The urban area is full of people and cars, and the sound is noisy.

In the statistics of the number of public nuisance complaints in Taipei City last year, the number one was noise pollution.

(file photo)

The noise of people and vehicles in the metropolitan area makes people freeze the most cases of complaints in Daan and Zhongshan District, Weitiao City

[Reporters Chen Jiayi and Yang Yuanting/Taipei Report] In pursuit of convenience in life, modern people choose to live in cities. However, people in urban areas are bustling with cars and noisy, and people often complain to environmental protection agencies. According to the statistics of the Environmental Protection Agency, last year, Taipei City had the largest number of noise inspection cases with 28,817 cases, followed by New Taipei City with 26,437 cases, accounting for 56% of the national total. .

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According to the statistics on the number of public nuisance cases in Taipei City last year, noise pollution was the first, followed by odor pollution and air pollution, showing that noise problems have caused serious problems to residents' lives.

Yan Lingzhen, head of the inspection team of the Taipei Environmental Protection Bureau, said that the Daan District and Zhongshan District of Taipei City have the most noise complaints.

She analyzed that Da'an District is a densely populated residential area, and people have higher requirements for the quality of life, so there are many complaints; Zhongshan District is due to the large number of registered industries, high occupational density, and there are many nightclubs and other entertainment in the area. Therefore, the number of noise complaints is also high.

Further analysis of noise sources shows that the top three in New Taipei City are construction projects, commercial places, and factories; Taipei City, construction projects, general residents, and commercial places.

Yan Lingzhen explained that when people complained to the Environmental Protection Bureau that there was noise from an air conditioner or a water pump nearby, but they could not tell whether the noise source was a business place, they often checked "General Residents" in the category of complaints, which resulted in a large number of cases involving general residents. situation.

Noise inspections will be fined if the on-site measurement exceeds the standard all year round

Yan Lingzhen said that noise inspections are open all year round. When the Environmental Protection Bureau receives complaints from the public, it will send inspectors to the scene to determine the sound source and volume measurement.

If it is found that the volume exceeds the standard during the noise control period and area, it will be reported and punished in accordance with the Noise Control Law.

Scholar builds soundscape map due to noise

Zhan Daqian, a researcher at the Center for Humanities and Social Sciences at the Academia Sinica, said that Taipei City has installed traffic detection devices on more than 700 road sections. The traffic detection devices can also infer that traffic noise has a considerable impact on the public.

How noisy is the North City "Soundscape Map" available online

The reason why he established the Taipei soundscape map is that in recent years, Taipei and other metropolises have complained about environmental pollution cases. Noise is the first. Taiwan has a lot of mixed residential and commercial conditions, and the noise standard is looser than WHO. Noise pollution control, as well as the United Nations sustainable city indicators, how many residents in a city are troubled by noise still need to be carefully clarified.

Sound map information, the public can check online (https://soundmap.colife.org.tw/noiseMap/).

The team of Zhan Daqian, a researcher at the Center for Humanities and Social Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, established a soundscape map of Taipei City, which can dynamically update the noise exposure in the area every hour.

(Photo taken from the Soundscape Maps website)