Environmental Assessment
Volume B-5.5
Mine
Traffic
Ambatovy Project
393
January 2006
Table 5.5-4 Changes in Accident Numbers Due to the Project
RN2, Moramanga-
Toamasina
RN2, Moramanga-
Antananarivo
RN44, Ampitambe-
Moramanga
baseline traffic kilometres
476,736 trips x
250 km =
119 million km
1,094,288 trips x
130 km =
142 million km
1,843,452 trips x
10 km =
18 million km
baseline accident rate
372 per year
443 per year
58 per year
traffic kilometres per year during
construction
Base +
2.92 million km
Base + 0.19 million km Base + 0.27 million
traffic kilometres per year during
operations
Base +
0.73 million km
Base + 0.09 million km Base + 0.16 million
incremental increase (and %
increase) in accidents
(construction) (without mitigation)
9 accidents (2.4%)
1 accident (<1%)
1 accident (<1%)
incremental increase (and %
increase) in accidents
(operations) (without mitigation)
2 accidents (<1%)
0 accidents (<1%)
1 accident (<1%)
Noise and Vibration Disturbance
Noise
The noise assessment of traffic focuses on motorized vehicles only. The primary
sources of noise from motorized vehicles are:
•
motors; and
•
interaction of vehicle tires with the road surface.
The amount of noise generated by individual vehicles used for the project is
expected to be similar to vehicles already in use in Madagasgar. Therefore
changes in noise level would occur based on the number of similar vehicles on
the roadways.
The change in the total number of vehicles on the three public roadways being
assessed is generally less than 1%. The changes in various vehicle types are also
generally less than 5% for each category except for truck traffic between
Ampitambe and Moramanga which ranges between 5.5 to 7% over a week.
Changes in truck traffic are considered more important since trucks typically
generate more noise than passenger vehicles.
The changes in traffic can also be stated from the receiving environment point of
view as the number of vehicle “pass-bys” per hour. Vehicles generate noise each
time they pass a noise receiver; each ‘pass-by’ is a noise event. Assuming 80%
