Annex H1 Baseline Issues for Exposure to Transport in Hong Kong

In the Hong Kong context, the most important transport related noise sources are from road traffic, aircraft movements and rail transport. The determination of exposure to excessive transport related noise is guided by the relevant established noise standards.

Under the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG), a standard of 70 dB(A) (measured as L10 (1hour)) has been set for road traffic noise. The standard requires that noise levels at residential uses should not exceed this 70 dB(A) limit. The Third Comprehensive Transport Study (CTS-3), completed in 1999, has estimated that 429,000 people are affected by excessive road traffic noise. The CTS-3 study only examined around 200 selected road sections across the territory and thus the findings are not fully representative of the overall road traffic noise exposure situation in Hong Kong.

Representative findings may however be drawn from Environment Hong Kong 1998, published by EPD, in which it is estimated that there are approximately 1,000,000 people affected by severe road traffic noise.

The HKPSG recommends that, for planning against aircraft noise, residential premises should not be located within the Noise Exposure Forecast (NEF) 25 contours. In choosing to construct the new airport at Chek Lap Kok, the potential annoyance associated with aircraft noise has been taken into account during the site selection process. With the Chek Lap Kok Airport in full operation, only a relatively small number (about 200) of people are living within the NEF 25 contours and thereby exposed to excessive aircraft noise.

Rail noise is controlled under statutory criteria associated with the Noise Control Ordinance (NCO). With all new railway lines planned and designed in accordance with such established criteria and the few problem spots along existing railway lines being progressively addressed through mitigation works such as new noise barriers, the number of people exposed to excessive rail noise is decreasing. Rail noise in Hong Kong is therefore not considered to be an environmental noise issue of significance for the SUSDEV 21 noise indicator in the medium to long term.