Shanghai Drivers Banned From Honking Their Horns!

I remember some years back on a trip to Acapulco, Mexico, the cabs had replaced their beeping horns with theme songs like “La Cucaracha” and “The Mexican Hat Dance.” Therefore, I guess you could say I wasn’t surprised when we discovered that people in Shanghai, China have switched to music and voice recordings instead of tooting car horns because of a new law banning honking in the downtown area. The difference between the two countries is that the Mexicans did it for the tourists, but the Chinese are doing it to reduce noise levels in the city populated by 20 million people. -Continued after the jump

Threatening fines of up to 200 Yuan (13$), police are strictly enforcing the law but it’s still not stopping Shanghai locals from being heard. They are spending up to 100$ to customize their horns. One taxi driver has converted his to a recording of a woman's voice saying, "Please mind the car, we are making a turn." But this new tactic won’t work for long as police say all forms of honking are going to banned but have yet to enforce the law banning any noise coming from the car horn. According to Shanghai News, one cab driver is taking preventative measures to ensure he doesn’t get slapped with a fine. He has posted a large note on his horn that says, "Don't press the button.”

With a population of 20 million people that are packed into 19th century tenement housing and narrow streets, I can understand why this law was established. However, with all those cars and no honking, will we be able to hear a pin drop?

Posted by Dani

Via: Shanghaidaily