In Ontario, noise impacts for new noise-sensitive developments are a rising concern for municipalities. Increased density burden has necessitated closer placement of incompatible land uses and caused increased transport corridor volumes for all types of vehicle traffic. As a result, it is now commonplace for noise study reports to be included in application submissions for site plan approvals, zoning by-law amendments, and building permits.
Unfortunately, this pace of increasing concern has not been matched by that of regulation. Guidance for noise assessments in Ontario has been governed by Noise Publication (NPC) documents produced by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks (MECP) since 1995. While guidance for assessment of industrial noise has evolved significantly over past decades, guidance regarding assessment of transport noise has not.
STAMSON Model Interface
Currently, noise practitioners are required to assess transport noise using the Ontario Road Noise Analysis Method for Environment and Transportation (ORNAMENT) and the Sound from Trains Environmental Analysis Method (STEAM) models, developed in 1989 and 1990 respectively. While innovative for their time, these models are primitive by today’s standards, giving engineers limited ability to provide accurate, real-world, predictions. These limitations restrict options for engineers to provide reasonable, feasible, and cost-effective mitigation solutions.
Modern Model Interface (TNM/FTA/FRA)
There are signs this reality may be coming to an end. In December 2021 the MECP announced, via notice on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO), that proposed updates may be incoming. The proposal outlines a plan to adopt the US Federal Highway Administration’s Traffic Noise Model (TNM) for road noise and the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for light rail and heavy rail traffic. Guidance on the intended usage of the model is generic but outlined in a draft NPC document (NPC-306). The new models were adopted by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) in March 2022. If adopted by the MECP, these new models would remove significant limitations by improving usability, accommodating complexity, and producing efficient, accurate, and actionable predictions.
Details regarding rollout, phase-in, and timeline for these new models are unclear at this time. What is apparent, is that acoustical engineers have already started using the new models for municipal application submissions. Some municipalities have adopted their own guidance for the use of the new models (i.e. City of Waterloo Noise-Study Terms of Reference Document). However, due to delayed provincial adoption, acceptance from municipalities and peer reviewers is patchy. GRIT is fluent in the use of both the historical STAMSON and the newer TNM, FTA, and FRA models, allowing for flexibility within the current regulatory regime.
Please reach out to GRIT Engineering Inc. for all noise-related inquiries and projects to support your municipal planning or provincial approval (ECA) and registration (EASR) requirements.