With the number of vehicles on our roads increasing by the day, noise pollution levels are rising too. Investors and buyers of residential properties have shown a clear trend of moving away from projects located on a main road and prefer investing in projects that are located in quieter areas.
While noise pollution is common in most areas of the city, Luz Church road, Mylapore that houses two hospitals and one school, is prone to this issue a lot more. Being a one-way road, one may believe that traffic flow would be managed better, but commuters seldom follow traffic rules. Two-wheelers in particular create a havocby innocuously wading through oncoming traffic, on the wrong side. This is not only dangerous, but also the reason for the many traffic jams that happens in this stretch. This inadvertently results in commuters honking incessantly and thereby increasing noise pollution. With commuters not even bothering to giving way to ambulances, I suppose it is too much to expect them to understand the impact that noise pollution has on residents and patients in the nearby hospitals.
While most of us might be aware that honking in certain zones is an offense, very few know that using their speakers at blaring volumes is illegal too.
Although it is unclear as to what the specified limit is, blaring loudspeakers is considered an offense under the Motor Vehicles Act (MVA) 1988. The penalty under section 190 (2) provides for a fine of Rs.1,000 for the first offense and Rs. 2,000 for subsequent offenses. Piercing sounds might feel invigorating, but they distract the driver and prevent them from being aware of the surroundings. The horn is an important accessory of any motor vehicle and is to be used judiciously. For example, at blind turns that does not have convex mirrors or signals to aid drivers. However, we have started using them as an outlet for our frustration and haste. At your next gridlock, try waiting it out in silence; I assure you, you will exit as quickly as the person honking incessantly.
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