Mapping traffic noise annoyance: visualising environmental stress on children’s walk-quality using a psychoacoustic isochrone approach

Abstract

Urban design and transport strategies increasingly promote active travel for environmental and health benefits yet often overlook the psychological impacts of environmental stressors such as traffic noise and its effect on pedestrians. This study introduces a spatial analysis approach that visualises where children may be exposed to noise annoyance on their walk to school by integrating environmental psychology principles with geospatial modelling, presented as walkable catchment isochrones with a quantifiable Amenity Cost. Rather than treating traffic noise as an objective emission, the method engages Psychoacoustic Annoyance [PA] as a perceptual indicator within a custom-built pedestrian i..