Mumbai traffic police have launched an anti-honking initiative hoping to curb the noise pollution levels in the city traffics. The higher authorities have introduced a system that will help them hit the mute button on Mumbai’s reckless honkers.
The Punishing Signal
The ‘Sapno ki Nagari’ Mumbai honks a whopping 18 million times in one hour, and that a Mumbai driver alone honks 48 times a day. In a bid to curb the incessant honking, the Mumbai police have introduced a new initiative called ‘The Punishing Signal’.
The traffic police have installed decibel meters, a device used to estimate noise or sound levels by measuring sound pressure. These systems are connected to traffic signals poles at several busy points in the city. If the decibel levels went over 85 dB, the signal would reset and stay red for some more time.
Horn not okay, please!
Find out how the @MumbaiPolice hit the mute button on #Mumbai’s reckless honkers. #HonkResponsibly pic.twitter.com/BAGL4iXiPH— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) January 31, 2020
In simple words, the more you honk, the longer you have to wait at traffic signals. The signal won’t turn green unless the decibel level is less than 85dB.
The police carried out this experiment in CSMT, Marine Drive, Peddar Road, Hindmata and Bandra, and not surprisingly the decibel level went up to more than 85 dB, which defeated the motorists causing trouble.
A much-needed initiative for Bengaluru
Bengaluru, however, does not stand far for creating a lot of noise in the traffic. According to a report, major areas in Bengaluru like MG Road, Silk Board, KR Puram has recorded a decibel level at more than 105 dB, while at the Kempegowda bus stand, it was 110 dB. Exposure to around 90 dB for about six hours a day can result in permanent irreversible hearing loss, while at 120 dB, the eardrums register pain and can rupture.
Traffic jams are the major issues the city is fighting for a decade and it has also exposed us to high levels of noise pollution with unnecessary honking increasing the already high decibel levels.
Therefore installing decibel meters in several busy signals will help the city to fight reckless honkers in the traffic. With the attention mostly on air pollution, noise pollution is yet to gain importance in the city. In the previous years’ budget, the state government gave budgetary allocation for installing noise monitoring stations in 10 cities in Karnataka, but developments went nowhere.
The unnecessary honkings is an irritation for not just a normal commuters but also for people who have a soft heart. Noise causes an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and high sympathetic activity which results in a higher incidence of heart attacks.
