Page 2 | Road noise

Bluey4 · 2023-06-27T09:37:32+00:00

I moved just over three years ago to a house on a busy road. I was worried about the noise when i moved but i didn't have many options and needed a quick move. The noise gets me down every day and ive never got used to it. I have recently had a small inheritance and am able to move but the children are settled in a (very) local school and with the market as it is moving is a silly thing to do. My question is, if you've ever moved from a road noise house to a traffic free area has it been as good as you thought? If it's going to change my life then I'll do it!

Ambi · 28/06/2023 07:27

We lived on a busy B road for 15yrs and we never realised how noisy it was until we moved to a quiet estate. There was the lorries and buses shaking the house as they sped past and the ambulances screaming past. Trying to get out of the drive on a busy morning. I don't miss any of it and still sit in out new garden surprised I can hear birds.

johnd2 · 28/06/2023 10:15

We live on an A road with 3 different buses going up and down.
When we moved in it was 30mph and the buses were diesel ones, now they have reduced to 20mph and even the double decker are electric, also we got triple glazing.
We hardly notice it until we go away and it's somewhere quiet!
Some people on our road got speed bumps outside their houses and they don't like it at all, because of the bumping noises all day long.
It does get noisy when the buses and lorries get gridlocked and everyone starts beeping for no particular help, but overall it's just part of the noise of life now.

SilentHedges · 28/06/2023 10:42

I'm another one that would not even look at a house on a busy main road. It's not just the noise, it's the vibrations, the pollution and safety aspect with kids or pets. You don't "get used to it", some people might convince themselves it's ok because they've spent "X" on a house and don't want to admit the truth, ie. that there is not one positive aspect of living next to heavy traffic. If there are any, I'd love to hear them. I also totally get that it's been very hard to buy a home, and most of us have to make compromises, so I understand why you bought your home. If you've come into an inheritance, which can help plug the gap of any extra borrowing, then 100% I'd move. It doesn't matter if your house price has dropped, if you're trading up, then that house will be cheaper too, which equals less debt and less of a price gap. Go for it.

ShortbreadBreakfast · 28/06/2023 15:54

We actually cancelled a viewing recently because of traffic noise. The house was beautiful but the only reason it was within budget was because of the proximity to the busy road. I've lived in 2 houses quite close to busy(ish) roads and train lines and I did get used to it a little, but moving to a quiet house has been bliss.

Saying this OP, when you're able to move, there will be buyers who won't be concerned about it. They might be harder to find, but if you're feeling stuck, try to remember that. I know plenty of people who say it's white noise to them. I know someone who actually finds it relaxing 🤷‍♀️

Peppadog · 28/06/2023 16:10

SilentHedges · 28/06/2023 10:42

I'm another one that would not even look at a house on a busy main road. It's not just the noise, it's the vibrations, the pollution and safety aspect with kids or pets. You don't "get used to it", some people might convince themselves it's ok because they've spent "X" on a house and don't want to admit the truth, ie. that there is not one positive aspect of living next to heavy traffic. If there are any, I'd love to hear them. I also totally get that it's been very hard to buy a home, and most of us have to make compromises, so I understand why you bought your home. If you've come into an inheritance, which can help plug the gap of any extra borrowing, then 100% I'd move. It doesn't matter if your house price has dropped, if you're trading up, then that house will be cheaper too, which equals less debt and less of a price gap. Go for it.

As someone who has bought a house on a busy (but 20mph limit) A road, I haven't needed to convince myself that there are positives. As you asked, here are some...
We can see the bus stop from our house, and can be in town in 10 minutes which I find safer as no need to walk down quiet streets in the dark for me or teens.

We have fabulous views out the back, and can be at the nicest park in 2 minutes by walking out the back, the school is a 2 minute walk away out the front and as it's a busy road my son sees his friends walking down the road from his bedroom window and calls to them.
Out the back in the garden you can only hear trees and birds. At the front the hedges block most of the noise from passing traffic which is slow. The front garden and gate means it's safe for kids.
I looked at the air quality, and it wasn't much different to roads further away and there are no vibrations.
I wouldn't get an outdoor cat here but I wouldn't get an outdoor cat anyway as I don't think anywhere in the city is safe enough for me not to worry about them being out.
Not all situations are the same.We looked at houses that were on quiet roads, but the drawbacks were worse than the drawback of being by a busy road and we saved sooo much money by making what hasn't turned out to be much of a compromise. I'm so glad I wasn't put off by mumsnet threads I read about it.

