Traffic noise in Lugano exceeds healthy levels - several Swiss centers are introducing 30 km/h limits at night.

Enjoying a coffee in an open-air café is always a pleasure, perhaps on the lakefront, on Corso Elvezia or on Viale Cattaneo. A little less so when a motorcycle, a scooter or a sports car - a few feet away from the table - whizzes past us with a roar that reaches 95 decibels (halfway between the noise generated by a milling machine and the sound system of a disco). It may seem like a non-issue, or a marginal problem, but noise pollution affects 30% of Ticino’s population and involves - to quote the Canton’s website - «a high risk to health». The Federal Office for the Environment explained that «with every noise, the human body becomes alert and produces stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) and increases heart rate, pressure and respiratory rate». Moreover, noise has other consequences: «Nervousness, tension, fatigue, depression, aggression, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, concentration disorders, reduced performance, less reading comprehension», etc.. And it’s even more harmful at night, which is why several Swiss centers are introducing 30 km/h limits at night.

The situation in Lugano

The problem of noise pollution is so great that the Cantonal Administration has set up an office, the Noise Prevention Office, to monitor the situation and offer advice and solutions. The Road Noise Cadastre has recently been published - a map of Ticino based on decibels - and it has been estimated that just over 30% of the population are exposed to noise emissions above the limit values. Lugano is no exception. In the main streets of the city, the daily averages of 65 decibels are exceeded, reaching even over 70. And we too - using a simple app that can be downloaded on your cell phone - have recorded averages of 68-70 dB almost everywhere. And peaks close to 100 decibels. Some examples? Motorcycles - even small displacement ones - speeding along Corso Elvezia (reaching 95 decibels), with some models generating 80 dB when stationary, at traffic lights. Not to mention the sports cars. Ferraris and Porsches on Via Pioda, without any significant acceleration, reached 90 dB. And even buses (80-82 dB) are not very quiet.

What can be done?

« Often noisy driving - reports the appropriate web page of the Canton - is a real choice pursued through mechanical modifications that aim to make the vehicle noisier (such as engine sound amplifiers)». Modifications that are punishable by law. But most of the time all it would take is for the people driving to pay more attention. «Constantly revving engines, unnecessary acceleration and an overly sporty driving style are generally the leading cause of noise disturbance, especially at night and during hotter periods.» It should be noted that in 2016 the Federal Council lowered the limit for new motorcycles from 80 to 78 dB and that Article 42 of the Road Traffic Act states that «the driver must refrain from causing avoidable nuisance to road users and inhabitants of busy roads.» However, noise can also be limited with good maintenance of tires. The_Canton is also investing millions in road rehabilitation, with the laying of sound-absorbing asphalt. The reduction of speed limits and the installation of street furniture capable of absorbing noise are also useful.

The Rumometer

As of this month, the Canton has made a «noise meter» available to municipalities: a sort of «friendly radar» that indicates the decibels at each passage and any exceeding of the 83 dB threshold value.

A tax on emissions?

But will we ever get to the introduction of a sort of tax on noise emissions? The idea makes many people’s noses turn up, and noisy vehicles will likely get away with it for quite a while yet. This is despite the fact that the Federal Office for the Environment itself (in its publication Combating Noise in Switzerland)_states that, in principle, the principle of causality should also apply when it comes to noise pollution.

«The important thing is to prevent»

« I personally - the head of the department of Urban Spaces Karin Valenzano Rossi tells us - hope that we do not end up imposing a tax on noise emissions or other repressive measures. To reduce noise there are other solutions that we are studying. Just think of the 30 km/h limit on the lakefront, which has proved very successful in this sense. The sound-absorbing asphalt or the interventions of street furniture and public green. You mentioned Corso Elvezia and it is a point where the City is thinking of intervening. I like the idea of the noise meter, because I am convinced that awareness in these cases is very important».

The choice of Tyrol

The decision of the Tyrol to limit the circulation on several roads - especially in the mountains - of motorcycles (duly registered)_ with a noise level higher than 95 decibels has caused a debate in Austria. Several associations are contesting this decision and the measurements used to draw up the «black list» of banned models.