SydneyNorg

World Youth Day Heard and Felt by All

While hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are celebrating World Youth Day (WYD) this week in Sydney, live sites like Barangaroo located along the recently vacated "Hungry Mile" are creating considerable noise pollution and affecting workers in nearby offices.

The noise from these sites can be heard by office workers several stories above ground level all along Hickson Street and Kent Street. Further, vibrations from the loudspeakers can be felt through many of the surrounding buildings and streets.

Thousands of workers are affected by this intrusion, the noise and vibrations being at a level that would ordinarily constitute noise pollution. However during a week where laws were passed under cloak-and-dagger to allow citizens to be arrested and fined for causing annoyance to pilgrims, there is little hope that a call to the local police will be met with anything other than a very short conversation.

Several offices have reported an increase in workers electing to work from home, and leaving work early as a result. The financial effect of these events on the affected businesses is hard to estimate.