children crossing a day

What about the footbridge? Below are NZTA footbridges around Auckland

(left) Jacobs ladder Footbridge

St Marys Bay with encased sound barriers.

Cost $7.9million ref wikipedia opened 2012

Parnell Pools (see right)

Footbridge cost -$3.5 million

Ref NZ Herald 2012 note the high solid

sides and solid bottom which would quieten and make safer.

Why modify the Waima Street footbridge For the sound barrier to work effectively we need a solid wall along Arch

Hill- currently the bridge is a big hole which lets a lot of sound up Waima street and into the school.

The bridge sides are waist height for an adult and a solid wall to adult head height would be quieter and prevent things from falling over the bridge from primary school children.

The parking on Waima footbridge is confusing and the kids need to walk through the middle of a busy carpark to get to the school.

The entrance to the footbridge often has needles and condoms dropped and a revamp of this area would encourage more traffic like walkers and cyclists, discouraging others that park up at night.

IT NEEDS TO BE SAFER and QUIETER. This is already the main thoroughfare for pedestrians walking to work in Ponsonby/ City/ Freemans bay/ Mt Eden/ Kingsland. It connects to the cycleway on the north western motorway. It is the crossing for hundreds of primary school kids.

Please help our community to have a quieter and safer area to sleep, play, work and study in,

at school and at home.

Thanks for your time. We await your reply to the serious issue of noise pollution in our area.