Abstract:
The purposes of this study are 1) to determine the noise annoyance situation that Bangkok residents encounter, 2) to investigate the factors influencing Bangkok residents annoyance regarding noise, and 3) to look into Bangkok residents recommendations concerning noise annoyance management. The sample consisted of 400 Bangkok residents. Self administered questionnaires were used for collecting data. The data were analysed using applied statistics; percentage, mean, standard deviation and Analysis of Variance and Multiple Classification Analysis. The results of this study shows that the annoyance regarding noise of Bangkok
residents was at a moderate level. The noise sources that annoyed Bangkok residents most were factories/shops and traffic/vehicles. Being near to a noise source produced greater annoyance. People living on main roads were more annoyed than others. People with higher noise sensitivity, younger people, and people with previous experience of noise annoyance were all more likely to be annoyed by noise. The recommendations of Bangkok residents on noise annoyance management are that the authorities should: be strict and arrest anyone, drivers or riders, who infringes the law; regulate working times at night; limit work times in residential areas; caution merchants by signs saying Do not use loudspeakers at rest time; take unkowned dogs away from residential areas. My recommendations on policy matters are that noise needs
to be more seriously considered under the environmental impact assessment when consideration is being given to changing the purpose of a road; Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Bylaws should regulate work periods; factories should be moved to industrial zones away from centers of population; noise annoyance standards should not only be concerned with noise level but also with sensitivity to noise; the fine for causing
noise annoyance should be increased to make offenders think seriously about the problem; officials should ensure that permission is gained for loudspeaker advertisements. Furthermore, the government should set up a national noise management policy and disseminate the information especially by television broadcasting which is the most popular media. The authorities should take action to protect all people from noise annoyance."