Menace of shrill horns continues

Authorities say private bus drivers defy the ban on fancy horns despite penal action

February 24, 2020 12:49 am | Updated 04:46 am IST - PUDUCHERRY

Big bullies:  Private bus drivers use noisy horns with fancy tunes which intimidate other road users.

Big bullies: Private bus drivers use noisy horns with fancy tunes which intimidate other road users.

The indiscriminate use of air horns by private buses and tempos on arterial roads has become a nuisance.

Despite a directive from the Transport Department to the private bus operators to avoid using air horns, there is little compliance on the ground.

Although strict regulations are in place to prevent use of high-decibel horns, residents alleged that concerned efforts have not been made by the traffic police and the Transport Department to check the noise pollution.

One can come across the horns being used with impunity on arterial roads, especially the East Coast Road, Cuddalore Road, Tindivanam Road and Villupuram Road during peak hours.

The continuous use of air horns is not limited to private buses and tempos alone. Buses of the Puducherry Road Transport Corporation (PRTC), tipper lorries, cabs and buses of educational institutions also use high-decibel horns. A section of motorists riding high-end motorcycles use horns with fancy tunes on their vehicles.

An official said that private buses tend to use these horns as part of the race to pick up passengers waiting at bus stops. Bus drivers use loud horns to intimidate drivers of small vehicles, including two-wheelers and cars to provide them with a passage on the roads.

The violation is more rampant at Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi square, Marappalam junction, Moolakulam, Nellithope, Mettupalayam and Gorimedu.

The Union Territory of Puducherry has earned a dubious distinction of having chaotic traffic scenario. The number of two-wheelers appear to be more than the population of Puducherry.

The implementation of the latest Motor Vehicles Act is on a slow pace leading to the traffic snarls, residents alleged.

Meanwhile, air horns used by private buses and two-wheelers adds to the menace of traffic. Senior citizens and children bear the brunt of loud noises at busy thoroughfares. “The pity is such vehicles ply through the points where the traffic police are stationed,” said S. Nadarajan, a senior citizen.

“A strict enforcement of the rules relating to using of horns in the vehicles is an immediate requirement in Puducherry. Flying squads should be set up by the traffic police in sufficient numbers and they should move about in different pockets to bring to focus how closely the police are watching,” he demanded.

A doctor at the Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Postgraduate Institute, said that although the area had been declared a “no-honking zone”, private buses and tempos parked in front of the bus stops continue to use them.

According to a Transport Department official, “The permissible sound level for a horn is 80 to 90 decibels. But private buses use horns with a sound level as high as 110 to 130 decibels. This distracts motorists and results in large-scale noise pollution. The air horns are illegally fixed in the buses.”

No deterrent

He said Motor Vehicle Inspectors conduct frequent inspections and seize the equipment from the buses. But they make a comeback. The Transport Department recently booked cases against 20 private buses for using air horns and imposed penalty on them. “However, the bus drivers are not worried and continue to use them as only the registered owners of the vehicles have to pay the fine,” he said.

The Transport Department has written to the Puducherry Pollution Control Committee (PPCC) to take action against vehicles who honk unnecessarily, he said.

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