One in Five Walloons Suffers from Road Noise, Investigation Reveals
More than 660,000 residents of Wallonia — approximately one in five people — are exposed to dangerous levels of road traffic noise, according to an investigation by RTBF. The findings, published by journalists Philippine Wambersie and Radouane El Baroudi, highlight a form of pollution that experts say is systematically underestimated and trivialized despite its severe health consequences.
Across Belgium as a whole, one in three people is exposed to harmful noise levels from road traffic. In Brussels, the situation is even more acute, with nearly one in three residents affected.
A Decades-Long Struggle for Affected Residents
Along the E42 motorway in Manage, Hainaut, residents like Laurence have been waiting for noise barriers since 1992. Her home sits directly beside four lanes of traffic traveling at 120 km/h. “It’s constant! It’s a dull noise that makes us jump,” she told RTBF. “You never find your sleep. And then, when you do find it, you’re woken up. As a result, you’re more irritable because you’re more tired.”
In Kain, near Tournai, Alain has lived facing the A8 motorway for over 40 years. Noise barriers installed a decade ago have proven insufficient — too low, poorly maintained, with holes and fallen trees damaging panels. He recalled a stark contrast during the COVID-19 lockdowns: “It’s sad to say this, but we were happy when Covid came because traffic came to a standstill. We could hear the little birds singing, it was wonderful. But now, well, we don’t hear the little birds anymore. We hear the big trucks.”
The Health Toll of Chronic Noise Exposure
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends not exceeding an average exposure of 53 decibels. According to the WHO, noise causes approximately 2,000 premature deaths per year in Belgium. Health consequences include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, dementia, hypertension, sleep disorders, and increased stress hormone production.
The European Environment Agency’s 2025 report paints an even broader picture, attributing 66,000 premature deaths, 50,000 new cardiovascular disease cases, and 22,000 new type 2 diabetes cases annually across Europe to environmental noise from transport.
Céline Bertrand, environment and health specialist at the Scientific Society of General Medicine (SSMG), explained that noise triggers a cascade of physiological effects: “It will increase the production of our stress hormones and trigger a whole series of cascade phenomena. These are truly unsuspected effects at first, but they will impact our health, our quality of life, and our well-being too.”
A Troubling Regulatory Gap
Wallonia’s current noise limit for roads is 70 decibels — a full 17 dB above the WHO recommendation. Because the decibel scale is logarithmic, 70 dB is approximately 50 to 100 times more intense than 53 dB in terms of sound energy. “We see this difficulty in protecting public health,” Bertrand said. “Systematically, we are not aligned with the recommendations of the World Health Organization.”
Minister Yves Coppieters (Les Engagés), responsible for health and environment, acknowledged the problem but described the 70 dB level as a “target value” rather than a strict norm. He stated that only approximately €3 million has been invested in major agglomerations — a figure he called “insufficient.”
Noise management in Wallonia is split between two ministers: François Desquesnes (mobility and infrastructure, priority zones) and Yves Coppieters (health and environment, noise limits). This fragmented responsibility has complicated coordinated action.
What Comes Next?
A new anti-noise plan is expected in 2026, prepared by Minister Desquesnes, potentially costing tens of millions of euros. The plan will be a critical test of political will. A 2021 parliamentary document noted a regional budget of €25 million for noise barriers between 2020 and 2026 under the Plan Infrastructures, but only a fraction has been spent.
Research from the University of Antwerp’s “De Oorzaak” project, covered by VRT NWS, found that noise pollution also reveals social inequalities — apartment dwellers and low-income households report higher exposure. Nature sounds, by contrast, were consistently perceived as positive and improved satisfaction with living environments.
Possible mitigation measures include noise barriers, quieter road surfaces, and earth berms. However, experts note that even with these measures, reducing exposure below the WHO-recommended 53 dB threshold remains extremely difficult. As Bertrand concluded: “We can encourage active modes of transport… but the most effective remains simply reducing our travel.”
For the 660,000 Walloons living with the constant roar of traffic, the question is whether the 2026 plan will finally deliver the relief they have been promised for decades.