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Mumbai traffic lights stay red when drivers honk

By installing decibel metres on traffic lights, the Mumbai Police are aiming to lower noise pollution.


Impatient drivers in Mumbai, India are being encouraged to leave their horns alone with a new type of traffic light that stays red longer when drivers honk.

Named the ‘Punishing Signal’, the traffic lights feature a giant screen that reading “honk more, wait more”, along with a decibel meter. If the sound at the intersection reaches 85 decibels or more the red light stays on for another 90 seconds.

Based on a video released by Mumbai Police, drivers don’t see these signs – many of them throw their arms up in frustration, and more honking ensues. It's enough to give you nightmares.

Mumbai police department call the city a “honking capital of the world”, saying in the video “people honk even when the signal is red”, and “maybe they think that by honking, they can make the signal turn green faster?”

Although Mumbai registers as only the tenth noisiest city in the world it's actually the world’s most densely populated, with nearly 77,000 people per square mile and a total population of 14.3 million.

Prolonged exposure to noise pollution can affect your health, having been linked to a lack of concentration, stress, fatigue, and more serious effects such as cognitive impairment and cardiovascular disease.

Apparently, this genius yet infuriating idea has pricked the ears of other municipalities in India. Let’s just hope it doesn’t make its way to Australia.

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