Mitigating Noise | Airservices Noise Complaint Line

Lessons from KSA

A noise sub-consultant for the Second Sydney Airport EIS Study auditor was asked what lessons would be learned from the Kingsford Smith Airport (KSA) Third Runway problems.

He said we needed to be careful to consider not just the actual level of noise residents would experience, but the changes in noise level. The Third Runway brought very large changes in noise levels to many previously unaffected homes, and this simply wasn’t accounted for.

It was reassuring to see this recognized. But, it was not comforting to hear his suggestion about how the problem might be treated...

Mitigating Noise

An example of a expressway project was used as an analogy (vis. the M5). Although it is difficult to control traffic flow on expressways, he suggested that if you could make it build up slowly over a long period it would alleviate most of the adverse noise reaction.

So in the airport context, the suggestion was that if you increased air traffic fairly slowly, you could avoid the dramatic changes in noise levels that enraged inner city Third Runway residents.

Notice how EIS consultants think in terms of "mitigation", not avoidance. The EIS won’t stop the airport’s damage - at best it will tell the Government how to fool us into accepting it.

If risk is hazard plus outrage (Dr Peter Sandman's theory), you treat the outrage not the hazard.

Small Changes Towards Death

There’s an interesting experiment that demonstrates the danger we are in. If you put a frog in cold water, and slowly heat it, the frog will eventually let itself be boiled to death without jumping out.

Now, planes are easier to control than motor cars - and it’s Airservices Australia’s job to do just that. Since the change of Government in 96, Airservices Australia have rearranged KSA flight paths to gradually expose Bankstown and the South West to more aircraft noise.

Airservices Aircraft Noise Complaint Line

If you want to jump out of the water before it’s too late, ring Airservices Australia’s noise complaint line as often as you can and every time you hear objectionable aircraft noise.

The number is: 9582 1850 or 1300 302 240 (local call from anywhere in NSW). Alternatively, lodge your complaint online at Aircraft Noise Complaints - NSW

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First published 1997. Last Revised

Last Change: vdeck mod

Visitor since Sat 21-Feb-2004.