Drives me crazy: Mumbai residents plead for respite from ‘musical road’ | Mumbai
Residents of one of India’s most luxurious neighborhoods say the country’s first “musical road” has turned their daily lives into a nightmarish soundtrack.
A section of Mumbai’s recently opened Coastal Highway has been designed to play the Oscar-winning Jai Ho tune from the movie Slumdog Millionaire as vehicles travel at low speeds.
Civic officials say the feature aims to promote safer driving and is the first of its kind in India.
Most musical roads around the world are built in less populated areas, but Mumbai’s roads pass by Breach Candy, home to industrialists, Bollywood stars and other well-known celebrities.
Residents say the chant Jai Ho, which roughly translates to “may there be victory” in Hindi, is played repeatedly from 6 a.m. to midnight.
More than 650 families have signed a formal complaint urging authorities to stop the music, describing it as constant “intrusive background noise” that causes serious distress.
The complaint states that the melody “enters homes” and many households keep their windows closed to block out the melody.
Japan pioneered the musical road concept in 2007, and since then they have also popped up in countries such as Hungary, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
In Mumbai, India’s financial hub, civic authorities have touted the project as a mix of engineering, entertainment and, most importantly, a safety measure.
Engineers cut grooves in the asphalt that act like a giant vinyl record. When vehicles pass over them at speeds of 45 to 50 miles per hour (70 to 80 km/h), the vibrations produce the melody composed by Indian musician AR Rahman.
If they drive too fast, the vibrations become annoying and encourage drivers to slow down. Signs warn drivers before the musical stretch and tell them the speed needed to experience the tune.
The 500-metre stretch was inaugurated on February 11 by Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who described it as a “showcase of innovation”.
Authorities have argued that the feature helps drivers stay alert while reinforcing speed discipline, but residents disagree.
In their complaint to Mumbai’s municipal authority and sent to the Maharashtra chief minister’s office, they flag “auditory distraction on a high-speed road” as a potential safety hazard.
They also accuse officials of focusing on what they see as speed control trickery and failing to address more pressing concerns, such as high-performance cars driving at high speeds along Coast Highway.
The music is not broadcast over speakers, but residents say the repetitive nature of the music makes it hard to ignore. They argue that at a time when many cities are working to reduce noise pollution, Mumbai is moving in the opposite direction.
The eight-lane Coastal Road has been a controversial issue since it was first proposed in 2011. The $1.6 billion project has reduced driving time between Marine Drive and Worli from 45 minutes to 10 minutes.
But critics say the taxpayer-funded expressway, built on land reclaimed from the Arabian Sea, mainly benefits wealthy car owners, while the rest of Mumbai’s 23 million residents are forced to rely on packed buses and trains.
