The Noise Control Act was revised last year to bring about a quieter living environment for the residents of Taiwan. Since then the EPA has revised regulations concerning noise control zones, announced a list of noise pollution sources that the public may encounter, strengthened guidance on reducing noise volumes from noise pollution sources, improved the traffic noise inspection system, and improved the effectiveness of handling noise-related complaints.
Noise and bad odors make up 60% of all public nuisance complaints. Noise pollution is particularly a problem in Taiwan as the island is small and heavily-populated, new construction projects are a regular feature of life, and commercial and residential zones are commonly intermixed. Under such circumstances, the need for an effective noise control policy is a top priority.
Revised Regulations Clarify Authorization of Traffic Noise Management
In recent years the EPA has begun enforcing control over low-frequency noise pollution originating from places of entertainment and business premises. In addition, on 3 December 2008, revisions to the Noise Control Act (噪音管制法) were announced and the EPA set about the task of drawing up related bylaws, particularly concerning the responsibilities of transport operators and management authorities toward reducing traffic noise. A new provision now allows members of the public to report excessive noise pollution from modified vehicles, a problem that seems to be getting larger by the day. Repeat offenders will be offered advice on how to reduce the amount of noise their vehicles create. It is hoped that these efforts will lead to a reduction in the overall number of complaints received.
Observation of international trends regarding noise pollution control at the household level reveals that most countries make it a part of product testing standards, whereas environmental protection agencies tend to initiate controls to address noise generated by certain premises, machinery or other noise sources in the human living environment. Taiwan sets controls on noises generated by factories, construction sites, or business premises much the same as is done in the US, Japan, the EU and other developed countries.
The Noise Control Act outlines the responsibilities of transport operators and management authorities toward reducing traffic noise and stipulates that improvement plans or subsidized plans must be implemented for sections of road or areas where noise levels exceed the limits laid out in the Act. If improvement plans or subsidized plans are not submitted within a notified period, or are submitted but not implemented, fines will be levied.
In recent years the EPA has been receiving an increasing number of complaints regarding lowfrequency noise emitted by water cooling towers and motor-driven water pumps. In order to effectively deal with low-frequency noise problems, on 1 July 2005, Taiwan became the first nation in the world to start enforcing low-frequency noise restrictions, starting with factories and construction sites.
The latest revision also increases the scope and severity of the restrictions. For example, Article 8 now requires that all local governments publicly announce a list of behavior restrictions, while Article 9 requires that local governments provide a list of standard controls for business premises, construction sites, and other facilities. The behavior restrictions stipulate which activities are to be prohibited, during which times, and in which areas within the administrative jurisdiction of each local government; the standard controls, by contrast, will vary according to the different categories of noise source, area, and time of day.
Providing an Effective Platform for Communication and Noise Reduction
Another major objective of the latest revision to the Noise Control Act is to create a platform for investigating complaints relating to excessive noise, offering guidance and suggesting practical ways in which improvements can be made. The EPA's annual statistics revealed that over 50,000 noiserelated complaints were lodged in 2007, which was an increase of 10% on the previous year. Since noise pollution is a special case of a physical nuisance that does not leave physical evidence, and degrees of tolerance toward excessive noise varies widely between individuals, the EPA is still finding it difficult to satisfy all complainants even when inspections reveal noise sources to be in compliance with standards. This, unfortunately, can result in complaints being submitted twice or even more.
In order to effectively deal with complaints and assist parties involved in finding a solution to their noise problem, since the beginning of 2006 the EPA has been using a specially-designed guidance platform to deal with repeat complaints. The platform facilitates communication between noise creators and aggrieved parties under the guidance of experts and scholars who go to the scene to offer in-situ advice. This system has been employed in over 200 cases to date.
New noise-control measures that are currently being promoted include:
1. Promoting the quietness logo:
On 24 March 2009, Taiwan's first quietness logo was unveiled. Much creativity has gone into designing an easily-recognizable logo for the purpose of educating the general populace as to the need to maintain silence in designated indoor quietness zones. The logo was reported by media organizations and the response was both significant and immediate. To date, such institutions as the National Palace Museum and the Taipei County Library have started to display the logo on their premises.
