For a quieter Colombo – Ban the bus horns!

Close your eyes and imagine a horn free Colombo – no loud ‘fog horns’ from all those buses – bliss !!.   As I sit here in a café in the centre of Windhoek, Namibia, I have not heard a horn all morning.  This is developing country but the road behavior is definitely ‘developed’.  In the last six months, I have been working in several African countries and one thing that stood out for me is the good road discipline and how little they use the horn.  There is always the exception as in Kenya and Malawi’s private bus drivers – the ‘mutatoos’  – a law onto themselves.   Yet, it is nothing compared to the nuisance of the ‘fog horns’ and indiscipline we have with Sri Lanka’s public buses. 

 It is such a relief in these countries not to be subjected to this aggressive noisy behavior on the roads.   One can almost gauge the social values and discipline of a country by people’s behavior on the roads.   Sri Lanka certainly does not score well here and our image suffers for it.

Driving without a Horn

In Sri Lanka, the horn has become more of a tool for aggression.  Often, even the calmest of people seem to become aggressive behind the wheel when there is a loud horn.  My wife, Samantha has decided to opt out of the horning fraternity.  She tells me, since she stopped using the horn, her driving has improved.   She he concentrates better to compensate for no horn and has become a more responsible driver. 

She is challenging me to do the same, but I have not succeeded as yet, as old habits die hard.  Then again, as I get behind a wheel in a place like Canada where the horn is never used, I fall into that driving culture immediately.  Funny, how the brain works on this.  As I land in Colombo again I fall right back into noisy Sri Lankan style.   With the horn, I palm off some of the responsibility to behave on the road to others in front of me, whether a car, a bicyclist, pedestrian even a dog.   However, it is easy to exceed this limit and use it aggressively to force people out of the way.  This is the line that we cross often with the free use of the horn, which then becomes a problem to everyone.  It is akin to screaming at the top of my voice “get out of my way or I will move you down” as I drive – only it is done by pressing a button.  

 So, this is my latest project for self-improvement – to check my horn use.   I wonder how fast I will change if the Police impose a no horning law.  I am sure I will force myself to change.  Even though I am not a supporter of laws and enforcement where humans can motivate themselves to change behavior, in Sri Lanka’s case I think there should be a strict laws and enforcement at first.  Eventually horn-free driving will become habitual.    

On the Buses

Horn seems to have become an essential tool for public buses.  This may very well be one cause for misbehavior from public buses as the loud horn gives them power.   Just check how many times you get harassed by a loud intercity bus as it travels at unsafe speeds on the Galle Road, either coming at you on your side of the road or trying to overtake you.  This power is misused with the aggressive horning to get from one destination to another as fast as they can. They also use it liberally to inform commuters of their arrival at the bus stand, when people can well see the bus coming in or they just seem be having fun.   In the meantime, the cacophony of noise makes Colombo a strain on the ears and the head.   Research clearly shows that noise pollution adds to the stress of people.   Why should we all have to put up with this silently?.

Ban Bus Horns First

Therefore, first thing we should do in Sri Lanka to improve discipline on the roads is to ban the bus horns starting with urban areas.  Then we can move to ban all horning within the limits of urban centers and extend it further.   I can already see an improvement in my road behavior by controlling the horn as I have become more mindful.   So I can imagine everyone having to be more careful without the horn.  It will contribute towards a general improvement in road manners and discipline which can be contagious.    Just as when I drive in the west, I fall in line with general behavior there, very disciplined, obey all the rules and do not use the horn, I am sure if we start a no horn movement here, first with this law, we should see a change.   As I land here, it is like the devil got into me – I change to the local behavior which is for the worse.   So, let us all commit to make a change so Colombo becomes a better environment for all of us.     

I propose the following steps;

Public Transport

Public transport is for there for a common purpose – to serve people.  It’s operation must not be a burden to society.  Therefore, the system has to have discipline and a code of practice as it effects people’s lives.   Therefore, I propose the following rules first for bus operators, both public and private

• Ban the ‘fog horn’.
• Ban loud bus exhausts.
• Introduce a speed governor to limit bus speeds to 60 km/hr max.
• Introduce a better scheduling system (use the rally method where early or late arrivals get penalized)
• Train drivers and conductors on good road manners, general behavior based on values and ethics.

General Use of the Horn

For all motor vehicle users, there should be a ban in the use of the horn starting in certain areas and imposing it.  For instance, the ban could begin with Green Path and sequence and pace the ban on all major roads over a period of one year.  This way, people will gradually learn to drive without the horn and if everyone is subjected to this, there will be a common effort to change.  

We can do it.