20th Oct 2014 In a move to control the challenge of noise pollution in the state, the governor of Lagos state has set aside October fifteenth each year as horn free day. Giving the mandate, Mister Babatunde Raji Fashola charged every operator of vehicles and similar machines to observe the day, in tolerance for one another and especially for health and wellness. The governor shared some more on the health implications of noise pollution, stating that noise from vehicles like aircraft, generators and dogs, could promote health problems and nervous breakdowns.
He is quoted as saying “the volume of noise due to the hustle and bustle in Lagos is self-inflicted. Things can be better if only citizens can amend their ways of living. What you see is the way we now chose to live. It is because we choose to live in a very noisy environment which could be changed for better. We also tend to be noisy ourselves. So, we speak at the top of our voices, we play music at a very high volume. We do so many things at a very high noise level.”
Still on the No horn day in Lagos state it was interesting to see reactions of inhabitants to the mandate. Thanks to social media, and word of mouth, more awareness was raised, and commercial and private drivers and commuters did their best to adapt. Some took to facebook and twitter to talk about their experiences on the day. The No horn day exercise was monitored by traffic and transportation institutions across the state.
Now before the No horn day took place, there was already a lot of skepticism on how well it would work. We came across tweets like this one from @yelecapri10: Loooooool! Horn free day in Lagos?! Lemme apply for leave for that day in advance. I won’t be driving… Make danfo come run person mad kwa? @TheBlackHermit said A day without horns in Lagos is about as plausible as a day without stupidity on Twitter. Ouch and D£R£K HAL£ wanted to know Pls what’s d concept of this horn free day in lag? I’m not sure I can drive in lagos without horn, not even for 1hr.
So guys, were you in Lagos on the 15th of October? Did you travel without your horns? Did you observe other people using theirs? Share your experiences with us on Facebook and Twitter, using the hashtag #SayIt