Dear Readers,
We are all aware that Noise
Pollution is a big social headache, yet in a country like India it seems
unavoidable. From the market streets where the vendors are shouting in the top
pitch to gain attention, the pompous wedding procession with band set, marriage
ceremonies with shrieking music, temple festivals playing devotional songs in
high decibels, noise pollution is
uncontrollable. Adding to this is the sound of traffic and especially the
insensible sound of honking.
I am an advocator of less honking,
as I have seen it as a good practice in Western countries. Honking is too much
undue noise and makes the street, a stressful environment to commute. So, I generally, do not honk. However, recently
there were two incidents, when I faulted on this good practice, which created
undesirable consequences.
The first one was when I was driving
from Courtallam to Madurai, and as I was driving through a small town called
Srivilliputhur, a man was slowly crossing the road. I honked to give a signal
for him, hoping that he would notice my car coming and fasten up his pace. But
to my shock, he just stopped in the middle of the road and stared at me.
Though, at first reaction I got a bit angry, I realized that he had the right
to show his protest, like that. When I am driving within town limits, I have to
be more concerned about pedestrians and cyclists. So, I stopped and waited for
him to cross. We cannot expect a pedestrian crossing in a small town like,
Srivilliputhur and so we cannot just get away saying, that the person must have
used that. So, the general rule, we can aptly follow is to give priority to the
pedestrians and cyclists, as they cannot put up with our speed and it is
senseless to honk on them.
On another occasion, I was driving
within the Madurai city and there was a traffic signal. The signal just changed
from Green to Amber and at the speed, I was driving I could have easily passed
through the signal, but unfortunately a cyclist was in front of me. She stopped
the cycle the moment, she saw Amber, which is the right thing to do. But, as I
was in a bit of a hurry, I honked, which put a little pressure in her to move
forward. At this odd juncture, the
signal turned Red and vehicles from the
other direction, started moving in. She was in a sort of a mess, finding it
difficult to cover the distance, with so many
of those vehicle drivers, honking as a sign of disapproval. I felt so bad
about my act. It was because of my honking, did she move. So, without intention
I had put a pressure on her, which put her in an embarrassing situation.
What I have shared is not uncommon.
It happens day in and day out. People start honking at traffic signals, even
before the green light would come, People are so impatient to wait. While it
may sound, like an everyday affair, we need to remember that it is not right to
be insensitive on the roads.
If we want, India to be in par with
Western countries, our attitude should change. We need to be more concerned
about fellow traveller on the road. Honking is similar to shouting at someone.
It builds up a lot of passive stress, which does not feel nice at all. One of
the reason, people go home exhausted is not because they are tired, but because
they feel so stressed by so much of honking they get to hear on the streets.
So, let us commit to honk less or
rather follow the policy, “Honk, only if you must” and make our cities, less noisy
and more peaceful for fellow commuters.
Happy Reading,
D. Senthil Kannan
Article Dated March 2017
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