Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola has urged Lagosians to change the state’s current noise culture.
He said this while speaking at the Lagos Drivers Appreciation Day, organised by the Ministry of Transport, that noise pollution has an adverse effect on the wellbeing of citizens and so should be avoided.
He said:
“We are meeting here to again show to the world that beginning from October 15, Lagosians would decide to reduce the noise level around them, starting from the motorised horns. You and I, from that day, would voluntarily choose to live differently by refusing to contribute more to the noise level around us by no longer using our horns when we are on the road.
“What we do and when we are willing to reduce the noise level around us beginning from October 15 is a decision that lies with you and I.
If you travel outside the country, you see that people do not use the horn the way we do here. If you heard a siren blowing, it must mean those concerned whether the police or any other under emergency and you will see other road users yielding the way.
“Why can’t it be the same here? Why are we so noisome? Let us show other parts of the country that we can live differently,”
The “No Horn Day” is an initiative designed to encourage people in Lagos to spend a day without honking the horns of their vehicles as is the practice in the United Kingdom, for example, where the government’s guidelines for drivers stipulates that car horns should only be used in extreme circumstances like when another road user poses a danger.