Submission #46

Comments17

1. Comment 1

   the flat faces directly onto the road and the windows are terribly old, the noise is an everyday reality for us.

   BullerNeutral

2. Comment 2

   You hear everything—the heavy lorries, the early morning buses rattling the frames, and people speeding late at night.

   BullerCritical

3. Comment 3

   it tends to peak very early in the morning, around half past five or six, when the first round of delivery lorries start arriving for the shops downstairs and the early commuter buses start running.

   BullerNeutral

4. Comment 4

   Well, according to my log—and I do check the times quite religiously—it tends to peak very early in the morning, around half past five or six, when the first round of delivery lorries start arriving

   BullerNeutral

5. Comment 5

   It makes me quite anxious about how the disruption will be handled during the construction phase, to be honest. If the main route is restricted, everything usually gets funnelled into bottlenecks.

   ByggtidenCritical

6. Comment 6

   It affects everything, to be quite frank, right from the moment we wake up until we try to go to sleep. Because the windows are so draughty and old, we simply can't open them during the summer months, otherwise the roar from the street drowns out the television and makes having a normal conversation in the living room almost impossible.

   BullerCritical

7. Comment 7

   Lars has taken to sleeping with foam earplugs every single night, which really shouldn't be necessary in one's own home.

   BullerCritical

8. Comment 8

   There have been times when a heavy vehicle rumbles past, vibrating the whole floor, and people on the call ask if there's an earthquake happening on my end!

   BullerCritical

9. Comment 9

   anything that physically forces the traffic to slow down would make a world of difference.

   Trafiksäkerhet och hastighetPositive

10. Comment 10

    A low-noise road surface would be marvellous as well.

    BullerPositive

11. Comment 11

    we just need proper, proactive communication every step of the way while getting there.

    ÖvrigtNeutral

12. Comment 12

    My absolute biggest wish is that the project team sets up a proper, formal resident liaison system.

    ÖvrigtPositive

13. Comment 13

    Living right over the road with these thin, old windows means any change out there affects our immediate living space.

    BullerNeutral

14. Comment 14

    If we are told in advance when the noisy work is happening, when diversions are put in place, and what the working hours will be, we can cope.

    ByggtidenNeutral

15. Comment 15

    Good, clear communication from start to finish—that is truly the most vital thing for us.

    ÖvrigtPositive

16. Comment 16

    I think that covers the main points, really. I do appreciate you taking the time to listen and note everything down. If the project team ever needs to see real-world data on the noise patterns or the worst hours along Centrumleden, I have my entire year's spreadsheet right here and would be more than happy to share it.

    BullerNeutral

17. Comment 17

    just please ensure those questions about the diversions and advance notice are passed along to the planners.

    ÖvrigtNeutral

Questions to answer3

Questions the interview could not answer. The questions are answered in the consultation report.

1. Will we be told before work starts outside our building?

   Show in the transcript

2. will traffic be diverted past our building while the work is going on?

   Show in the transcript

3. What about the diversions and advance notice?

   Show in the transcript

The full interview17

A verbatim transcript, in the order the turns were made.

1. Interviewer

   Hello. Thank you for sharing your views on Road 263 through Märsta – traffic safety and accessibility improvements. The conversation takes about ten minutes. I will ask about how you use the area and what matters to you. You can skip questions and finish whenever you like. Before anything is submitted, you will see a summary that you can change. To start, tell me a little: what is your connection to the area around the road? Do you live here, work here, or pass through on your way somewhere else?

2. Resident

   Hello. Yes, I live right here, actually. My husband—he’s Swedish, Lars—and I live in the flat right above the shops on Centrumleden. We’ve been here for a good few years now, and because the flat faces directly onto the road and the windows are terribly old, the noise is an everyday reality for us. You hear everything—the heavy lorries, the early morning buses rattling the frames, and people speeding late at night. Being a project administrator myself by trade, I tend to be quite meticulous with records, so I’ve actually kept a written note of the worst nights for over a year now—the dates, times, and just how bad the disturbance was, because some nights you simply cannot sleep. Now, I want to be clear that I am not at all against the work being done. Road safety is important, and things obviously need maintaining. But where I grew up in England, whenever the local council planned any sort of road scheme, they would post detailed leaflets through every door and hold open drop-in surgeries weeks beforehand. It was all about keeping people informed in advance, rather than just turning up with diggers and putting a notice on a lamppost after the fact. So my main concern is really about communication and how this will be managed. Will we be told before work starts outside our building?

3. Interviewer

   When do the lorries and buses usually make the most noise outside your flat?

4. Resident

   Well, according to my log—and I do check the times quite religiously—it tends to peak very early in the morning, around half past five or six, when the first round of delivery lorries start arriving for the shops downstairs and the early commuter buses start running. Then you get another dreadful spell late at night, usually between eleven and one in the morning, when the road is clearer and drivers seem to treat Centrumleden like a racetrack, rattling our windows terribly. It makes me quite anxious about how the disruption will be handled during the construction phase, to be honest. If the main route is restricted, everything usually gets funnelled into bottlenecks. Back home in Surrey, our parish council used to publish complete traffic management schemes with maps showing every detour well in advance, so residents could actually plan their lives. Which brings me to another thing I've been wondering: will traffic be diverted past our building while the work is going on?