2. Testing indoor sound volumes
Excessive indoor noise is gradually being recognized to be a problem that detracts from an acceptable quality of life. Many developed nations around the world are formulating standards and specific testing methods to control indoor noise pollution. Taiwan is no exception: In recent years, testing and public opinion surveys have been carried out in hospitals, libraries, and in mass rapid transit and high-speed railway stations. Survey results show that noise pollution in public libraries is usually created by antiquated air-conditioning units; while in hospitals the problem is one of people talking too loudly. The EPA recommends library and hospital managers to implement their own noise control measures. In the future it will be considered whether or not to draw up suggested values for indoor noise levels in order to reinforce controls.
3. Compiling metropolitan noise pollution maps
In keeping with governmental policies in Europe and North America, this year the EPA started using the latest European technology to draw up maps of noise pollution hotspots in the cities of Taipei and Kaohsiung. These digital maps can be regularly updated to display where the hotspots are at any given time. They have proven to be an invaluable aid to controlling noise pollution and reducing the number of complaints received. The maps have also proven useful in predicting and evaluating the influence of extraneous noise pollution sources.
4. Tightening noise restrictions on vehicles
As for loud noises from vehicles with modified engines and illegal drag racing, roadside inspections have not proven to be 100% effective in eliminating the noise pollution problem. The revised Noise Control Act allows citizens to report modified vehicles in the same way they would report vehicles that produce excessive exhaust emissions, through the EPA website, by fax, or by mail. To date, there have been over 10,000 hits on the relevant EPA webpage, and as of October 2009, approximately 400 vehicles have been reported for excessive noise.
In the process of promoting noise pollution controls a number of bottlenecks have been encountered. Much thought has gone into finding suitable solutions to the problems, such as:
1. Action is taken only when a noise complaint is filed, and pro-active inspections are rare:
Many noises fade over time and with increased distance from the source. Different people also have greatly different levels of tolerance toward noise pollution. As a result, current noise pollution control regulations tend to support action only when a noise complaint is filed, rather than actively initiating inspections. In the future, the EPA will be encouraging local environmental protection bureaus to more actively engage with operators of major noise pollution sources listed under their jurisdiction and offer guidance on improvements that can be made to reduce the number of noise-related complaints.
2. Effective noise control is being hampered by a lack of funding and manpower:
Some local governments currently only have an inspection manpower of 0.5 persons and are thus unable to adequately fulfill their duties. Allocated funding is also below the levels needed to cover existing and newly-added requirements (such as purchasing low-frequency noise meters). The EPA hopes to address these shortcomings by pushing the heads of local authorities to pay more attention to tackling the noise pollution problem by allocating sufficient personnel and funds from local government budgets.
3. Varying individual noise tolerance levels leading to repeat complaints:
While complainants are encouraged to initially seek assistance from the guidance platform, for cases involving special noise complaints the EPA also collates information on non-prosecutory (such as mediation and fines) and prosecutory options.
Expanding the Scope of Controls to Ensure a Peaceful Environment
Revisions and additions were made in 2009 to regulations covering the noise control standards that all local environmental protection bureaus now enforce and the working guidelines for establishing noise control zones. Also added or revised were the Motor Vehicle Noise Control Regulations, the Motor Vehicle Noise Control Standards, and the Management Regulations for Handling Reports of Motor Vehicle Noise Pollution.
As for the problem of aviation noise, 12 additions and revisions have been made to date to the Civil Aircraft Noise Control Standards and the Noise Control Regulations for the Premises, Construction Projects, Facilities, Motor Vehicles and Aircraft of Military Authorities and their Subordinate Units. Expanding the scope of noise controls and rolling out new supplemental noise control measures have been instrumental in reducing transportation noise and slowing the increase in the number of noise-related complaints received.
Besides continuing the policies outlined above, the EPA will also be introducing some new ideas supporting the slogan "Creating quieter communities and a peaceful environment," which is at the hub of national noise prevention policy. Some measures that will be adopted to ensure residents enjoy quieter neighborhoods include:
a) Re-evaluating designated noise control zones and adjusting their size if necessary
b) Announcing and controlling noise pollution sources that disrupt everyday life
c) Improving the guidance and advice given to owners of noise pollution sources
d ) Thoroughly enforcing the inspection and improvement of transportation noise sources
