About the Quiet Spaces Map Layer

Bristol City Council want to know what areas in the city you go to for peace and quiet from traffic noise and If you can identify potential solutions to noise pollution in some areas.

Click an area on the map that you would like to comment on. You can also click on other pin points that are already on the map to agree or disagree with other people's choices.

This consultation builds on the noise map launched in June 2008. This is the coloured layer on the map. DEFRA is in the process of developing a noise action plan for major UK cities, including Bristol, and what you tell us here will inform and shape the forthcoming action plan.

You can also go to www.askbristol.com to give your views on how traffic noise affects you and what they would like done about it.

Noise pollution is a health issue as it causes sleep problems, can cause early death due to stress - induced heart disease and is a source of annoyance for 35% of people in the city.

This map is part of an EU funded project called Citizenscape which enables you to influence the implementation of European Noise Directive in Bristol.

Also see more detailed instructions for addding markers.

Adding Markers to the Quiet Spaces Map

Bristol is a great place to live and part of that are the many areas of quiet and tranquility that can be found tucked away from the busy streets. It would take a lifetime to find them all, but now this map will allow you to find the spots that other people have found and for you to tell others about the ones you know about.

This survey also wants to know about spaces that could potentially be quiet if small changes were made like adding sound barriers like hedges or fences or by using traffic calming.

Check for existing markers

Before adding a new place, look at the places already on the map.  If you know something about a space that has already been identified on the map, it would be better for you to add a comment to that marker rather than creating a new marker.

Position markers accurately

If you are adding a marker, try and place it as accurately as possible.  It may help to zoom in on the map.  Use the zoom controls in the top left of the page in the control strip. (e.g. click the word “in” in at the top of the page to zoom in by one level.)

Filling in the form

When you click the map a marker input form opens to allow you to enter details of the spot you have clicked.  First you much choose from the popup menu whether the marker is for somewhere that is already a “quiet place” or somewhere that “could be quiet”.

You can optionally enter your name which will be displayed on the marker.  You must enter your email address which will not be displayed to the public, but will allow the council to send you a message about the Citizenscape project.  It won’t mean you get added to any regular mailing lists.

Add your comments in the main box and click “save” if you are finished.

Adding pictures and movies

If you want to add a picture or a movie to the marker you should click the “add media” button instead of the “save” button.  This saves your text comments and then allows you to choose an image on your hard disk to upload. 

Pictures need to be in a supported format (jpg, gif, png or wbmp) and must be under 2Mb in size.  The image will be reduced in size so that the largest dimension is 800 pixels.  Most image library software these days helps you export reasonable size images. 

You can also upload short movies which will appear in the info window of your marker.  Check the “open movie upload window” checkbox and click the “save” button.  This will open a window that allows you to select a movie on your hard disk.  By opening a separate window, you can start the upload and then continue using the site without having to wait for the upload to finish.  Movies are hosted at YouTube so the size and format restrictions of that site apply to movies uploaded here.