Chennaiites, can you hear this? Air horns are banned
Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com
Chennai:04.102.109
Honking is an obsessive compulsive disorder for many motorists on Indian roads; and many of them on Chennai roads are making a loud statement of this using banned air horns.
Penal action by government enforcement agencies doesn’t seem to be a deterrent from motorists retrofitting their vehicles with these banned noise makers. Last year, 23,800 cases were booked against vehicle users for using illegal air horns, according to official data.
Most of the violation was committed by trucks (11,000) and omni buses (9,700). A large number of private cars and two-wheelers were also culprits. Many among these horns were multi-toned and pressure-triggered, emanating noise levels up to 110-120 decibels (dB), said a state transport department official. Norms suggest horns have to be of less than 80dB. Long exposure to noise levels above this can cause hearing loss.
“If the government is really interested in reducing noise pollution, then it should ban manufacturing of these horns and book shops that sell them. Without this, mass inspections and destroying air horns will not fetch any result,” said K Kathirmathiyon, an activist working on roads and transport.
These horns are available from ₹300to₹2,500in thelocal market,Pudupet being oneof the favourite places where motorists go to purchase them. Instead of removing air horns and destroying them, enforcement agencies should book violators under the Pollution Control Act and not under the Motor Vehicle Act, under which only ₹300-₹1,000 is collected as fine, Kathirmathiyon said.
“Pedestrians are the worst affected because of such horns. Impatient motorists keep honking until other road users clear the way for them. Nowadays, people use musical horns which are deafening,” said R Vasanthi, a retired government school teacher from Nanganallur. Some motorists fond of fruquent honking said road conditions in our cities force them to change default (low-decibel) horns and honk at every road junction to avoid accidents.
Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com
Chennai:04.102.109
Honking is an obsessive compulsive disorder for many motorists on Indian roads; and many of them on Chennai roads are making a loud statement of this using banned air horns.
Penal action by government enforcement agencies doesn’t seem to be a deterrent from motorists retrofitting their vehicles with these banned noise makers. Last year, 23,800 cases were booked against vehicle users for using illegal air horns, according to official data.
Most of the violation was committed by trucks (11,000) and omni buses (9,700). A large number of private cars and two-wheelers were also culprits. Many among these horns were multi-toned and pressure-triggered, emanating noise levels up to 110-120 decibels (dB), said a state transport department official. Norms suggest horns have to be of less than 80dB. Long exposure to noise levels above this can cause hearing loss.
“If the government is really interested in reducing noise pollution, then it should ban manufacturing of these horns and book shops that sell them. Without this, mass inspections and destroying air horns will not fetch any result,” said K Kathirmathiyon, an activist working on roads and transport.
These horns are available from ₹300to₹2,500in thelocal market,Pudupet being oneof the favourite places where motorists go to purchase them. Instead of removing air horns and destroying them, enforcement agencies should book violators under the Pollution Control Act and not under the Motor Vehicle Act, under which only ₹300-₹1,000 is collected as fine, Kathirmathiyon said.
“Pedestrians are the worst affected because of such horns. Impatient motorists keep honking until other road users clear the way for them. Nowadays, people use musical horns which are deafening,” said R Vasanthi, a retired government school teacher from Nanganallur. Some motorists fond of fruquent honking said road conditions in our cities force them to change default (low-decibel) horns and honk at every road junction to avoid accidents.
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