Loud honkers on City roads to face the music

Observatory posts to be set up to monitor sound levels

The City police have decided to act tough against motorists indulging in loud honking.

The police have booked close to 900 cases against such offenders as part of their initiative to convert some stretches in the City into no-honking zones.

The traffic police, in collaboration with the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board,  have decided to monitor vehicles that emit honking noise above 65 decibels.

The move follows appeals from various quarters to reduce noise emission in areas with a large number of schools and hospitals.

“Per say, honking is not an offence, it is meant for safety purpose. However, it is absolutely offensive, when some impatient motorist use it against other drivers or pedestrians in an autocratic manner. The motorists must be judicious and not create a ruckus,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Security) B Dayananda.

Public inconvenience

At times, traffic gets congested in certain pockets of the City, but by merely honking one can't get out of it.

People must think twice about the inconvenience they cause to nearby hospitals, residences, public places  and other establishments, he added.

Areas identified

The City administration along with other stakeholders have recorded several areas that emit high decibel noise from motor vehicles. Old Madras Road, Chinmaya Mission Hospital Road, Okalipuram, Mysore Road, KR Circle, Lalbagh Road, Town Hall, KG Road, Yeshwantpur, Peenya, CBI Junction and JC Road are among the few listed, where observatory posts would be set up and traffic policemen will fine offenders.

According to Central Motor Vehicle Act, while first time offenders can be fined up to
Rs 100, the driving licence of repeated offenders can be recommended to RTO for cancellation.

Earlier, the traffic police had even set up traffic camps across Bangalore City to dismantle high decibel horns and silencers with the help of authorised mechanics.