April,22 2017
The “No Horn” regulation of the Kathmandu Metropolitan Traffic Police Department and the Kathmandu Metropolitan City came into effect on Friday. And though it was touted as a success on the very first day of implementation, with fewer vehicles on the roads on Friday due to New Year’s holiday, whether the authorities really succeeded in driving home the message of “no unnecessary honking” to the motorists remains to be seen, or heard, for that matter.
Come Sunday-- when the traffic volume of the Valley assumes normalcy, if there are indeed fewer beeps and toots on the roads, then the campaign will have succeeded.
Lokendra Malla, the spokesperson of the traffic department, believes the new regulation is going to work.
“We found unnecessary honking reduced significantly on the first day,” he told the Post, adding that they expect the motorists will follow the regulation even on weekdays when the traffic is high.
The “No Horn” regulation of the Kathmandu Metropolitan Traffic Police Department and the Kathmandu Metropolitan City came into effect on Friday. And though it was touted as a success on the very first day of implementation, with fewer vehicles on the roads on Friday due to New Year’s holiday, whether the authorities really succeeded in driving home the message of “no unnecessary honking” to the motorists remains to be seen, or heard, for that matter.
Come Sunday-- when the traffic volume of the Valley assumes normalcy, if there are indeed fewer beeps and toots on the roads, then the campaign will have succeeded.
Lokendra Malla, the spokesperson of the traffic department, believes the new regulation is going to work.
“We found unnecessary honking reduced significantly on the first day,” he told the Post, adding that they expect the motorists will follow the regulation even on weekdays when the traffic is high.
The KMC has also placed high hopes. Its spokesperson, Gyanendra Karki, says the initiative will yield positive results by reducing the traffic noise level.
“To make sure that this campaign succeeds, we have been aggressively disseminating our message to the public through print, broadcast and online media,” he adds.
While the No Horn rule is exempted for ambulances, fire engines and police vehicles, it says other vehicles are allowed to honk only at turning points and in case of emergency. But what constitutes “an emergency” has not been defined.
The public have mixed feelings about the regulation. While a section has welcomed the drive, others have outright ridiculed it.
Surindra Timelsina, of Pepsicola, says there are plenty of other things that need urgent attention, like controlling air pollution, fixing traffic signals and enforcing vehicle emission standard, forcing people not to honk their horn is not it.
“The authorities must first resolve the problem of traffic jam in Kathmandu Valley if they really want the motorists to stop honking horns.”
“To make sure that this campaign succeeds, we have been aggressively disseminating our message to the public through print, broadcast and online media,” he adds.
While the No Horn rule is exempted for ambulances, fire engines and police vehicles, it says other vehicles are allowed to honk only at turning points and in case of emergency. But what constitutes “an emergency” has not been defined.
The public have mixed feelings about the regulation. While a section has welcomed the drive, others have outright ridiculed it.
Surindra Timelsina, of Pepsicola, says there are plenty of other things that need urgent attention, like controlling air pollution, fixing traffic signals and enforcing vehicle emission standard, forcing people not to honk their horn is not it.
“The authorities must first resolve the problem of traffic jam in Kathmandu Valley if they really want the motorists to stop honking horns.”
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