SilentHedges · 28/06/2023 21:26

Peppadog · 28/06/2023 16:10

As someone who has bought a house on a busy (but 20mph limit) A road, I haven't needed to convince myself that there are positives. As you asked, here are some...
We can see the bus stop from our house, and can be in town in 10 minutes which I find safer as no need to walk down quiet streets in the dark for me or teens.

We have fabulous views out the back, and can be at the nicest park in 2 minutes by walking out the back, the school is a 2 minute walk away out the front and as it's a busy road my son sees his friends walking down the road from his bedroom window and calls to them.
Out the back in the garden you can only hear trees and birds. At the front the hedges block most of the noise from passing traffic which is slow. The front garden and gate means it's safe for kids.
I looked at the air quality, and it wasn't much different to roads further away and there are no vibrations.
I wouldn't get an outdoor cat here but I wouldn't get an outdoor cat anyway as I don't think anywhere in the city is safe enough for me not to worry about them being out.
Not all situations are the same.We looked at houses that were on quiet roads, but the drawbacks were worse than the drawback of being by a busy road and we saved sooo much money by making what hasn't turned out to be much of a compromise. I'm so glad I wasn't put off by mumsnet threads I read about it.

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Aside from being able to "see a bus stop" from your house, presumably because its on the busy main road, you haven't given any positives that you wouldn't be able to enjoy living on a quiet road. You can have fabulous views, walk to town or be near a school without living on a busy A road.

It's great that you are happy in your home, its how you feel that counts. The fact that you saved a lot of money on the purchase, tells us that most people wouldn't be.

Peppadog · 28/06/2023 22:54

SilentHedges · 28/06/2023 21:26

Aside from being able to "see a bus stop" from your house, presumably because its on the busy main road, you haven't given any positives that you wouldn't be able to enjoy living on a quiet road. You can have fabulous views, walk to town or be near a school without living on a busy A road.

It's great that you are happy in your home, its how you feel that counts. The fact that you saved a lot of money on the purchase, tells us that most people wouldn't be.

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Ok thought of a couple more. I find that people who live on busier roads are less fussy about noise so I feel more relaxed when my kids are making a racket. You wouldn't buy a house on a busy road if you were really noise sensitive. I don't feel as relaxed in my parents quiet village road for example, everyone can hear everything.
They also tend to be less claustrophobic and curtain twitchy. I know my neighbours either side but haven't got a clue who lives opposite or further down, I like that anonymity and that was actually important to my husband who really didn't want to be in a cul de sac.

Also, some people like the background white noise and find it soothing and reassuring, and don't like silence.
Id be lying if I said I cared about this but you asked for potential positives, and that is one for some people.

When we bought the house we had to bid for it with other buyers so I don't think it puts that many people off actually, not if you have chosen city living, but yes they tend to be cheaper because they are less popular than a cul de sac or quiet road, but my point is that often that is misguided so many people can get themselves a bargain if they are a bit open minded about it and actually spend some time in the property assessing the noise etc.

Plus if electric cars take over which it appears they will, then a lot of the downsides of busy roads will disappear.

electriclight · 29/06/2023 04:53

Personally I think if people were to list the positives of living on a quiet road, there would be far far more than there are for living on a busy road.

RedBonnet · 29/06/2023 06:30

I used to live beside a large city river with factories on the opposite side. We moved to the countryside. On my first night there it was so quiet my ears were ringing like they do when you leave a loud concert.

I didn't notice the noise at the time

I've lived next to a railway line and behind a large asda with delivery lorries going all night. Currently living next to builders doing a new estate. The noise doesn't bother me and I only notice it once it stops or I move away.

I think neighbour noise would bother me more.

hattie43 · 29/06/2023 06:48

Peppadog · 27/06/2023 21:09

I love my busy road house, I don't even notice it once inside. But the garden backs onto fields, so can hear birds etc, maybe that's the difference. I actually don't mind background noise, I prefer it to silent curtain twitchy cul de sacs.
It's funny my great grandmother ONLY wanted to live on a busy road. She moved out of her semi on a quiet road into a mid-terrace on a busy through road and couldn't have been happier. She found silence deafening.
Different folks and all that.

This is me . I find road noise very comforting as it's a sign of life . I think it's really hard in the SE now to find any kind that off affordable housing with no noise at all beit road, train , loud music / neighbours.

SilentHedges · 29/06/2023 08:12

electriclight · 29/06/2023 04:53

Personally I think if people were to list the positives of living on a quiet road, there would be far far more than there are for living on a busy road.

Quite, but I'm enjoying some of the far reaching "positives" here, of living on a main road versus a non main road. "My kids can make lots of noise and I dont care" is not selling it to me 🤣

I live in the South East, solo buyer, I know how insanely hard it is buy, and the compromises that have to be made, but for me, this isn't one of them.

