The Hindu : Karnataka / Mangalore News : Shrill horn menace rages in Mangalore

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 02, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mangalore

Shrill horn menace rages in Mangalore

By Our Staff Correspondent

Shrill horns are an assault on the ears of pedestrians.

MANGALORE, MAY 1. The public transport system in Mangalore seems to be getting infamous for allowing the use of shrill horns. According to a survey conducted by a local engineering college, city buses use horns that are fit to be used by trains. A decibel meter used in the survey showed a reading of 120 db. when sounds of horns in the city buses were measured.

It is pertinent to note that the Chairman of the Regional Transport Authority (RTA), who is also the Deputy Commissioner, issued a notification during the previous Deepavali banning people from bursting crackers whose sound level crossed 12 decibels. However, the RTA, which supervises the functioning of the public transport system, seems to be ignoring the horn menace.

All the buses put together make 1,000 trips in the city everyday, and each trip is a bitter experience for not only the commuters but also for other road users as drivers honk continuously to keep other vehicles out of their way even in "no horn zones" in the vicinity of hospitals and schools.

A campaign launched by the traffic police against the horn menace is yet to yield result. There are at least three "no horn zones" in the city. But the drivers continue to use shrill horns, unmindful of the disciplinary action it can attract.

While there are reports that two-wheeler riders have started using earplugs to protect themselves from shrill horns, drivers of four-wheelers roll up the windows of their vehicles to escape from the noise.

During the previous Traffic Week, the police had asked the owners of city buses to use bulb horns in their vehicles. But the move did not take off due to non-compliance by the owners.

According to the Motor Vehicles Act, the original horn supplied by the manufacturer should not be replaced. But the drivers seem to be oblivious of this and continue to sport fancy for shrill horns even as pedestrians, schoolchildren, and patients are inconvenienced.

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