The idea came to India's Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari while he was doing yoga one morning in his 11th-floor apartment in New Delhi. Despite being high above the ground, the blaring of car horns disturbed his peace and equilibrium.
“I am studying this and will soon plan to introduce a new law to change the sirens of all vehicles in India into the sounds of musical instruments to make them easier to listen to,” he said, adding that he also wants to replace the sirens of ambulances and police cars with music, as they are often played at high volume, which is not only annoying but also harmful to the ears of people around.
He added that alternative instruments could be harmonicas, violins, flutes, etc. However, they must all be of Indian origin.
Heavy traffic on Indian streets (photo: Internet)
According to AFP, some cities in India are considered the noisiest in the world. The loud and piercing sound of car horns on the roads has greatly affected the lives of people in this country. In particular, vehicles often honk continuously during rush hours.
In India, car horns are given equal importance as accelerator pedals and rearview mirrors, as drivers on the road use them as a signal to alert other road users of their presence.
The noise-reduction of roads, especially in New Delhi, is part of Gadkari’s new vision for infrastructure in the city. Other measures include planting trees on both sides of newly opened highways to combat pollution, and removing pedestrian and animal-only lanes to reduce congestion and allow vehicles to move more smoothly on the roads.
