More Traffic in Montevideo, But No More Noise

Noise from vehicles in the bustling Uruguayan capital city Montevideo has remained relatively stable, a study shows

Despite increasing numbers of motor vehicles, a study with a Brüel & Kjær sound level meter has proven noise levels in the bustling Uruguayan capital city Montevideo have remained relatively stable.

The study - carried out by the capital's Administration - used a Bruel & Kjaer Sound Level Meter Type 2250 to measure from 63 different points around the city. The test took between 10 and 14 hours, with a duration of 15 minutes.

The meter, standing at 1.5 m high with the microphone toward the street, simultaneously measured a minute-by-minute count of the main noise generated by sources including motorbikes, cars, buses and trucks.

A comparison with the sound of Montevideo survey conducted in 2010 was also performed. During this study, eleven points of comparison were taken and the comparison showed that - despite the increase of the vehicle fleet in recent years - the noise levels were relatively constant.

Since the measurements were performed at peak hours, the equivalent level results obtained in the study represent the maximum noise level generated.

During the night, noise levels decreased significantly, as demonstrated by one example on the corner of the city's Liberty Avenue and Francisco Soca, where daytime sound levels of 68.3 dB decreased to 54.3 dB at night.

Learn more about Bruel & Kjaer's urban noise measurement tools

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About Brüel & Kjær

Brüel & Kjær is a world-leading manufacturer and supplier of sound and vibration measurement systems.

Brüel & Kjær helps its customers measure and manage the quality of sound and vibration in their products and in the environment. Focus areas are aerospace, space, defence, automotive, ground transportation, airport environment, urban environment, telecom and audio.

Brüel & Kjær has an unparalleled portfolio of sound and vibration equipment and is a long-established designer and manufacturer of innovative instrumentation including sound level meters, microphones, accelerometers, conditioning amplifiers, calibrators, noise and vibration analyzers, and PULSE software.

In addition, Bruel & Kjaer designs and manufactures the LDS range of vibration test systems, as well as complete airport and environmental monitoring systems: WebTrak, ANOMS, NoiseOffice and Noise Sentinel.

Brüel & Kjær also runs a variety of training courses, from basic introductions to noise and its effects to more specialised classes teaching customers how to get the most out of their equipment. Free, online training courses - conducted by our expert engineers - run throughout the year too.