Mumbai traffic police have come up with a new plan to reduce the menace of reckless honking on roads. When the traffic signal is Red, it's commonplace for vehicle users to honk needlessly, causing sound pollution. To curb this uncvil behaviour, the Mumbai police have arranged decibel meters near traffic signals. If the decibel level of horns reaches a certain point, the colour red will not change and so, the traffic will never move. This will make the vehicle users stay silent. "Horn not okay, please!" the police said.

The initiative has come in for much praise. However, it has also been criticized. Ethically speaking, it is wrong to impose penalties on everyone for the mistake of some. If there are 10 vehicle users honking recklessly, they will end up punishing everyone on the road and not just themselves.

Also, there might be some unforeseen consequences. "How about if an Ambulance is stuck and the vehicle users honk to make the way for the Ambulance? If there is an Ambulance behind you, the tendency is to honk to make the vehicle in front of you to move," a Twitter user says.

It's assumed that the police have thought through all scenarios. If this experiment succeeds, expect other cities to adopt the same.

Wonderful initiative by @MumbaiPolice

The more you honk, the more you wait.@HYDTP request you to implement same in #Hyderabad also.@cyberabadpolice @CYBTRAFFIC @KTRTRS @hydcitypolice pic.twitter.com/1yOQhq8e5C

— Naidu Surendra Kumar (@Surendraknaidu) February 1, 2020