Karnataka - Bangalore   

Horns: How much is too much?

By Divya Sreedharan

BANGALORE, AUG. 4. A city with 19.58 lakh vehicles and 750 new vehicles being added every day is bound to be noisy. But up to what level the citizens of Bangalore bear before the noise pollution becomes unbearable? This is something doctors here have been worried about for some time. But the question they are asking is: "Are vehicle-owning Bangaloreans ready to maintain discipline on city roads?"

A study carried out in mid-2001 by a Cornell University environmental psychologist and his European co-authors found that "even the low-level but chronic noise of everyday local traffic can cause stress in children and raise blood pressure, heart rates, and levels of stress hormones."

They said children "exposed to the traffic noise become less motivated, presumably from the sense of helplessness that can develop from noise they couldn't control." Noise can have serious health, learning, and task-motivation effects in children and adults exposed to chronic noise. "The findings suggest that children living in noisy areas are subject to stress, which may have serious health implications," the study said. Such studies have not been done here but doctors warn of various health problems.

H. Paramesh of the Lakeside Hospital said daily exposure to traffic noise could have a "cumulative effect." He said there was actually a law prohibiting honking of horns after 10 p.m. "But whether people follow this rule is another matter," he said.

According to him, people working in night shifts are the most vulnerable. They often ended up as insomniacs. Considering that Bangalore has many call centres, this is worrying.

Under the Motor Vehicle Rules, shrill and multi-toned horns are banned but many drivers continue to use them. The Transport Department does not know how noisy Bangalore's traffic can get: it does not possess equipment to measure the noise.

But Mohammad Suleiman, Joint Commissioner (Transport), said they planned to buy the decibel meters. The Transport Department had checked 42,038 vehicles and booked 1,216 cases between April and June, he said.

Mr. Suleiman said the department would welcome a ban on use of high-decibel horns. "But that will take a while. We need to educate the public. Put in better infrastructure," he said.

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