CellophaneFlower · 29/06/2023 08:49

I think in your situation OP, you should definitely move. You say the noise gets you down every day - that's reason enough. I cannot imagine there would be many people who dislike road noise who'd move to somewhere quieter and would regret it.

I live in a cul de sac and I love it. My next door neighbour may be the curtain twitcher others on here describe, but he's lovely and I find it a bonus I have my own personal neighbourhood watch!

Peppadog · 29/06/2023 10:07

SilentHedges · 29/06/2023 08:12

Quite, but I'm enjoying some of the far reaching "positives" here, of living on a main road versus a non main road. "My kids can make lots of noise and I dont care" is not selling it to me 🤣

I live in the South East, solo buyer, I know how insanely hard it is buy, and the compromises that have to be made, but for me, this isn't one of them.

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They might be far reaching for you, but as you can see from other posters, it's not the case for everyone. I was merely responding to the bizarre statement that anyone who lives on a busy road must have to 'convince themselves it's ok' and that there isn't a single positive and that you don't get used to background noise, which many people clearly do, and many actually like.

johnd2 · 29/06/2023 12:35

SilentHedges · 28/06/2023 10:42

I'm another one that would not even look at a house on a busy main road. It's not just the noise, it's the vibrations, the pollution and safety aspect with kids or pets. You don't "get used to it", some people might convince themselves it's ok because they've spent "X" on a house and don't want to admit the truth, ie. that there is not one positive aspect of living next to heavy traffic. If there are any, I'd love to hear them. I also totally get that it's been very hard to buy a home, and most of us have to make compromises, so I understand why you bought your home. If you've come into an inheritance, which can help plug the gap of any extra borrowing, then 100% I'd move. It doesn't matter if your house price has dropped, if you're trading up, then that house will be cheaper too, which equals less debt and less of a price gap. Go for it.

there is not one positive aspect of living next to heavy traffic. If there are any, I'd love to hear them

I think I have a fairly balanced view although it doesn't sound like you have!

ok, to answer your question I'll have a think... direct benefit is the house was bigger and 100k cheaper than similar houses. Also there's a lot of natural surveillance - at least there doesn't seem to be as much crime in our direct vicinity. We've had no problem with deliveries of skips, steel beams, etc etc as our road can take every size of lorry. Also it's more interesting if you're a people watcher. Good for if your baby doesn't sleep they can sit on the window sill and watch out.

In the case of our particular house it's very close to the local shopping area, 2 mins walk. Also there are 3 buses along our road and another 3+ on the main road that's 2 mins away. (There are other houses on back streets that are closer, but the balance between main roads and back roads changes a lot when you're so close)

Downsides are noise, the beeping is more annoying than the brumming, pollution, not always easy to park although we do have a drive. Also the litter (and worse) from pedestrians as it's a main pedestrian route to the shopping area.

But ultimately it's not a decision of logic, it's more a decision based on how your see yourself and what your feelings are. So go ahead and make your decision, and own it, and I'll do the same myself!
Take care.

mattbr · 29/06/2023 13:00

MrsMoastyToasty · 27/06/2023 18:14

I used to live by a road that was made of concrete sections rather tarmac. It was also a bus route. It was very noisy despite being the primary road into a housing estate rather than a main road. Strangely enough when the buses stopped running at night and traffic into the estate was quiet, we could hear the electricity sub station buzzing.
I've since moved out of Bristol, like @mattbr , to a small satellite town and live in a cul de sac. We still have the noise - we can hear the bypass and the ringroad, the sirens from the fire station and closest of all our neighbours which is a secondary school

Bristol is pretty crazy for noise, but then I guess any city is. We ended up moving pretty far away. Not because of the noise though haha...because of family.

Daisydu · 29/06/2023 13:02

I moved from a quiet road to a noisy one.. to be honest I got used to it so ok for me. But I am sensitive to noises so I’d probably move in your position

Boltonb · 29/06/2023 13:06

We moved from a busy road to a really quiet cup de sac. Hated it, and moved back to ambient noise as soon as we could

SilentHedges · 29/06/2023 13:25

johnd2 · 29/06/2023 12:35

there is not one positive aspect of living next to heavy traffic. If there are any, I'd love to hear them

I think I have a fairly balanced view although it doesn't sound like you have!

ok, to answer your question I'll have a think... direct benefit is the house was bigger and 100k cheaper than similar houses. Also there's a lot of natural surveillance - at least there doesn't seem to be as much crime in our direct vicinity. We've had no problem with deliveries of skips, steel beams, etc etc as our road can take every size of lorry. Also it's more interesting if you're a people watcher. Good for if your baby doesn't sleep they can sit on the window sill and watch out.

