Transportation: noise action plan

1 Foreword

The Scottish Government's Economic Strategy highlights that tackling the causes of environmental concern will make our nation fairer. This is translated into one of the 5 National Transport strategy High Level Objectives to protect our environment and improve health. Furthermore, Scottish Government transport vision is for a transport system that meets everyone's needs, respects our environment and contributes to health, wellbeing and sustainable economic growth. Noise management is a key component in protecting our environment.

With this mandate in mind, this plan will outline the range of direct and indirect actions that shall be undertaken with respect to road and rail related environmental noise to which humans are exposed.

Our overall aim is twofold. Firstly, we will ensure that, where practicable, noise management is incorporated into all transport-related activities, across the spectrum of design, construction, maintenance, policy and point-to-point transportation activities. Secondly, we will seek to manage noise levels where necessary and practicable at Noise Management Areas ( NMA's) and aim to preserve environmental noise quality where it is good.