Residents in urban areas often complain about vibrations caused by highways and traffic, which can lead to concerns about building damage, daily disruptions, and potential health issues. These complaints are challenging for local authorities, especially with limited budgets and under existing legal frameworks like the Highways Act 1980.
Damage to properties is very unlikely to occur as a result of vibrations caused by traffic. Research undertaken by the Transport Research Laboratory into the effects of ground-borne vibrations caused by road humps found that buildings would need to be located at least 1m from a road hump to avoid vibration exposure causing minor damage and at least 4m to avoid superficial cracks from sustained exposure.
Our duty as the Highway Authority, under Section 41 of The Highways Act 1980, is to maintain the highway so that it is free from danger to all users. We however have no duty to investigate traffic-induced noise and building vibration generated by road users.
Many structural problems are not related to the public highway but instead caused by other factors. In such cases, our advice is for homeowners or their insurers to consider commissioning a structural survey of their property
Issues can be categorised into three areas, which will determine the Council’s course of action:
(a) Traffic calming (Existing and new Installations)
Existing: we will inspect and correct any issues with traffic calming features. If successful, no further action will be taken; if unsuccessful, the feature(s) may be reviewed for modification or removal.
New: Future traffic schemes will consider vibration impacts, potentially leading to alternative traffic calming methods.
(b) Highway maintenance
We will inspect defects to determine if they cause significant vibration, particularly from HGVs or buses. Minor issues may be addressed immediately, while larger defects will be prioritized in the city's annual maintenance program. If the issue isn’t severe, no further action will be taken.
(c) Utility services
We will assess if defective trench reinstatements cause vibration. If so, we will ensure the utility company follows the correct specifications. If the issue occurs within the warranty period, the utility is required to fix it. After that, the Council will assess it for repair as (b).