"Michael Bell" wrote in message
. uk...
In message
"Hoodoo" wrote:

Hello,
I'm thinking of buying a house that is about a quarter of a mile from a
noisy bypass (A41) - is there any effective way of reducing the noise by
planting/building a wall etc?
I've heard that a solid, dense structure such as a wall is the best
olution - has anybody tried this? The sound is mainly mid frequencies,
with
the occasional low-frequency rumble from lorries, if that makes any
difference. Many thanks for any help.

That is broadly correct. Trees and vegetation in general don't cut
down the noise very much. Walls and earthen embankments do. Unlike
light, noise does go round corners, but only weakly so. Most of the
noise is line-of-sight. Remember that most of the noise is from the
tyres hitting the tarmac, NOT the engine (just listen to it. What do
you hear?) so if the line of sight from the road surface to your eyes
(quite close to your ears) is blocked, then you've done all you
reasonably can.

Michael Bell


If you couple the above with I what would term distraction techniques such
as
rustley plants like bamboo or tinkling water that can help also.

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea