Noise Pollution; The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
"Noise Pollution”; the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
by Geraldine Santiago, Licensed Realtor, Published Author
www.vancouverhomes.info
When purchasing a home, it is always good to find out about the noise in the area. Yes, you heard me, I said, “noise”. This is easier said than done, as no doubt you are probably more focused on finding out more about the over-all health of the building and not that interested in the noise level in the unit and its surrounding areas.
What can you hear from the property you are considering purchasing? Dogs barking? Birds chirping? Music from a next door neighbour? Car or house alarm ringing? Renovations being done nearby? Noise, unfortunately, can detrimentally affect people’s health (sleep disturbance and increased stress). And this, my friend, is an important consideration when purchasing a property you are intending to live in for a long time!
If you work from home this is even more important as noise can ruin your concentration and your right to quiet as well as your right to enjoy your property. In Vancouver BC, a “Noise Control Manual” exists which is a manual that focuses on noise control. As Vancouver is becoming more and more a densely populated city, with multiple family dwellings living closer and closer to each other, the noise that they make and the noise that we make can mutually bother us. New residential buildings are often built and located within mixed use areas, where activities associated with commercial land uses. (Look at West Broadway and Vine) which can interfere with the enjoyment of those living nearby.
The reality is that noise is all around us. We can somewhat prevent noise from disturbing and disrupting our lives but it will still be there. When buying a condo, take a look at the location of the unit if it faces a busy street, a park, entrance way, garage, --all of which are signs of potential noise pollution. If the unit has double paned windows, that might be enough from hearing the noise pollution and traffic from outside. In addition, when buying a condo, you might want to see if there have been other owners bring up noise problems from daily activities in the building, or if any other owner has made alterations in their unit to either further insulate their ceiling, floors and walls with sound barrier insulation.
Some people are more tolerant of noise pollution than others. If noise is something that is important to you, for your “peace” of mind and quiet enjoyment, you might want to do some research on what your city is doing about noise pollution. In the City of Vancouver, the City works to manage noise through land-use planning, bylaws, traffic management and policing. Look at the noise bylaw in your area. The City’s Noise Bylaw regulates construction, vehicle, and household noise within Vancouver. For more details, go to www.vancouver.ca/bylaws.
In addition, in Vancouver, an "Urban Noise Task Force" was created because there were growing concerns about the noise and its affects on every day life in Vancouver.The citizens’ group, with the assistance of City staff and Councillors, made a series of recommendations to the City for improving Vancouver’s soundscape, many of which are being implemented.Local citizens groups have worked towards having traffic noise levels in their neighbourhoods reduced, while others have encouraged 'traffic calming' measures. Take for example East Vancouver's Mt. Pleasant neighbourhood along East 6th Avenue which is a traffic calming- bike route. where the noise exposure in this neighbourhood is drastically reduced.
(I have a new listing in Mt. Pleasant on East 6th which is a traffic calming route. It is very quiet and it is also a bicycle route. Please go to my website at www.vancouverhomes.info for more information on this great quiet condo in Mt. Pleasant!)
In my next article, "Noise Pollution: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Part Two), I will address some of the ways you can actively remove noise pollution from your life!