The Public Enterprise ‘Roads of Serbia’ (JP Putevi Srbije) has signed a contract with KTI Institute for Transport Sciences Non-profit Ltd about mutual action in the project under the name ‘Strategic Noise and Air mapping related to border crossings and related infrastructure’, financed from the European Union IPA funds.
The project includes state roads in the following areas:- Border between Serbia and Hungary, from the north
- Border between Serbia and Croatia in the west, from Bezdan to Sombor
- Line Sombor – Subotica – Novi Kneževac – Banatsko Arandjelovo, from the south, and
- Border between Serbia and Romania, from the east
The total length of roads encompassed by the project is about 280 kilometers.
The specific aims of the project are:
- to support Directive 2002/49/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise and Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe, which will provide legal basis for the introduction of methods for measuring noise and air pollution in the Republic of Serbia
- to contribute the creation of feasibility studies and of environmental impact studies.
The long term aim of the project is to reduce noise and air pollution in the areas determined by the project and neighboring areas.
The aims of this contract are as follows:
- to map the territories and number of residents affected by noise and air pollution which are beyond the levels determined by EU Directives. Additionally, to draw up plans targeted to the reduction of pollution level.
- to collect empirical data on the level of noise and air pollution in the area of Serbian–Hungarian border crossings and related infrastructure. The contract aims to measure the impact of road transport on the components of the environment, and the results should be evaluated in accordance with the limits defined by EU regulations.
The project includes the following activities:
- Traffic analysis and traffic counting
- Mapping of noise
- Mapping of air
- Measuring of the level of noise
- Measuring of the quality of air
As the noise and contamination in the air in broader road area mainly arise from traffic activities, traffic surveys and traffic counting will be carried out by automatic traffic counters at the following locations:
- At all 6 border crossings between Serbia and Hungary
- At 15 locations in the southern part of the project area
- At 1 location in the western part of the project area
- At 20 locations on state roads within the project area
The results of mapping of noise and air pollution will be shown in 3D maps and related conflict maps of areas where the level of noise and air pollution is above the level set by EU Directives. They will be used as input data to determine the number of residents affected by pollution.
The output maps should be used for planning of the development of transport with the additional goal of reducing noise and air pollution in the area.
Noise measuring will be conducted at 90 locations in the area determined by the project. The measuring will be performed on weekdays during the period of 3 months. The exact places will be defined in accordance with the results of the mapping.
The measuring plan will define the exact locations, the dates for moving from one location to the other, the components of measuring and visualization of the entire plan on the map.
At each location measuring is to be performed during 24 hours period, with sampling on every hour basis.
Measuring of air is to be carried out in 6 locations. Each location has to be measured for 2 months, one month outside the heating season and one month during the heating season.
The choice of locations will be based on the results of traffic surveys and air mapping.
The measuring plan contains a definition of each location, the dates of moving from one location to the other, the components of measuring and visualization of the entire plan on the map.
The following components will be measured:
- CO
- NOx
- NO2
- PM10
- Meteorological parameters
When the project is completed, the results obtained during it will be used to propose measures that will reduce noise and air pollution and thereby improve the quality of life of people in the areas encompassed by the project.