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ATMB declines to finance noise barriers in the Valley
Over 600,000 trucks per year cause noise & air pollution
Despite racking up a massive 43 million euros in profits last year, ATMB have so far not agreed to participate in the financing of anti-noise walls to protect the new area of social housing in Les Tissières.
Anne Lassman-Trappier, president of Environ'MontBlanc, says "This decision can not be meaner, it speaks volumes about the interest of ATMB with residents of our valley, and its sense of responsibility to nuisance caused by around 600,000 trucks per year."
The Chamonix valley is very narrow which means that any traffic noise is greatly amplified. At night, trucks are the source of almost all of the noise in the Chamonix valley and this can be very irritating for local residents. Although air quality is a great concern for those living at the foot of Mont Blanc, noise pollution is arguably the most noticeable at a local level.
In a press release on April 26th, ATMB said: "Protecting the environment is a priority and needs concrete actions" however Environn'MontBlanc feels that their words and actions so far don't appear to match up.
In their communique Environn'MontBlanc state that "Repeated exposure to noise leads to many health disorders, such as disorders of the central and autonomic nervous system, high blood pressure and heart rate, insomnia, lack of concentration ... disorders occur even when the subject is not aware of the induced noise, especially at night, and the health effects worsen with duration of exposure to noise. Chronic noise exposure during early childhood may interfere with learning to read and compromises the motivation of the child."
