No-honking day? What’s that, ask Mumbai motorists

As the lsquoNo Honk Dayrsquo drive announced by Mumbai Commissioner of Police Sanjay Pandey kicked off on Wednesday midday decided to see how this rule was being implemented As per the drive every Wednesday will be observed as No Honk Day and those found violating it will face strict action However on the ground the situation did not change much as most Mumbaikars were unaware of it and were shocked to learn that honking could attract fines Motorists also shared that it was impossible to not honk in a crowded city like Mumbai where no one abides by the rulesThe drive is aimed at reducing noise pollution in the city and will bring a muchneeded relief to those living near busy traffic junctions which witness incessant honking every single dayVehicles stuck at Kora Kendra signal at Borivli West PicAnurag Ahiremidday on the first day of the scheme visited some of the busiest roads and junctions in the city to see how Mumbaikars responded and what traffic cops have to say about implementing it Till 7 pm on Wednesday a total of 2764 motorists were fined by the policeCrawford MarketCrawford Market located just in front of the police commissionerrsquos office is one of the busiest and noisiest junctions in the city and continued to remain the same on Wednesday despite the driveFaiyyaz Sayeed a twowheeler riderSome traffic officers were seen distributing pamphlets regarding the initiative to motorists ldquoDuring rush hour our main aim is to remove as many vehicles from here towards JJ junction and Eastern Freeway Stopping them and issuing challan to them is next to impossible Still we are handing out pamphlets to motorists and trying to raise awarenessrdquo a constable at Crawford junction told midday on the condition of anonymityFaiyyaz Sayeed who was riding a twowheeler said ldquoI didnrsquot know about the drive to begin with In fact itrsquos impossible to drive without honking on such a busy street where pedestrians cross even if the signal is green I believe no one should honk but if the situation is such then we motorists canrsquot helprdquoVile Parle A crowded SV Road junction in Vile Parle where several ambulances were stuck in trafficRaj Ahmed a cab driver shared a similar view ldquoI have been driving in this city for the past 20 years and I know itrsquos impossible to drive without honking Bikers often cross the lanes while pedestrians suddenly come in front How can we say that we should not honk If it is possible then the police should ask vehicle companies not to install horns at all it will solve the whole issuerdquoSome even commented about the term lsquounnecessary honkingrsquo ldquoI donrsquot understand what is necessary honking and whatrsquos unnecessary The roads in the city are so crowded that one canrsquot drive without honking Sometimes even if the signal turns red vehicles donrsquot move forward then we have to honk But if cops start penalising Rs 1000 for this how will we survive hererdquo said Sonu Das a mini truck driverVile Parle JunctionThe busy SV Road junction in Vile Parle which connects with Milan subway and eastwest flyover is another such area which records one of the highest levels of noise pollution midday found several ambulances stuck in traffic while bikers and motorists continued to honkChheda Nagar junction Chheda Nagar junction one of the busiest in the eastern suburbs PicRajesh GuptaImran Hawaldar 40 who runs a shop said ldquoMy shop is one the main road the noisiest place in the city My staff and I have a hard time every morning and evening during peak hours when there is severe traffic congestion The noise from honking is such that we have to stay inside the shop and it is still taking a toll on our health We had earlier requested the traffic police to do something about it but it is not in their hands eitherrdquoAnother shopkeeper Mohammad Jafar Ali Shaikh 54 said ldquoThis is the worst signal for vehicles in morning and evening rush hours Itrsquos a good decision taken by the police to keep nohonking day on Wednesday but in reality no one is following it Nothing has changed yet People start even before the signal turns green Cops generally focus on catching bikers without helmets and those jumping signals The situation is such that we canrsquot even hear each other over the honkingrdquoCrawford Market A traffic constable hands out pamphlets to a motorist at Crawford Market PicAshish RajeldquoI travel by this road daily I knew about the no honk drive and was following it but when I came here I saw nobody else did This junction in particular is very noisyrdquo said Naresh Gaddam a Vile Parle resident and bikerChheda Nagar JunctionThe junction on the Eastern Express Highway connects Chembur Shivaji Nagar and Ghatkopar and has one of the biggest turnouts of vehicles However in the absence of any sign boards or posters about the drive many motorists didnrsquot know about itldquoI didnrsquot know that today is No Honk Day But in any case I donrsquot know how one can drive in the city without honking If someone is accidentally changing lanes I have to honk Cops should start with the small lanes and roads should place sign boards asking citizens not to honk Issuing challans to citizens is not the solution to the problemrdquo said Amit Pandey a motoristArvind Gupta another motorist said he was also not aware of the drive and added ldquoItrsquos great that the Mumbai Police has taken up this task Cops should first start spreading awareness about it through media and signboards otherwise how will we get to know In addition bikes should be checked for pressure hornsrdquoKora Kendra Junction BorivliThis spot has witnessed the worst traffic jams for the past two years owing to the construction of the eastwest flyover on SV RoadThousands of vehicles pass through this area but owing to lack of space motorists have to spend a minimum of 1015 minutes to pass throughGargi ChalkarGhanekar 27 a teacher from the area said ldquoI commute daily on this road on my bike and always encounter traffic on this bridge I knew about the police declaring Wednesdays as nohonking days but people were honking even louder in reality All this noise has bad effects on peoplersquos health Cops should take strict action against violatorsrdquoGanesh Mapuskar 33 a Charkop resident said ldquoMy office is located at Kora Kendra signal and the noise drives me to frustration I canrsquot stand outside the office for even a single minute because of the honking I work with a finance company and we have to talk to clients over the phone but dare not step out of the office because of the terrible noise Police should definitely take strict actionrdquoPratik Kedare 25 another local said ldquoI spend a minimum of 15 minutes here Due to the traffic people honk nonstop If we get trafficfree roads no one will honk I honk only if a vehicle suddenly cuts in front of mine If Mumbaikars get good roads without potholes traffic jams honking will drastically reducerdquoInputs from Rajesh Gupta2764No of people fined till 7 pmRs 1000Fine for honking on Wednesdays