In the case of our particular house it's very close to the local shopping area, 2 mins walk. Also there are 3 buses along our road and another 3+ on the main road that's 2 mins away. (There are other houses on back streets that are closer, but the balance between main roads and back roads changes a lot when you're so close)

Downsides are noise, the beeping is more annoying than the brumming, pollution, not always easy to park although we do have a drive. Also the litter (and worse) from pedestrians as it's a main pedestrian route to the shopping area.

But ultimately it's not a decision of logic, it's more a decision based on how your see yourself and what your feelings are. So go ahead and make your decision, and own it, and I'll do the same myself!
Take care.

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You're missing the point spectacularly like previous posts. These aren't positives or advantages which are exclusive to living on a busy road vs a quiet road. Your positives are not unobtainable to other homes, it's a repeated theme here that no one seems to understand. To address all your "positives", I live in a no through road/cul de sac which is has natural surveillance (houses, front, side and behind), skips no problem, large lorries and deliveries no problem. I have a drive, I can park easily. I can walk to my local shops in 3 minutes. Buses run along a B road, which again is a few minutes walk. There's plenty to look out the window at, if that's your thing (or when your baby can't sleep, hopefully not due to all the traffic beeping you mentioned). However, eureka! Your one benefit is your house is 100k cheaper than similar houses not facing traffic, I wonder why that might be? But I'll give you cost saving, that's definitely an advantage of living on a busy road, because people want a discount for all the inconveniences.

Absolutely, you do you, I'll do me and hopefully the OP will get to move from what sounds like a horribly stressful situation.

MrsMoastyToasty · 29/06/2023 13:52

@mattbr Have you heard of the Bristol Hum? I'm one of those people that can hear it and I'm a native.

tallsmallmum · 29/06/2023 15:05

"Ok thought of a couple more. I find that people who live on busier roads are less fussy about noise so I feel more relaxed when my kids are making a racket. You wouldn't buy a house on a busy road if you were really noise sensitive. I don't feel as relaxed in my parents quiet village road for example, everyone can hear everything."

but @Peppadog surely you can't let children play put out on a busy road which is also a bus route? so you mean shouting at them in the back garden?

Peppadog · 29/06/2023 16:57

tallsmallmum · 29/06/2023 15:05

"Ok thought of a couple more. I find that people who live on busier roads are less fussy about noise so I feel more relaxed when my kids are making a racket. You wouldn't buy a house on a busy road if you were really noise sensitive. I don't feel as relaxed in my parents quiet village road for example, everyone can hear everything."

but @Peppadog surely you can't let children play put out on a busy road which is also a bus route? so you mean shouting at them in the back garden?

No we have a private road accessed via the back garden for the kids in the street to play if they wanted to but mine don't. I would never let them play on a busy road. Actually I would never let kids play out on any kind of road except maybe a cul de sac, but my kids are young. Id actually be quite glad to avoid the kids playing out on the street thing.

What I meant by that comment is that I find people who choose to live in built up areas/near busy roads are less bothered by noise, they don't expect to live in total silence, and the general background noise of vehicles, people walking up and down the street chatting etc just makes it feel more relaxed. I don't want to live in silence particularly, where everyone can hear everything. That's how I feel in my parents quiet village road, and the neighbours notice literally everything!

Peppadog · 29/06/2023 17:22

SilentHedges · 29/06/2023 13:25

You're missing the point spectacularly like previous posts. These aren't positives or advantages which are exclusive to living on a busy road vs a quiet road. Your positives are not unobtainable to other homes, it's a repeated theme here that no one seems to understand. To address all your "positives", I live in a no through road/cul de sac which is has natural surveillance (houses, front, side and behind), skips no problem, large lorries and deliveries no problem. I have a drive, I can park easily. I can walk to my local shops in 3 minutes. Buses run along a B road, which again is a few minutes walk. There's plenty to look out the window at, if that's your thing (or when your baby can't sleep, hopefully not due to all the traffic beeping you mentioned). However, eureka! Your one benefit is your house is 100k cheaper than similar houses not facing traffic, I wonder why that might be? But I'll give you cost saving, that's definitely an advantage of living on a busy road, because people want a discount for all the inconveniences.

Absolutely, you do you, I'll do me and hopefully the OP will get to move from what sounds like a horribly stressful situation.

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What about all the people who have mentioned wanting some ambient background noise? Who like having things to see and watch out the window? Who like the anonymity of not being in a quiet cul de sac?
Or are they only positives if you personally agree with them 😂
Have you actually lived on a busy road before?