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Traffic drives SoMa noise level
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New high-rises and major arterials have contributed to high levels of noise in the South of Market neighborhood.
SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - A new noise map points the way to the loudest neighborhood in The City — the South of Market area, which is rapidly growing with new high-rises packed with residents.
SoMa has a noise level of 70 decibels, which is the average measurement during a 24-hour period. The noise levels at night factored more heavily than during the day.
The SoMa noise levels can be compared with that of a vacuum running within a few feet of a person, according the Department of Public Health. The department recently completed an acoustic study of The City, which measured noise levels experienced by each building — its residents and workers.
Although SoMa is rising with the recent construction of thousands of units in newly built skyscrapers, the primary contributor to the noisy neighborhood is that many streets are traffic arterials.
“They’re highly impacted by freeway noise and they’re the most heavily trafficked arterials in The City,” Tom Rivard of the Department of Public Health said.
Tens of thousands of cars, buses and trucks flood the SoMa area each day as commuters use neighborhood streets, such as First, Fourth and Sixth streets, and The Embarcadero to access the Bay Bridge and U.S. Highway 101.
An estimated 27 percent of residents in South of Market are “highly annoyed” by the sound levels in the neighborhood, researchers estimate.
Noise annoyance is exacerbated in areas where the population is dense, Rivard said.
“In Chinatown and the Tenderloin, where you have real high people densities and real high traffic densities, the number of people that are annoyed is very high,” he said.
Other areas with higher noise levels include downtown/Civic Center, the Financial District, the Inner Mission, Western Addition and the Nob Hill/Russian Hill/Pacific Heights/Marina neighborhoods, according to the study.
The “central west” and Glen Park/Bernal Heights neighborhoods had lower sound levels.
Supervisor Chris Daly, whose district includes SoMa and the Tenderloin, said noise issues are one of the primary calls he receives from constituents who complain about fireworks at AT&T Park, motorcycles and construction-related ruckus. “I’m living about 100 feet from the Central Freeway project. I certainly empathize with my constituents,” Daly said.
The new map, which replaces an outdated one from 1974, will head to the Planning Department so it can be referenced when new construction is considered and efforts to regulate noise levels can be more targeted.
Dial down the decibels
How San Francisco neighborhoods rank when it comes to noise.
An average noise level of 70 is equivalent to a vacuum cleaner running next to a person, and a noise level of 60 is comparable to two people having a conversation.
South of Market: 70
Tenderloin: 69
Financial District: 68
Inner Mission: 68
Western Addition: 68
Chinatown: 67
Nob Hill/Russian Hill/Pac Heights/Marina: 67
Bayview-Hunters Point: 66
Haight Ashbury: 66
North Beach: 65
Potrero Hill: 65
Excelsior/Visitacion Valley/Outer Mission: 64
Lakeshore: 64
Upper Market/Noe Valley: 64
Central West: 63
Northwest: 63
Twin Peaks/Diamond Heights/Oceanview: 62
Glen Park/Bernal Heights: 61
Citywide Average: 65
Source: Department of Public Health
Comments from Examiner Readers
1:12 PM MST on Wed., Aug. 20, 2008 re: "Supe seeks to heighten the hush"
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Thank You Supervisor Tom A.-Finally no more super said:
REPLY TO-"--Noise is on the top of the list of critical issues in SF?" I am not sure I understand? A list of other city problems makes it alright for the level of noise that regular people are complaining about? Makes sense to me. You move to Marin. Fool
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Examiner Reader said:
I'm surprised you didn't mention motorcycles--you know the type driven by those who express their weakling machismo by revving up at intersections and delighting in setting off car alarms. There are a few of these who have been cruising through the City with impunity for years, affecting the hearing of thousands as they traverse the streets. Since there's no excuse for this and the decibel levels are obviously incredibly high, what would be the difference if I just took a high-powered sound system and blasted it at their apartment windows at 5AM while they were sleeping?
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Examiner Reader said:
There is noise and there is noise. Unnecessary noise like lot music, fighting neighbors, mortorcycles with machine=gun mufflers, etc should be stopped. Construction should not start until 8 am and stop at 8 pm in residential areas. Everyone needs to do their part to keep the noise level in the comfort zone. Annoying your neighbors doesn't make for happy living for either party.
5 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Noise is on the top of the list of critical issues in SF? The city is broke, the murder rate is high, the transit system struggles along, the roads need paving etc., and we are giving serious concern to noise abatement? Folks, if you want quiet move to Marin County! Otherwise, why not enjoy the varied sounds of urban living in the city?
