PlaceDossier / Questions
Is my property near a railway, highway or airport?
Trains, highway traffic and planes are the noise a buyer can't fix after moving in. A report gives the straight-line distance from the lot line to the nearest railway, highway or major road, and airport or airstrip within 2 km.
The report opens at this answer, with the lot drawn on the map and every other check alongside. A PID (on the tax notice or title) always finds the lot; an address works when it's an exact match.
What the answer means
- What the report measures
- The nearest railway track in use, the nearest highway or major road, and the nearest airport or airstrip, each within 2 km of the lot line, with its name where it's mapped. A main railway line, a freeway or a highway within 100 m of the lot is flagged; anything farther is listed as information. Within 50 m, the report says the line borders the lot: that's our reading of the distance, not a survey.
- Distances, not decibels
- The report gives distances only, never a noise level. How loud a place is depends on how many trains pass and when, how busy the road is and how fast it moves, the planes' flight paths, and the ground in between: a hill, a cutting or a row of buildings can block a lot of sound, and open water carries it.
- Railways
- Main lines, branch and industrial lines, sidings and yards, and rapid transit, as OpenStreetMap's volunteers map them. Lines mapped as disused or abandoned, and track in tunnels, are left out. Freight trains run day and night, and horns sound at level crossings.
- Highways and major roads
- The roads OpenStreetMap classes as motorway (a freeway), trunk (a highway) or primary (a major road), with the highway number where it's recorded.
- Airports and airstrips
- Every aerodrome OpenStreetMap maps, from international airports to private grass strips and float plane bases, with its type where it's recorded. Heliports aren't included. Some airports draw noise exposure maps (NEF contours) around their runways; they aren't open data, so the report doesn't use them: ask the airport or the local government whether the lot is inside one.
- What to do
- Visit at rush hour and at night, and on a weekday. Ask the seller how often trains pass and whether the house has extra sound insulation or triple glazing. For a railway, the railway company can say how many trains use the line; for an airport, ask about flight paths and planned runway work.
OpenStreetMap is mapped by volunteers: a line can sit some metres off the real one, and a small airstrip can be missing or long closed. Confirm with the local government, and the railway or airport, before you buy or build.
Source: OpenStreetMap roads, railways and aerodromes, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
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