A study of noise in CNG driven modes of transport in Delhi

Measurements of noise and its spectral characteristics were made inside various types of transport running on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fuel in Delhi. Noise indices L10, L50, L90 and Leq were estimated from the measured noise levels for vehicles in neutral gear, slow speed (speed ⩽20 km/h) and under free flow (speed ⩾30 km/h) conditions. It is found that background levels, when averaged over all speeds, are maximum in Rural Transport Vehicles (RTV) followed by Buses, Auto-rickshaws and Taxis. With increase in the speed, noise levels are appreciably enhanced except in the case of auto-rickshaws where the increase is moderate. The spectral distributions of noise inside vehicles obtained at 1-octave band frequencies, show a rather similar nature. The study reveals significantly lower noise levels inside CNG driven public modes of transport compared to those found in an earlier survey inside diesel and petrol driven vehicles.