Noise pollution meaningfully harms public health, and a major source of noise pollution in New York City is car horn misuse. Around the clock, drivers subject residents and bystanders to this illegal noise pollution, but inside their vehicle, and in control of the sound, they are immune to the harm they inflict on the rest of us.
There is an opportunity right now to address this inequity.
As Nissan prepares to build New York's "Taxi of Tomorrow" fleet, New York City must insist that the horn sound, in a tamper-proof way, equally loud inside the driver’s area as outside the vehicle. This would help persuade drivers that they should sound their horns only to signal imminent danger, as the law already mandates. It would also be a better solution than the current project of trying to devise a less offensive sounding horn (
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/nyregion/with-the-taxis-of-tomorrow-seeking-a-softer-honk.html ) because it would not diminish the effectiveness of the legitimate use of a conventional car horn.
Sign this petition to demand that the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission take this overdue decisive action.
We the undersigned strongly urge you to immediately inform the manufacturer of the "Taxi of Tomorrow" of a new requirement: that the taxi's horn sound equally loud inside the driver's area as it does outside the vehicle.
We are grateful for your efforts so far to rein in horn abuse, but feel that only our suggested simple remedy will be effective. In the comfort and protection of a vehicle, and in control of the offending noise, drivers are virtually immune from the harm that their horn causes. Meanwhile, thousands of bystanders and residents are subjected to a jarring nuisance that is related to hypertension and cognitive delays in children. Only if drivers face the same immediate consequences of the needless assault they inflict on the rest of us will they use their horns fairly and in compliance with the law.
Thank you for considering our petition. Please take this important, long overdue action right now.
