- During these two months of confinement, France was plunged into unprecedented calm, without noise from road traffic or construction.
- But progressive deconfinement marks the return of the noise pollution to which we were no longer used.
- And for many, this noise pollution is very difficult to live with.
Deconfinement, day 10. Between loss of bearings and disillusionment, France started on May 11 a gradual exit from its confinement. Resumption of transport, work and school for some, timid reopening of shops, bars, restaurants and parks in areas classified red still closed: daily life has not fully resumed its course. But one element of the "world before" made a resounding return: noise.
The construction sites have restarted, and with them the jackhammers. And if the hour is not yet back from the monster traffic jams on the Parisian periphery and on the main roads, the traffic has already densified. Leaving the garages and parking lots where they were asleep for eight weeks, cars and two-wheelers have reclaimed the asphalt, covering the sweet song of the birds which city dwellers delighted in the unprecedented calm of confinement. So after these eight weeks of silence, will we all become intolerant of noise?
Horn, hell of two wheels and damnation
"Noise is the sound that we do not want and that we suffer", defines Christian Hugonnet, acoustic engineer and president of the association La Semaine du son, which educates the general public about the societal challenges of sound environment. With deconfinement, the first to get 20 Minutes readers out of bed is the one that two-wheelers do. “Motorcycles and scooters make a lot of noise, more than anything else! And there are more and more, it resonates, it's unbearable, ”laments Sabine. An exasperation shared by Damien, who finds that "the roar of motorcycles and scooters, either because they have an unbridled exhaust pipe, or because they drive above speed limits, is a terrible annoyance in town . It's a shame ! Especially since for the most part, these are short trips not exceeding 5 to 10 km. I find it hard to understand why they don't ride a bike instead ”.
And if Louis considers that in Paris, "the worst are the police sirens and the horns", for Gigi, who lives in the 18th arrondissement of the capital, "there are two types of nuisance in the city unbearable: the horns and two-wheelers that backfire in the streets, even at night, it drives you crazy! I may have double glazing, sleep with ear plugs, nothing helps. Emergency vehicles and their sirens, cleanliness vehicles, their social utility makes noise pollution more acceptable. Those who honk or ride on very noisy motorcycles behave selfishly. ” Because “two-wheelers generate a specific noise, with a more acute frequency which attacks more, confirms Christian Hugonnet. A single two-wheeler that backfires across a big city can wake up more than 100,000 people. The nuisance is considerable ”.
"I am forced to close the window"
At the start of confinement, "the brutal silence surprised many," notes the acoustic engineer. Including Eric, who left Paris to confine himself to his parents on the outskirts of Lille. “Silence reigned, in contrast to the noise of the Parisian boulevards, but also with the usual animation of my childhood city. Then I quickly got into the habit of revising my exams with the window open. But for the past few days, I have been forced to close the window. ” Same bitterness on the side of Toulouse for Anthony: “The return of scooters and motorcycles to the unbridled pot, which pass thoroughly in the city center without worrying about the people who live here, it's unbearable. On the 3rd floor, the noise increases, it's a horror. Impossible to sleep with the window open as I did during these 2 months of confinement ”.
Emmanuel, who lives near the aerodrome of Toussus-le-Noble in Ile-de-France, notes for his part that "flights have resumed since May 11", and already fears the moment when air traffic from Orly airport will resume, "with a plane every two minutes". For him, confinement was “a blessed period. And it's done ". A nostalgia shared by Esther: “I regret the time when I heard the church bell and the birds, this suspended time when everything seemed to live again. The brutal return to this flood of cars, RER, A86… I feel attacked, I am robbed of an environment where I felt so good ”.
The Paris region has experienced unprecedented calm, as noted by Bruitparif, the Noise Observatory in Ile-de-France, which has 150 noise measurement stations. "An unusual silence has settled there due to the drastic reduction in road, air and even rail traffic, the stoppage of construction sites and the closure of many activities and festive places". But that was before.
A “sound shroud” on cities
“There was a moment of calm, a silence conducive to serenity, to reflection. After two months of calm, the return of the noise is perceived as a violent attack and this awareness is painful, explains Christian Hugonnet. It is a real societal problem. Because there is a kind of "sound shroud" on cities, a continuum of noise that penetrates and engulfs us, says the acoustic engineer. It is without respite, with the exception of a short break that is called "blue hour", around 4 am, between the stopping of the circulation of vehicles from the day before and the resumption of those of the next day. We are rediscovering the noise of the city, of traffic, and we will have to get used to it ”.
But before, for many, the return of noise marks the return of stress. "I have lived in Paris for forty years and I realize, since confinement, that most of my stress is due to the unbearable and permanent noise of two-wheelers [again them], observes Thomas. Now that we have known the calm, we can no longer tolerate these nuisances! In her village in the west of Lyon, Julie "really appreciated the calm of confinement, it finally allowed me to enjoy my outdoors, without the noise of the departmental road below, which is very busy. But the deconfinement has relaunched these noise nuisances day and night and it is very difficult to accept to undergo this. The noise level we experience should be assessed to understand the risk we are exposed to on a daily basis. ”
"I became allergic to noise"
"It is true, exposure to noise has harmful effects on health: stress, increase in blood pressure, sleep disorders, feeling of oppression or even cognitive approach disorders", quotes Christian Hugonnet. Anne-Lise, she feels "depressed since the deconfinement. These moments without traffic were pure pleasure ”.
A feeling also felt by Stéphanie, who lives in Nantes, and who lived surrounded by noise before confinement: "Traffic, construction site, work in my building, planes passing over the house day and night, ambulances and Samu helicopters because I live near the airport and the CHU and the fiestas in the evening, she lists. I managed to take it upon myself, then there was almost total silence. Happiness ! Aside from the planes, the noise picked up again, and my body reacted immediately! Stress, anxiety, irritability, palpitations, sleep disturbances, appetite, muscle contractures from head to toe: I have become allergic to noise, I cannot bear it physically and psychically! "
Think about "sound ecology"
So some have decided to act. Even in the countryside, "noisier than you think," said Olivier, who lives in a village an hour by train from Paris, "on the main street where almost 1,000 cars pass, two meters from our house . We will continue to fight for speed bumps and speed limit signs. ” Same fight for Stéphanie, in her village near Cognac crossed by a departmental road. Containment for her? " Happiness ! But since May 11, I have the impression that the road is even busier and that people are driving faster! We will meet with the new mayor and see what solutions we can find. Otherwise, I will move to a quiet place ”.
However, there are solutions. “We need to verbalize overly noisy two-wheelers, favor electric buses, cars and scooters for smoother cities, and charge a noise tax. Why not imagine a sticker? “, Recommends Sabine, who has carefully considered the question.
But “architects and urban planners must also adopt solutions upstream of urban development projects, insists Christian Hugonnet. Sloping walls allow noise to be deflected. There are also road surfaces that absorb some of the noise from vehicles, as do the green walls and a well thought out layout of public places. There must be a strong will from the public authorities in terms of sound ecology. This is the solution for the future. ”
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- Covid 19
- Scooter
- Confinement
- Health
- Deconfinement
- Coronavirus
- Noise
- Traffic