5. Interviewer

   You live in the flat above the shops on Centrumleden and experience heavy traffic noise early in the morning and late at night. How does the road affect you in your everyday life?

6. Resident

   It affects everything, to be quite frank, right from the moment we wake up until we try to go to sleep. Because the windows are so draughty and old, we simply can't open them during the summer months, otherwise the roar from the street drowns out the television and makes having a normal conversation in the living room almost impossible. Lars has taken to sleeping with foam earplugs every single night, which really shouldn't be necessary in one's own home. And working from home as an administrator, doing project coordination, I spend hours on video calls. There have been times when a heavy vehicle rumbles past, vibrating the whole floor, and people on the call ask if there's an earthquake happening on my end! You find yourself planning your day, your sleep, even when you air out the flat, entirely around the traffic patterns. That’s why predictability means so much to me. Where I worked previously in the UK, if utility or road works were scheduled, the project managers would send out weekly look-ahead notices so residents knew exactly which days would involve heavy drilling or road closures. When you already live with constant noise, being blindsided by unexpected roadworks right under your window on top of it is just dreadful for one's nerves.

7. Interviewer

   What are your main thoughts on how the new road measures and the road plan could address the noise and traffic disturbance you experience?

8. Resident

   Well, looking at it practically, anything that physically forces the traffic to slow down would make a world of difference. When cars and lorries speed along Centrumleden late at night, that’s when the roaring and the window vibration are at their absolute worst. In my notes, nearly all the worst spikes between midnight and two in the morning are from speeding vehicles. So proper traffic calming—perhaps redesigned junctions, narrower lane visual cues, or raised pedestrian crossings—would help tremendously to keep speeds consistent and lower the decibels. A low-noise road surface would be marvellous as well. Back in the town where I worked in England, the county council resurfaced our high street with a special porous, sound-absorbing asphalt, and the drop in tyre noise was noticeable immediately. Of course, the physical design is only half the battle. Whatever the final plan entails, the key for those of us living above the road is having clear, timely information about how it will be delivered. If the road plan includes lower speed limits and smooth surfaces, that's brilliant for the long term, but we just need proper, proactive communication every step of the way while getting there.

9. Interviewer

   You live above the shops on Centrumleden, where you experience heavy traffic noise and vibrations, and you hope the road plan can bring lower speeds, better surfaces, and clear communication. What suggestions or wishes do you have for the continued work on the road plan?

10. Resident

    My absolute biggest wish is that the project team sets up a proper, formal resident liaison system. In my line of work as a project administrator, stakeholder management is fundamental—you don't just execute a plan in isolation, you keep the people most affected directly in the loop. Back where I grew up, whenever major works were going through a town centre, the council would assign a specific community liaison officer and distribute a regular printed newsletter to all the flats and businesses along the route. It would clearly lay out a two-week look-ahead: exactly which stretch of road was being dug up, on what dates, what the working hours were, and whom you could ring directly if a generator was left running all night. So my suggestion is that you don't just rely on a website update or an ad in the local paper that people might miss. Please send direct notices to the mailboxes along Centrumleden before every major phase. If we know in advance that Tuesday will be heavy resurfacing or that a detour will direct extra buses past our window for a fortnight, we can mentally prepare, adjust our schedules, or plan to work elsewhere that day. It makes all the difference in the world when you're treated as a partner in the process rather than an afterthought.

11. Interviewer

    I don't know, but I will pass the question on to the project. What matters most to you for the measures along the road to work well for you in your everyday life?

12. Resident

    What matters most, above everything else, is simply being treated with consideration and kept properly informed so we aren't left in the dark. Living right over the road with these thin, old windows means any change out there affects our immediate living space. I really can't stress enough that I'm completely in favour of improving the road, but the difference between a manageable disruption and absolute misery is just knowing what to expect. If we are told in advance when the noisy work is happening, when diversions are put in place, and what the working hours will be, we can cope. It gives us a sense of control back over our daily routine, whether that's rearranging my work calls or simply knowing when to close the vents. Good, clear communication from start to finish—that is truly the most vital thing for us.

13. Interviewer

    You have shared your suggestions about traffic calming, noise-reducing surfaces, and direct communication to keep you informed during the work. What else would you like to add before we finish?

14. Resident

    I think that covers the main points, really. I do appreciate you taking the time to listen and note everything down. If the project team ever needs to see real-world data on the noise patterns or the worst hours along Centrumleden, I have my entire year's spreadsheet right here and would be more than happy to share it. Other than that, just please ensure those questions about the diversions and advance notice are passed along to the planners. Thank you very much for your time.

15. Interviewer

    I will make sure your comments and the details about the noise patterns are included in the consultation report for the road plan. Is there anything else you would like to mention about the road plan before we finish?

16. Resident

    No, nothing more from me, thank you. You've been very thorough in taking everything down, and I'm just glad our perspective as residents living directly above the street is being fed into the process. Thank you again, and have a lovely rest of your day.

17. Interviewer

    Thank you very much for taking part in the consultation and sharing your experiences. The next step is that your comments will be compiled into a summary for you to review and change before anything is submitted. Once submitted, your views become part of the consultation and will be addressed in the consultation report. Thank you for your time, and I wish you a very pleasant day.