Cutting noise pollution in Bangalore getting tougher

A weekly campaign to cut noise levels in the city undertaken at two junctions in Koramangala, although well-intended, has shown why this menace will probably never go away from Bangalore.

A peek at the campaign on Monday at Wipro Park Junction and Police Quarters Junction in Koramangala showed that the blame rested squarely on chaotic traffic caused by motorists who throw all traffic norms to the winds. Besides, poor enforcement of traffic rules by the police encouraged motorists to blare their horns, often needlessly due to force of habit.

All that the campaign, which is carried out every Monday at at least two junctions in Koramangala by the area’s residents’ welfare association in collaboration with the traffic police and Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), could do was to make motorists and a few citizens realise the importance of honking restrictively to cut down decibel levels. But in practice, it appeared almost impossible.

Consider this comic, but typically common, scene in any Indian city which was witnessed right in Koramangala when and where the campaign was going on near Kripanidhi College at Police Quarters junction — herds of cows on the roads blocking the traffic. Motorists were forced to blare horns to shoo away the cows, but to no avail.

Finally it was a traffic constable, Lokesh Kumar, who achieved a degree of success.

“This menace (cows on the road) has been there since the last three years here. Although we are traffic police, we have to do this job too. We have even told the owners of the cows to stop letting them out like this. But herds after herds of cows come on the road, blocking the traffic.

“We have to chase the cows to make sure there is smooth flow of traffic. Sometimes the cows attack us as they panic when the cars honk. I have been attacked a couple of times. I simple go away from the cow’s path to escape,” said traffic constable Kumar. 

A cross-section of motorists that DNA spoke to on Monday spoke of how they are forced to blare their horns — apart from doing so at cows, donkeys and stray animals — just to avoid another vehicle from colliding with theirs. “This repeated practice of honking turns into a habit, and even when it is not required I find myself honking on and off just to be sure that other motorists don’t come in my way,” said Malthesh Rao, a PU college lecturer, said.

The Koramangala campaign, however, brought out the urgent need to first ensure that traffic discipline is achieved in the city before stepping into the domain of cutting down on decibel levels to practically ensure that motorists do not blare their horns unnecessarily.

So it was not surprising that when Kempa Raju, KSPCB’s field assistant for monitoring noise pollution, measured the decibels on his device on Monday, it showed a shocking 101.6 decibels against an acceptable level of 62.7 decibels amid the chaotic Koramangala traffic. The scene would not have been much different had it been measured in any other area residential area of Bangalore.

“I find it impossible to ride without using the horn. I know that people lack courtesy and honk repeatedly. But I completely support this campaign as it may help reduce noise pollution. Horns are to be used very sparingly, since it was devised for this very purpose,” said Pramod SV, advertising professional.

“I don’t know whether this initiative will stop people from honking; but I certainly appreciate the initiative. Only if everybody makes an effort will it be successful to a larger extent. We can’t completely stop honking, but we can surely reduce the number of times we do it,” said Sushma Narang, a banking executive.   

But the campaign volunteers are optimistic. “Residents (through the campaign) are bringing about awareness with regard to unnecessary honking and this is helping reduce noise levels. Accidents have occurred because of loud honking since it causes panic in motorists.” said Saptami PV, a marketing executive and a campaign volunteer.

Ray of hope
And some did consciously try to follow the campaign mandate. “I will try not to honk needlessly. In my opinion, this is a great way to create awareness. It is a nuisance both for residents and fellow motorists. People should cultivate patience as it is the responsible thing to do. And it is also the basic road sense,” said Vivek MN, an employee at an IT firm.

And the campaign has paid dividends to an extent. When the campaign was begun three months ago, the noise levels were between 90 and 95 decibels. But on Monday , the levels were between 81 and 85. But efforts are on to bring it down further to within the acceptable levels. For that, traffic discipline would matter greatly.