One in three Flemish citizens bothered by noise pollution in living environment
Noise disturbs more than one in three Flemish citizens in their living environment, according to a survey by the Flemish Department of the Environment. Still, almost three out of four of respondents say they are satisfied with their neighbourhood.
In the autumn, the Department of the Environment asked 7,500 Flemings aged between 17 and 85 about the most annoying factors in their living environment. Almost 36 percent of respondents said they were bothered by noise pollution in and around their homes. 12.7 per cent are bothered by odours, 6.5 per cent by light and 3.4 per cent by shadows.
Road traffic is the biggest source of noise pollution: almost 30 per cent of respondents are bothered by it. About a quarter are bothered by cars, lorries and motorcycles. More than 10 per cent said they find sirens of emergency vehicles and tractors on public roads disturbing.
Annoyance with neighbours
In terms of both odour and light, Flemings are most annoyed by the activities of their neighbours, with 6 per cent and 2.1 per cent respectively. The main source of odour nuisance from neighbours is smoke from chimneys (4.7 per cent). Most light annoyance comes from lighting in neighbours' gardens and driveways (2.1 per cent).
Despite this, almost 74 per cent of respondents said they were satisfied with their neighbourhood. This satisfaction is linked to the presence of places to relax, enough shops for daily shopping and green areas in the neighbourhood. People are also more satisfied with their neighbourhood if they have a view of water, greenery or a garden from their home.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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