Photo Credit: John Meore/The Journal News
A plane taking off from Westchester County Airport in White Plains
When it comes to environmental degradation, the concerns of most Westchester residents are centered on the pollution of land, water, and air—the plastic littered in our forests, the fertilizer that seeps into our waterways, and the smog that too often clouds the White Plains skyline. Though these modes of pollution are undeniably detrimental to Westchester residents and wildlife alike, there’s another method that often goes under the radar, yet remains a significant nuisance for many: noise/sound pollution.
It may sound like a secondary concern if you haven’t experienced it firsthand, but noise pollution—the disruption caused by the loud sounds from airports, highways, construction, and other sources—can be massively harmful to people and animals in affected areas.
Photo Credit: CBS New York
Traffic on parkways and highways is one of the largest sources of noise pollution—a traffic jam on the Saw Mill River Parkway is seen here after a car crash
For many people, noise pollution is the cause of damaging health problems. Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is the most common health issue observed among those exposed to noise pollution, but other afflictions include sleep deprivation and stress. Noise pollution can even be harmful to the cognitive development of children, and it has been linked with a decline in reading comprehension and memory.
Noise pollution doesn’t just affect people, either. Among wild animals, noise pollution has been observed causing confusion and an inability to communicate or properly undergo mating rituals. Even more concerning, noise pollution inhibits animals’ ability to hunt or find food and can negatively impact their development as well. In one study in the UK, it was found that noise from traffic caused abnormal stress levels in tree swallow populations.
Westchester’s noise pollutants come in many forms, but the two most common are the sounds emitted by cars and planes. For the most part, the roads with the highest traffic flow are the principal sources of noise complaints—I-95, I-287, the Hutchinson River Parkways, and the Saw Mill Parkways are often named as culprits of noise pollution. However, despite the lower traffic flow, the Bronx River Parkway is also frequently cited as a major source of sound pollution, and has even been given the nickname “the Bronx River Raceway”.
Photo Credit: Westchester County Gov
Map depicting the traffic volume across Westchester—the thick, dark red lines are on I-95, I-287, I-87, the Hutchinson River Parkway, the Saw Mill River Parkway, and the Cross County Parkway
The other big source of noise pollution is the Westchester County Airport in White Plains. The airport has been the subject of controversy in regards to noise pollution in the past decade. When it began receiving larger planes in 2016, many were concerned that the switch would increase noise levels and cause a rise in traffic, while county executives insisted that larger aircrafts would lead to a smaller number of flights, and less noise as a result.
In the end, the county was proven correct, and recent reductions in the noise levels experienced around the airport have been attributed to both the decreased volume of airplanes coming through the airport and the modernization of those aircrafts.
Photo Credit: Aviation Marketing Consulting
Map depicting the decline in the size of the noise footprint produced by the planes that circulate through Westchester County airport
Nearby residents, however, maintain that the noise levels are still debilitating. They hope that the continued modernization of aircrafts coupled with a further reduction in the air traffic that comes through the airport will make noise pollution a problem of the past. Other innovations to decrease noise pollution include soundwalls around busy roads near residential areas to block out the noise produced from cars.
Photo Credit: Robert Petersen/LAist
The “soundwall” next to a freeway, designed to reduce noise levels for nearby residents
Many proposed legal reforms have also been put forward—for instance, replacing the loud emergency sirens used by American first responders with the less jarring siren used in the European Union. Bans on gas-powered leaf blowers and car alarms have also been suggested, with the former having an especially strong case because gas-powered leaf blowers also contribute to air pollution and can cause respiratory damage for those that use them. Whatever the case may be, it is clear that immediate action is needed to protect Westchester citizens and wildlife.
Sources:
https://aviationmarketing.aero/news-posts/westchester-airport-is-quieter/ https://publicworks.westchestergov.com/images/stories/pdfs/trafficVolume06.pdf https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/fatal-crash-saw-mill-river-parkway-mclean-avenue-yonkers/ https://www.euronews.com/2019/02/26/european-sirens-could-change-the-soundscape-of-new-york https://www.greenwichtime.com/news/article/Westchester-County-Airport-s-neighbors-complain-17425585.php https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/noise-pollution/ https://www.nyc.gov/assets/dep/downloads/pdf/environment/education/noise-sound-determining-how-noise-affects-other-species.pdf https://laist.com/news/freeway-soundwall-la-history https://noiseproject.org/the-impact-of-noise-pollution-on-birds-and-humans/#:~:text=A%20study%20conducted%20on%20tree,poor%20health%20and%20reduced%20survival. https://www.iberdrola.com/sustainability/what-is-noise-pollution-causes-effects-solutions https://www.greenwichtime.com/news/article/greenwich-noise-westchester-county-airport-hpn-18512785.php https://westchestermagazine.com/life-style/noise-pollution/ https://library.municode.com/ny/white_plains/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITIIIENCO_CH3-4NOPO https://www.greenenergytimes.org/2018/10/leaf-blowers-bad-for-the-environment-and-you/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Westchester/comments/gd123v/anyone_here_suffering_from_bronx_river_raceway/ https://airport.westchestergov.com/about-us/environmental-management-system/noise-abatement https://www.lohud.com/story/news/investigations/2016/04/06/westchester-airport—crossroads/82521212/