4 agree | 7 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
s.f. is a fun city, so expect lots of noise and other rattlings. unless we're going to follow in suit to those states that are right-wing no-fun-ers, so don't expect much from noise abatement unless it's reasonable to stop it. sex involves a lot of noise making, I don't see anyone censuring this activity.
5 agree | 17 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
""The noise-control ordinance was introduced Tuesday by Supervisor Tom Ammiano, who said the legislation grew out of the “many, many constituents’ calls” complaining about loud noises bothering them or waking them up from sleep. Not since 1973 has The City updated its noise standards, and advancements in technology make sound level measuring much simpler, Ammiano said."" WOW I FINALLY AGREE WITH AMMIANO, NOISE IS BAD FOR YOU. JUST BECAUSE ITS THE CITY DOESN'T MEAN WE HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THIS FORM OF POLLUTION NO MORE THAN AIR POLLUTION. TOM WHILE YOU ARE AT IT THROW IN THE MOTOCYCLES WITH THE GLASS PACKS. FOR SOME REASON THEIR RIDERS DERIVE MUCH JOY IN NOISE AT THE EXPENSE OF EVERYONE WITHIN 2 SQUARE CITY BLOCKS. ""Enforcement would remain divided among various departments depending on the type of noise. For example, the Entertainment Commission would enforce noise controls when it comes to nightclubs."" WHAT A WORTHLESS GROUP THIS COMMISSION IS, HEADED BY A GUY WHO OWNS CLUBS!!!
12 agree | 3 disagree
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yuppie who bought vastly over-priced condo in soma said:
i love my double pane sound proof windows.
3 agree | 2 disagree
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Johnzane said:
I agree that city dwellers should not expect country living in SF. Closing windows and, ahem, turning on the air conditioner is an acceptable solution at times. It's a shame so many of these lofts were built with little to no noise attenuation in mind. Tenants should check for noise before signing papers.
5 agree | 3 disagree
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Johnzane said:
I recently visited a friend who lives alone in a beautiful 5 room flat on Hayes. Her apartment was unnervingly quiet, I swear I could hear my own blood pumping, and we had just come up from the din of Friday afternoon traffic. Even though her windows looked out on the street, nothing came through. She said the building dated back to the 40's, and the architect had orders to make it completely sound proof. She claimed never to have heard her neighbors, and that she can party anytime without eliciting a complaint.
When will noise pollution become a factor in building new homes like this one? Only when buyers/tenants make it a priority. Until then, like myself, you can always enjoy the sounds of a bustling, independent-minded San Francisco.
3 agree | 3 disagree
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Michael said:
This is absolutely the stupidest, most asinine article I've ever seen. YOU PEOPLE LIVE IN A CITY! There is going to be noise. Deal with it.
11 agree | 10 disagree
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Don't Live Near the Airport... said:
"Ah excuse me please but when we called your office about the cracked out people screaming at 3am last week we were told there is nothing your office can do about it. How about supporting the police to crack down on crack???" Examiner reader, I feel your pain...but crackheads (and the poverty pimps that staff the Coalition on Homelessness) are Daly's core constituency. They'd have to be...who else would vote for this completely ineffectual (and arrogant to boot) fool?
6 agree | 2 disagree
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Don't Live Near the Airport... said:
if you can't stand the sound of jets roaring above you. Most of SOMA's new residents are vacuous yuppies who bought vastly over-priced condos in the area because they wanted to maintain a facade of urban chic. Now they're complaining about the noise, as they do about every other feature of their new environs that predated their arrival (i.e., the homeless, club kids, etc., etc.). If they want peace and quiet, they should move to the suburbs. Really, really tired of their sense of entitlement. Oh, and insofar as the ostensibly "progressive" supervisor Chris Daly is concerned...he lives in a condo himself, bought with the assistance of his relatively well-to-do parents, but fights home ownership by everyone else in this city tooth and nail. He's a complete and utter fraud!
5 agree | 5 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
""Supervisor Chris Daly, whose district includes SoMa and the Tenderloin, said noise issues are one of the primary calls he receives from constituents who complain about fireworks at AT&T Park, motorcycles and construction-related ruckus. “I’m living about 100 feet from the Central Freeway project. I certainly empathize with my constituents,” Daly said."" Ah excuse me please but when we called your office about the cracked out people screaming at 3am last week we were told there is nothing your office can do about it. How about supporting the police to crack down on crack???
14 agree | 2 disagree
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