By Nicole Breskin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN – New Yorkers traveling on the subway at Bryant Park may want to cover their ears.
The subway platform shared by the F, V, B and D trains under Bryant Park is the loudest place in the city according to a new study.
The non-profit organization Hear the World conducted the study to examine noise at public spaces in Manhattan.
“We’re a busy city with a lot going on. As a result, you see noise levels increase,” said Dr. Craig Kasper, a representative for Hear the World and the founder of Columbia University’s Center for Hearing Conservation. “We need to be mindful. If you hear a loud noise, just put fingers in your ears.”
The noise generated at the Bryant Park platform comes in at 93 decibels — louder than a lawnmower and sufficient to cause hearing damage.
The next loudest spot in Manhattan is 42nd St. and Fifth Avenue by the bus stop where sound came in at 87 decibels, followed by the noise of the rush of cars at the West Side Highway.
Hear the World measured the noise with a sound meter a various locations around Manhattan.
The organization, founded by hearing technology manufacturer Phonak, is also holding a photo exhibition of its ambassadors at Macy's Herald Square this week.
Here are the noisiest spots in Manhattan according to the study:
- 93 db: Subway leaving the station (F train at Bryant Park station)
- 87 db: Bus passing (on 42nd street and Fifth Avenue)
- 83 db: West Side Highway
- 80 db: On any Subway line
- 78 db: Herald Square
- 76 db: Times Square
- 74 db: Union Square
- 73 db: Grand Central (main concourse at rush hour)
- 72 db: Bryant Park
- 70 db: Penn Station (by Amtrak time boards)
