Tired of “honkers” in traffic jams? India has come up with a solution. These traffic lights will stay red as long as the drivers keep honking.
The constant barrage of car honking in traffic is a real problem for the business and homes around congestion hot spots in Mumbai. Worse still for those living close to traffic intersections where cars regularly honk red lights.
https://twitter.com/MumbaiPolice/status/1223090017397960705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1223090017397960705&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Finterestingengineering.com%2Fbrilliant-mumbai-police-test-new-traffic-lights-that-stay-red-longer-when-drivers-honk
“Maybe they think that by honking, they can make the signal turn green faster?”A tongue-in-cheek video uploaded by Mumbai police last week has gone viral
Mumbai police have come up with a very simple solution. The force has installed noise detectors at traffic lights. The motorists honk, the longer the light stays red.
The police are calling their new system “The Punishing Signal” and have installed cryptic signs on intersections with the system that read “Honk More, Wait More.”
How it works?
The device is very simple. It works by measuring the decibels at a given intersection.
Once it detects that cars are honking at 85 decibels or higher (this is about the equivalent of a freight train passing from 15ft away) it adds more time to red light allowing it stay red longer.
The idea is that break the association in drivers minds with honking moving the traffic.
