Mumbai: What was intended to be a rhythmic engineering marvel has become a source of mounting frustration for residents in South Mumbai. The recently inaugurated "musical road" patch on the Mumbai Coastal Road is facing a wave of backlash from local citizens who claim the constant hum of the installation is turning their homes into an acoustic nightmare.
Tourist Attraction or Torture Device? Novelty Wore Off in Hours
The musical road, designed to play a specific melody when vehicles drive over specially spaced grooves at a regulated speed, was meant to be a tourist attraction and a speed-control measure. However, residents living right in front of the Coastal Road in Breach Candy, Mahalaxmi and nearby areas , which are already a hotspot for heavy traffic, say the novelty wore off within hours.
The local housing societies have raised a symphony of complaints that the "music" doesn't sound like a melody from their balconies; instead, it manifests as a continuous, high-pitched drone that permeates through windows, even those with double glazing.
'Can't Sleep at Night': Frustrated Muffled Music Echoes in Buildings
Kavita Chawla, a resident of Vaibhav Building near Tata Gardens in Breach Candy, said that the new attraction for motorists has become an additional headache for the people residing in coastal road-facing buildings. She complained that the residents are unable to sleep at night as the noise becomes louder.
“The frustrated muffled music along with speeding cars starts echoes in our buildings all day and night. The room which faces an interior road has become more peaceful than the coastal road-facing room now,” said Chawla, who lives on an upper floor in a high-rise tower, adding that the residents on the lower floors face higher discomfort with the noise.
Residents argue that the ambient noise from the Coastal Road was already at the upper limit of permissible decibels. The musical grooves have pushed these levels into a range that interferes with sleep and daily concentration. Moreover, the residents said that the coastal breeze and the surrounding architecture reportedly carry the sound further inland than urban planners may have anticipated.
'Tone-Deaf to Residents' Needs': Locals Slam 24x7 Hum
"We were already battling the relentless honking and the roar of engines at the exit point. Adding a musical patch that plays 24/7 every time a car passes is simply tone-deaf to the needs of the people living here,” said another resident of a high-rise near Breach Candy, who did not wish to be named.
The exit of the Coastal Road has already been a point of contention. Since its opening, the bottlenecking of traffic as vehicles transition onto the older, narrower city streets has led to increased honking and idling. Community leaders argue that the municipal corporation should have prioritised sound barriers and noise-dampening asphalt over such noise-producing installations.
“The huge amount of money put for a musical road, could have been used for many other better public amenities. This is wasting people’s money for mere entertainment while elderly people in the locality struggle to get a sound sleep,” said Chawla.
Residents demanded that sound barriers should be installed along the residential side of the coastal road and the lane should be shut down during night hours. A few residents also suggested temporary silencing of the musical patch until a long-term solution is found.
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