Sleepless cities: Yorkshire areas hardest hit by transport noise and Doncaster is in there

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Bedroom furnishings experts Bed Kingdom gathered data on the number of good years of health lost (DALYs Disability Adjusted Life Years) due to highly disturbed sleep from road, rail and aircraft noise pollution per 100,000 people.

The data was sourced from a peer-reviewed scientific article published in 2023, which used data from the 2018 regional strategic noise mapping in England.

Leeds takes the crown for the most sleep-disturbed area due to transport noise, with 103.01 years of good health lost per 100,000 people. The major Northern city is the only district in Yorkshire that has lost years of good health to aircraft noise pollution, with 6.92 years lost. Leeds Bradford Airport is located in Yeadon, about seven miles northwest of Leeds city centre.

In second is Calderdale, with 89.84 years lost per 100,000 residents due to transport noise related poor sleep. Calderdale’s sleep is most disrupted by road traffic noise, with 85.1 years lost per 100,000 citizens. The M62 is the most significant and busiest road near Calderdale, running east-west and connecting Manchester to Leeds and beyond.

Third in the ranking is Wakefield, with 89.57 years lost per 100,000 individuals. Wakefield’s biggest transport noise polluter is road traffic, with 73.8 good years of health lost per 100,000 people. The West Yorkshire city is well-connected by major roads, including the M1 motorway and the M62 motorway, as well as two main railway stations: Wakefield Westgate and Wakefield Kirkgate.

Taking the fourth spot is Rotherham, with 83.14 healthy years lost per 100,000 people. Located in South Yorkshire, the M1 and M18 motorways runs close to the town, which contributes to Rotherham losing 74.1 years per 100,000 residents to road traffic disturbed sleep.

Doncaster has the fifth highest level of sleep disturbance, with 78.21 years per 100,000 people lost to transport noise pollution. Like many of the Yorkshire districts, Doncaster is most affected by road traffic noise, losing 60.2 years, but it has also lost 18.01 years to railway noise: Doncaster railway station is a major interchange on the East Coast Main Line, with regular services to London, Leeds, York, Edinburgh, and other key cities.

Taking sixth place is Kirklees, with 76.66 years per 100,000 individuals lost due to transportation noise pollution. The M62 motorway, which runs east-west through the borough, linking it to Manchester and Leeds is the busiest nearby road, and contributes significantly to Kirklees’ biggest polluter: road traffic. 72.7 years were lost to road traffic noise by residents of the West Yorkshire borough.

Barnsley places seventh, with 69.19 years per 100,000 residents lost to disrupted sleep from transport noise. Like many of the region’s other areas, road traffic is the city’s biggest noise polluter, being located close to the A628 and A635, with 57.9 years lost.

Securing eighth place is Sheffield, with 59.14 years lost. The major South Yorkshire city suffers the most from road noise pollution, with 55.9 years of good health per 100,000 people lost to disturbed sleep. The noise pollution is primarily caused by the M1, A61 and A57.

In ninth place is Bradford, with 50.75 years lost per 100,000 people. The West Yorkshire city also suffers the most from road traffic noise disturbed sleep, with 46.0 years lost to disturbed sleep. Major roads contributing to this include the M606 motorway, which links the city to the M62 and wider motorway network, and the A650 and A658, which are key routes within the city and to surrounding areas.

Rounding out the top ten is York, with 49.69 years of good health lost per 100,000 residents. York has suffered the most from railway-related disturbed sleep in the region, with 19.39 years of health lost.

Ashley Hainsworth from Bed Kingdom commented on the findings: “The number of healthy years lost due to sleep disturbances caused by transportation noise serves as a powerful indicator of the harm that excessive noise inflicts on our well-being. Consistent exposure to noise, especially at night, can significantly impair sleep quality, leading to a range of health issues, including stress, fatigue, and decreased cognitive function.

“The ranking emphasises the importance of considering the health impacts of noise in decision-making for new transportation initiatives and urban planning. To protect our well-being, it's crucial to adopt measures such as enhanced acoustic design for residential areas, quieter road surfaces, less noisy vehicles, and more carefully planned flight paths to reduce noise exposure.”