High-decibel ads at Xujiahui Metro Station switched to silent mode
After switching the video advertisement boards to silent mode, the transfer corridor at Shanghai's Xujiahui Metro Station is a little quieter.
The station installed LED screens with speakers a year ago to replace the old ones.
On May 10, the Environmental Protection Inspection Group received a noise complaint, stating that the volume of the advertisements at the transfer corridor that connects Lines 1, 9, and 11 was too high.
In response, the Shanghai Shentong Metro Group commissioned a company to carry out noise tests, which were recorded at 66.8 decibels.
The transfer corridor between Lines 1, 9, and 11 at Xujiahui Metro Station.
China's environmental noise laws limit residential and calm zones to 55 dB during the day and 45 at night. Transfer corridor noise exceeded these norms at 66.8 decibels.
Indoor places like station halls and transfer corridors have no noise standards.
Thus, officers recommended metro operators to voluntarily cut ad volume.
All speakers above the electronic screens were turned off on Tuesday. But even with quiet commercials, the site's assessed sound level is 60–80 dB.
The measured readings, even when the ads are mute, are still high.
Zhou Yihai, deputy general manager of Shentong Metro Group, said passengers, announcements, and stores add to the noise level in the corridor.
For at least a month, the metro operator will monitor environmental noise in the corridor to discover and remove other noise sources, making the corridor quieter.
