Silence Is Golden: Canadian’s Traffic Experiment Puts Bengaluru’s Honking Habits in the Spotlight

A Canadian video maker living in India has caused a widespread social media controversy after a viral clip compared traffic noise levels in Bengaluru and Aizawl. Caleb Friesen, a resident of the capital city of Mizoram, took the sounds of rush hour at 7 pm in both cities to compare the levels of noise pollution.

 

Friesen begins to play, first, the din of traffic in Bengaluru with its constant honking and engine revving. Then he introduces a recording of Aizawl at the same time of day, which is extremely quiet, with no honking and just the muffled hum of vehicles.

 

Friesen credits Aizawl's serene traffic scene to an enforceable no-honking rule, under which local police fine offenders. He further observes that, even with Aizawl's hilly terrain and one-lane, narrow roads, drivers are courteous, line up, and do not overtake or honk needlessly. He further says that Aizawl drivers even dip headlights for approaching vehicles out of courtesy.

 

The video resonated with many Indians online, with demands for better traffic management and regulation of noise pollution in other cities. Some of the viewers liked the constructive criticism with some of them hoping that other Indian cities emulated the same in a bid to better urban life.

 

Source: Hindustan Times