Traffic noise zones in Helsinki

The City of Helsinki's noise report, which complies with the EU's Environmental Noise Directive (END), examines the environmental noise caused by road and rail traffic in the Helsinki area. The noise report has been carried out in Helsinki in 2007, 2012, 2017 and 2022. This material contains the results of the noise report for 2017 and the noise report for 2022. The reports are in Finnish but have summaries in English.

The analysis is based on computational noise modelling, which has been used to draw up noise zone maps and calculate the number of residents exposed to noise in the noise zones. The analysis has been carried out separately for road, rail, metro and tram. The noise report describes the noise situation in the previous year.

In the EU noise report, the noise calculations have been carried out using the noise levels Lden (day-evening-night) and Ln (night-time) at a 4 m reference height in accordance with the Directive. In 2017 and 2022, the noise calculations were carried out using the CNOSSOS-EU road and rail noise calculation models in accordance with the END. In previous years, a common Nordic noise calculation model was used. The method of calculating the number of residents exposed to noise has changed between the different noise modellings, so the results of the population calculations from different years cannot be compared.

In addition to the EU noise mapping, a national noise assessment has been carried out in 2007, 2012, 2017 and 2022. In those the noise levels have been calculated using the equivalent noise levels LAeq,7-22 (day) and LAeq,22-7 (night) used in Finland. They are calculated with Nordic Prediction Method and similarly every time, so the results are comparable. Calculation height is two metres. The results of the EU noise mapping and the national noise mapping are not comparable.

The noise surveys in the Helsinki metropolitan area have been carried out in cooperation with the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen, the The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency and the Uusimaa Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY)

The data can be downloaded in several different formats, including JSON, KML, CSV, Esri Shape and XML. The available formats can always be found in the outputFormat section of the GetCapabilities query of the service. For more information and instructions, please refer to the WFS Objects Retrieval Guide (in Finnish).

Results of the EU Noise Survey 2022

Calculated according to the Environmental Noise Directive, the number of Helsinki residents exposed to day-evening-night noise levels (Lden) above 55 dB from road traffic is about 236 000, or 36% of the city's population. Around 6% of city dwellers are exposed to noise from trams. Around 1.5% of the population is exposed to rail noise and just under 1% to metro noise.

Due to changes in the calculation model and in the way residents exposed to noise are calculated, the results cannot be compared with those of previous EU noise reports.

The number of road and street noise sources in the model is slightly higher than in the 2017 noise mapping. At the time of the study, the Covid-19 pandemic reduced traffic volumes. The road traffic volumes used in the study are on average slightly lower than the traffic volumes used in the 2017 study, but this does not have a significant impact on noise levels.

Results of the National Noise Inventory in 2022

In Finland, environmental noise is regulated by Government Decision (993/1992). The guideline values relate to daytime and night-time average noise levels LAeq and are linked to a Nordic Prediction model. The noise assessment was also carried out using the national calculation method, as the results of the EU-noise mapping cannot be directly compared with the national noise mapping.

According to the national calculation method, around 256 500 inhabitants (39%) are exposed to road and street traffic noise levels above 55 dB daytime average (LAeq,7-22). The proportion of people exposed to road and street traffic noise has slightly increased compared to the results of the 2017 noise mapping. Around 6% of residents are exposed to tram noise above 55 dB during the day, 1% to rail noise and 1.4% to metro noise.

Air quality and Noise Management Plan (ILME) 2024-2029

Helsinki has an Air quality and Noise Abatement Plan (ILME), which sets out objectives and measures to improve air quality and reduce noise pollution for the period 2024-2029. Read more.

Coordinate systems

• Maintained in ETRS-GK25 (EPSG:3879), can be projected to other coordinate systems. See GetCapabilities query for other possible coordinate systems.

API addresses

• WFS API: https://kartta.hel.fi/ws/geoserver/avoindata/wfs
• WMS API: https://kartta.hel.fi/ws/geoserver/avoindata/wms

Layers

2022:

• Meluselvitys_2022_Helsinki_juna_L_aeq_22-7_NPM
• Meluselvitys_2022_Helsinki_juna_L_aeq_7-22_NPM
• Meluselvitys_2022_Helsinki_kadut_ja_maantiet_L_aeq_22-7_NPM
• Meluselvitys_2022_Helsinki_kadut_ja_maantiet_L_aeq_7-22_NPM
• Meluselvitys_2022_Helsinki_kadut_ja_maantiet_Lden
• Meluselvitys_2022_Helsinki_kadut_ja_maantiet_Ln
• Meluselvitys_2022_Helsinki_maantiet_major_L_aeq_22-7_NPM
• Meluselvitys_2022_Helsinki_maantiet_major_L_aeq_7-22_NPM
• Meluselvitys_2022_Helsinki_maantiet_major_Lden
• Meluselvitys_2022_Helsinki_maantiet_major_Ln
• Meluselvitys_2022_Helsinki_metro_L_aeq_22-7_NPM
• Meluselvitys_2022_Helsinki_metro_L_aeq_7-22_NPM
• Meluselvitys_2022_Helsinki_metro_Lden
• Meluselvitys_2022_Helsinki_metro_Ln
• Meluselvitys_2022_Helsinki_raitiotie_Lden
• Meluselvitys_2022_Helsinki_raitiotie_Ln
• Meluselvitys_2022_Helsinki_raitiovaunu_L_aeq_22-7_NPM
• Meluselvitys_2022_Helsinki_raitiovaunu_L_aeq_7-22_NPM
• Meluselvitys_2022_Helsinki_rautatiet_Lden
• Meluselvitys_2022_Helsinki_rautatiet_Ln

2017:

• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_01_tieliikenne_L_Aeq_paiva
• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_02_tieliikenne_L_Aeq_yo
• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_03_maantiet_L_Aeq_paiva
• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_04_maantiet_L_Aeq_yo
• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_05_raitioliikenne_L_Aeq_paiva
• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_06_raitioliikenne_L_Aeq_yo
• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_07_metro_L_Aeq_paiva
• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_08_metro_L_Aeq_yo
• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_09_rautatiet_L_Aeq_paiva
• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_10_rautatiet_L_Aeq_yo
• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_11_tieliikenne_L_den
• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_12_tieliikenne_L_yo
• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_13_maantiet_L_den
• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_14_maantiet_L_yo
• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_15_raitioliikenne_L_den
• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_16_raitioliikenne_L_yo
• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_17_metro_L_den
• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_18_metro_L_yo
• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_19_rautatiet_L_den
• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_20_rautatiet_L_yo
• Meluselvitys_2017_alue_yhteismelu_paiva

Noise report 2017: attributes, data types and their explanation and reliability data in information services

• tietopalvelu_id (int). Unique identifier of the feature. Reliable, comprehensively existing information.
• db_lo (decimal). The lowest decibel value of the noise.
• db_hi (decimal). The highest decibel value of the noise.
• datanomistaja (string). Data owner. Reliable, comprehensively existing information.
• paivitetty_tietopalveluun (date). Information service record date (yyyy-mm-dd). Reliable, comprehensively existing information.
• geom (GeometryPropertyType). Geometry of the feature.

Noise report 2022: attributes and data types

• id (int)
• db_lo (decimal)
• db_hi (decimal)
• colour (string)
• colour_rgb (string)
• datanomistaja (string)
• paivitetty_tietopalveluun (date)
• geom (GeometryPropertyType). Geometry of the feature.