Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of acoustic fencing on reducing traffic noise levels.

The science of noise barriers (acoustic fencing) is well established. A noise barrier creates a "shadow zone" behind it, reducing the energy of the sound waves in a comparable way to a breakwater protecting a harbour. The Highways Agency is actively encouraging developments in noise barrier technology and is represented on the British Standards Institution (BSI) committee involved in preparing new standards for noise barriers in line with the EU Harmonised standard EN1793.