Although it may not be apparent to any Kunming residents who have walked the bustling streets of the city recently, today is the fourth day of a ban on car horns within the second ring road, according to a Dushi Shibao report.

Following the lead of megacities like Shanghai and even other cities in Yunnan such as Yuxi, the Kunming municipal government has banned the use of car horns within the second ring road (二环) in all situations except for emergencies.

In an emergency situation – such as prior to a likely collision – cars are allowed to sound their horns no more than three times, with each toot lasting no more than half a second. Violators will be fined, although it is unclear how much the fines will run.

As Dushi Shibao noted, and as anyone in downtown Kunming during the last few days has experienced, the no-horn rule has yet to have any effect upon Kunming drivers, who are far from horn-shy. According to police, the initial phase of the no-horn rule will be focused on 'educating' Kunming drivers, after which the fines will begin to be doled out.

Editor's Note: This site is pleased to see that the city government appears to be acknowledging the growing problem of noise pollution in Kunming. We applaud and support the decision to restrict horn usage to emergencies only.