Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.
The aim of this study was to assess the amount of disturbance caused by road traffic.
Main Topics:
Attitudinal/Behavioural Questions Likes/dislikes about living in area, opinion of attractiveness, overall satisfaction/dissatisfaction, whether area is improving or deteriorating, strength of sense of belonging, satisfaction/dissatisfaction with house/ flat, whether would like to move and reasons. Agreement/disagreement with several statements about the area concerning, for example, bus services, shops, traffic noise, opinion of road on which respondent lives, how child travels to school, age at which it would be safe to allow children to go out alone, number of walks taken in area per week and purpose, whether any roads were difficult or dangerous to cross and degree of concern. Whether traffic caused annoyance in any other way (eg. noise/fumes), whether any other roads in area are dangerous, whether it is ever difficult to walk on any pavements because of traffic, degree of concern felt for self and others, amount of difficulty experienced with road on which respondent lives, which type of vehicle gives out the worst fumes and how this compares to any other fumes in the area, effects of traffic fumes on self and others, opinion of how fresh the air is. Whether noise and fumes have affected respondent's use of garden, whether visits any other area where these problems are worse. Which effects of road traffic cause the most problems in the area, whether ever complained to authorities, whether believes more could be done to remedy problem, whether traffic noise or fumes present the greatest problem to the country overall. Agreement/disagreement with several statements concerning cars and traffic (eg. that cars ought to be banned from town centres). Background Variables Length of residence in area/at particular address, number of different addresses in last ten years, number of school age children in household (sex and age of youngest), accommodation tenure, age and type of house/ flat, number of storeys and lowest storey occupied, position of kitchen/living room/bedroom as regards road, whether any double glazing, television ownership and position, health problems in past month, employment status and occupation (head of household and respondent), working hours, method of travel to work and time taken (head of household), age finished full-time education, age, sex, household composition, total household income. Whether house has garden/yard, vehicle ownership (household), whether holds driving licence and length of time. OBSERVATION RECORD Location of dwelling (in relation to roads/junctions/corners and bends/crossroads/roundabouts), whether road is cul-de-sac, whether building is level with road, whether road is built up or in a steep sided cutting, whether there is a fence/wall between road and dwelling and height, number of carriageways, speed limit, parking restrictions, bus route, gradient, type of road (residential/industrial), distance from pedestrian crossing place and traffic stopping place. Assessment of delay in crossing road and number of parked vehicles within fifty yards of address. Traffic counts. TRAFFIC NOISE MEASUREMENTS Date, position of microphone, frequency of recording, noise measurement results, traffic counts (total vehicles and proportional heavy vehicles), unusual features of site (eg. road works, pedestrian precinct, farm machinery).
Multi-stage stratified random sample
main Sample: firstly, LAAs in England were stratified by region and by population density. 150 were then selected as PSUs with pps. Secondly, 2 wards (or parishes) were selected with pps and thirdly, 24 addresses were selected from the electoral registers again with pps. An eligible person from each household was selected by means of a numerical selection grid. Sub-sample: 1,200 addresses were selected from within the main sample for TRRL measurements. Special locations: one street in each of 46 LAAs was selected as having an abnormally high level of traffic disturbance by the Dept. of the Environment and OPCS' Sampling Branch . Ten addresses were then selected from each area.
Face-to-face interview
Observation
Noise measurements
