diamond geezer

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

This metal barrier has appeared alongside the A12 dual carriageway near Bromley-by-Bow station.

That's pretty, I thought. I guess it's there as to act as a sound barrier.

Thankfully a press release came along to tell me more, and apparently this is something very special.

New A12 noise barrier a first for the UK
A new barrier intended to dramatically reduce the impact of traffic noise on passers-by has been fitted on the A12, next to Bromley-by-Bow station.
I'm not sure about "dramatically", it doesn't go much above head height and is only 30m long.

The ‘Silk Metal’ noise resistant material from which the barrier is made makes it the first of its kind in the UK. The installation’s unique design intends for it to also function as a public artwork.
Noise barriers have been tried on the A12 before. A much longer one was erected beneath the Balfron Tower fifty years ago, although it's ugly as hell and could never be described as an artwork.

The project, led by Poplar HARCA and funded by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and TfL, aims to enhance the area for people walking and cycling in the area.
It won't help cyclists unless they're riding on the pavement.

Noise levels on the busy road, which sees more than 15 million vehicles moving along it every year, have been found to consistently exceed 78 decibels by The University of East London. This puts the A12 in the most severe category for noise pollution, according to the World Health Organisation and the Department for the Environment.
The Blackwall Tunnel Approach Road has been here for 50 years so no special research should have been necessary. It is very noisy though.

Local people surveyed and who took part in focus groups scored road noise as a ‘highly irritable source of noise’ in Bromley-by-Bow.
That's because road noise is a highly irritable source of noise, no focus groups required.

Fran Jefcoate, a local resident who took part in the consultation, said of the stretch of road: “You can’t have a conversation with the person next to you, let alone make a phone call because the traffic noise makes it impossible to hear. I hope the barrier makes it better for anyone who uses this stretch of pavement.”
Fran is correct. I always have to turn up the volume on my headphones when I walk along the A12, it's far worse than walking anywhere else. And the barrier does genuinely help. Yesterday's Radio 4 Afternoon Play went from inaudible to audible when I walked behind it.

John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: “This innovative barrier should serve as a comfort to residents passing through the area who suffer from excessive noise emanating from the A12. We have listened to residents who have complained about the level of noise pollution and if the scheme is successful it could be rolled out elsewhere in Tower Hamlets.”
The barrier isn't going to be much of a comfort. It protects 30m of a mile-long pavement. It's not in front of any flats nor outside the tube station, it only protects the entrance to a Sainsbury's Local. For those walking past it might aid fifteen seconds of conversation. The barrier is a tiny sticking plaster on a massive problem.

Should public perception of noise pollution be found to reduce because of the barrier, it could be extended or replicated elsewhere on the A12, throughout London and the UK.
It sounds like they intend to reconvene their focus groups and ask if the barrier has helped with noise reduction, and people are bound to say yes because it's a noise barrier, despite hardly any of them having stood behind it, and someone's going to use that as an excuse to roll out more of this barrier stuff. Good luck finding the money to protect both sides of the A12. It is very pretty though.

posted 09:00 :

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