Honk more, wait more: Mumbai police tries to rein in wanton motorists 

Indians love honking. Imagine waiting for the red signal to turn green on a hot summer afternoon. What makes matters worse is continuous honking by others who are waiting at the signal too.

So what can be done? Mumbai Police on Friday (January 31) posted a video on Twitter with a caption ‘Horn not okay, please!.’ The video described Mumbai as the honking capital of the world and explained people waiting at traffic signals would blow their horn as if expecting the honking will make the signal green faster.

So to stop this madness, the city police installed a decibel metre at the signal and called it the ‘Punishing Signal.’ So every time when the decibels around the signal goes beyond a point, the timer on the traffic light would reset making one’s wait longer. The message is clear – ‘Honk Responsibly.’

Horn not okay, please!
Find out how the @MumbaiPolice hit the mute button on #Mumbai’s reckless honkers. #HonkResponsibly pic.twitter.com/BAGL4iXiPH

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) January 31, 2020

The video went viral and many praised the idea. Now, people from other states also want the government to implement it in their cities.

“I travel 30 km to work and cross more than 10 to 15 signals every day. This is a good initiative and I hope Chennai police will take this as an example and implement it here too,” said Sidarth Anbalagan, an HR, in a private organisation in Chennai.

Sethuraman from Bangalore said he wanted this to be executed in the city as well. “This can be the solution for Bangalore people who spend most of their time on the road due to congestion.”

Like Sidarth and Sethuraman, many people on social media welcomed the idea, while others wonder how effective it will be. “It is a brilliant idea! I wish this comes to other cities too. But I do have my doubts about this. 1. If an ambulance is going on an emergency, I’m sure its siren is pretty loud, wouldn’t that reset the signal again? 2. If implemented in other cities, what is the assurance that the meter will work properly and vandals do not destroy it? If these are addressed, then it is a splendid idea!” said Lakman Ramesh, retired engineer.