Mumbai’s plan is not so ‘sound’

Road safety experts in the city say that the Mumbai police’s solution to the excessive honking at traffic signals is like punishing 90 per cent of the people for the 10 percent that are a nuisance.

On an experimental basis, meters were installed at certain traffic signal junctions in Mumbai to measure the decibel levels that go up when drivers meaninglessly honk their horns even when the signal is red. If the decibel level went beyond the level set, the signal would readjust itself for another 90 seconds, thus making the honkers wait longer before it turned green.

Road safety experts say this cannot be a permanent solution as currently road amenities and infrastructure is not adequate.

“When you are able to maintain disciplined lane system synchronised with technology, no one will be in competitive mode. This may be a temporary solution but not a perfect and mature solution. People have a number of reasons to honk and the frustration is due to road amenities not being provided,” said

Prof K.M. Lakshmana Rao of the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological Univeristy

He said a better system places individual sensors on vehicles through which honking can be measured and the same displayed on the dash board. The driver can be penalised depending on the level of honking. “Individual tracking is always better than victimising everyone,” added the professor.

Punishing everyone for the transgressions of some would increase frustration among the waiting drivers and may result in altercations among the public. “There may be several people in the traffic who have to attend to personal or medical emergencies and they too would get stuck. The unnecessary waiting in an emergency might also lead to over-speeding to make up time and thereby end in an accident,” says Mr K. Sai Vikas, a resident of Ameerpet.

Mr S Adishankar from the NGO Roadkraft points out that the siren from an ambulance could push up the decibel level several times but it is necessary and no one should be penalised for it.