Buying near a motorway

csgohan4

dont electric cars have to produce some form of noise to alert pedestrians to their presence. Will it activate at higher speeds on the motorway?

AdrianC

Section62 said:

People tend to get hung up on the "motorway" label - it is just a kind of road with particular restrictions and design standards applying to it.

Being a "motorway" doesn't automatically make a road more polluting or noisier, there are many other more important variables which are important in terms of health/amenity impacts, but "motorway" does have a fear effect on some buyers. (others of course might welcome living in an area with easy access to the national road network.)

This is exactly why I asked which one...

If it was the bottom end of the M11, say, or the inner end of the M3, that might be a different kettle of fish. But the M25...?

I used to live a mile from the M25, with a decent-sized hill between. It was still audible.

AdrianC

csgohan4 said:

dont electric cars have to produce some form of noise to alert pedestrians to their presence. Will it activate at higher speeds on the motorway?

Below 30kph, 19mph only.

x_gemms_x

We bought a house this year about 100 yards from a motorway. The rear garden backs onto trees, fence, trees then motorway. We drove to the road a few times at different times of day and sat there, engine off and windows down to listen. We stood in the garden when viewing also to check out the noise. We decided we could live with it and proceeded.
The first 3 days following moving in my partner was up in arms, googling acoustic windows and complaining about the noise during the night as well as stating he would never be able to nap in this house. I was fine which surprised me as I have to sleep in silence or wear ear plugs (wind chimes are particularly awful for me). I have never had to wear ear plugs since moving in.
After 3 days, my partner got used to it and now sleeps throughout the night and gets his naps in. We have people round in the garden as permitted and were worried the road noise would be too audible for normal conversation levels but it falls into the background easily. Family who live on an A road said the noise here was quieter than their house. 
We do not regret our purchase, but understand how it will put some people off. You need to see whether it will work for you before making this massive purchase.
Persistent or Heavy Rain and wind direction can affect the levels of noise also. 
I hope this helps somewhat. 

teachfast

x_gemms_x said:

We bought a house this year about 100 yards from a motorway. The rear garden backs onto trees, fence, trees then motorway. We drove to the road a few times at different times of day and sat there, engine off and windows down to listen. We stood in the garden when viewing also to check out the noise. We decided we could live with it and proceeded.
The first 3 days following moving in my partner was up in arms, googling acoustic windows and complaining about the noise during the night as well as stating he would never be able to nap in this house. I was fine which surprised me as I have to sleep in silence or wear ear plugs (wind chimes are particularly awful for me). I have never had to wear ear plugs since moving in.
After 3 days, my partner got used to it and now sleeps throughout the night and gets his naps in. We have people round in the garden as permitted and were worried the road noise would be too audible for normal conversation levels but it falls into the background easily. Family who live on an A road said the noise here was quieter than their house. 
We do not regret our purchase, but understand how it will put some people off. You need to see whether it will work for you before making this massive purchase.
Persistent or Heavy Rain and wind direction can affect the levels of noise also. 
I hope this helps somewhat. 

Your partner sounds like an absolute ...

x_gemms_x

teachfast said:

Your partner sounds like an absolute ...

Diva? Child? He is particular that's all I can say on the matter!

lookstraightahead

teachfast said:

x_gemms_x said:

We bought a house this year about 100 yards from a motorway. The rear garden backs onto trees, fence, trees then motorway. We drove to the road a few times at different times of day and sat there, engine off and windows down to listen. We stood in the garden when viewing also to check out the noise. We decided we could live with it and proceeded.
The first 3 days following moving in my partner was up in arms, googling acoustic windows and complaining about the noise during the night as well as stating he would never be able to nap in this house. I was fine which surprised me as I have to sleep in silence or wear ear plugs (wind chimes are particularly awful for me). I have never had to wear ear plugs since moving in.
After 3 days, my partner got used to it and now sleeps throughout the night and gets his naps in. We have people round in the garden as permitted and were worried the road noise would be too audible for normal conversation levels but it falls into the background easily. Family who live on an A road said the noise here was quieter than their house. 
We do not regret our purchase, but understand how it will put some people off. You need to see whether it will work for you before making this massive purchase.
Persistent or Heavy Rain and wind direction can affect the levels of noise also. 
I hope this helps somewhat. 

Your partner sounds like an absolute ...

I can't see why the partner is an absolute anything! 

GDB2222

I knew a guy whose house was right underneath/next to a railway bridge. He’d lived there years. The trains made a hell of a racket going over this bridge, but he didn’t notice it. His brain just blanked it out. 

I’d be more concerned about pollution. The direction of the prevailing winds is an important factor there.

lookstraightahead

I suppose noise wise it's the type of noise. I can't stand traffic, but I love the sound of trains. I've lived by an overground tube line and that was fine, but change that for a lorry ...
Some move to semi rural locations and then find that cockerels wake them up at six, or the kids next door have a high pitched scream when outside, or dogs barking, or wind chimes. Or slamming doors. 
however, to me your scenario is like asking if it's ok to live on a busy runway.

Sistergold

Dear OP, for most of us in London you are right that we are probably experiencing an increased amount of air pollution without really realising it. Even away from the motorways pollutants would travel with the air. The most I would worry about is the noise pollution as that could impact on the quality of sleep for most people? Close to the motorway also there is greater “black dust pollution” in the house. This dust will mean you will have your furniture and items covered in it and this will affect how much you want to open your windows or sit outside. 

Having said all that one sometimes just has to buy a house and sometimes for where you need to stay the only house you can afford is by the motorway. If you are lucky like in your case and noise does not affect you then that’s a bonus. In terms of selling there will always be a handful of people who will buy when the time comes but it might take that little bit longer to find this right person whose funds are limited and don’t mind the noise! For me I will not be able to sleep at all so I could not buy in this instance! So for me any chance of noise will not be the compromise I can make. 

Good luck.