City's 'Silence Zones' Are Its Loudest Pockets, Reveals Data

Experts say major contributors to this noise level is 'phantom honking'

- RISHITA KHANNA @ Bengaluru

Bengaluru's designated 'silence zones' are emerging as some of the city's loudest pockets, with noise levels breaching permissible limits by wide margins, particularly at night, outpacing even industrial areas in violations.

According to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board's (KSPCB) May data, the RVCE Mysore Road zone registered night-time noise levels of 57.8 decibel (dB), exceeding the legal limit by 44.5%, while the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health (NIMHANS) zone reported a 29% rise above permissible levels.

Experts said one of the major contributors to this spike is 'phantom honking' — where drivers honk not to warn, but out of sheer habit or frustration, especially around silence zones where traffic moves slowly and enforcement is lax.

The KSPCB's own regional office complex at SG Halli reported one of the steepest violations in a residential category, with a 61.8% spike at night. Meanwhile, industrial zones like Peenya and Whitefield — typically assumed to be noisy — remained well within the prescribed limits.