ASSESSMENT OF THE ACOUSTIC EFFICIENCY OF ROAD INVESTMENTS IN THE STAGE OF DEVELOPING NOISE PROTECTION PROGRAMS IN CITIES.

Purpose: The purpose of the article is to present the concept of calculating indexes of effectiveness and acoustic efficiency of road investments that facilitate decision-making on the sequence of work implementation and the development of investment task schedule. The presented indexes are used in the development of strategic noise maps of cities and in the creation of noise protection programs. The presented concept fits into the topic of managing the acoustic climate of cities. Design/methodology/approach: The method of ranking road investments described in the article was developed based on the author's many years of experience in developing strategic noise maps of cities and presented as a case study for the city of Siemianowice Śląskie. Findings: The proposed method supports urban investment management. It allows for selecting the sequence of implementation of road investments in cities which ensures the achievement of maximum acoustic efficiency. The developed index of acoustic efficiency is defined as the ratio of costs incurred to the number of people exposed to excessive noise before and after the implementation of the investment. This index can be used to rank investments in the development of strategic noise maps and the creation of noise protection programs. Practical implications: Strategic noise maps are prepared every 5 years in accordance with EU legislation. Based on them, noise protection programs are developed, within which future investments reducing noise in the city must be identified and their effects determined. The presented concept of introducing a ranking index for investments in terms of their acoustic efficiency is a response to the cities' demand for the development of a uniform methodology supporting the selection of investments based on the criterion of acoustic efficiency. The applied method can be introduced to standardize the way of evaluating the justification of implementing noise reduction investments in cities for the purposes of developing noise protection programs. Originality/value: The article presents a concept of calculating indexes of the effectiveness and acoustic efficiency of road investments. These indexes are helpful in managing urban investments aimed at reducing the exposure of residents to noise, and in particular for proper planning of the sequence of investment implementation when developing noise protection programs. The defined indexes and the method of their calculation relate not only to road investments but can also be used to rank investments related to reducing railway and industrial noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]