Nigerian city trials ban for one day – with threat of £75 fine – in attempt to reduce ear-splitting daily hubbub of 20 million people

Nigeria’s biggest city has banned the use of car horns for a day to raise awareness of noise pollution.

Despite the occasional honk ringing out in Lagos, the country’s financial capital, on Wednesday, road users say they noticed things were a bit quieter.

Many welcomed the idea but predicted the racket would resume on Thursday. “If the intention is to reduce the noise, it’s good,” said Lateef Adebayo, 35, a commercial driver. “But after today, I don’t see people complying with the policy.”

Traffic police have been advertising “horn-free day” on their high-visibility vests and can enforce existing legislation against unnecessary horn use. Anyone caught tooting near schools, hospitals and security zones risks a 20,000-naira (£75) fine.

“The objective of the day is to reduce noise pollution,” Lagos state government’s transport commissioner, Kayode Opeifa, said. “The exercise will create awareness that horn misuse and abuse is very dangerous to health and the environment.”

The horn-free trial is the first in Nigeria but follows similar noise-reduction initiatives around the world, such as in Mumbai, India. If successful, the event could take place every year, said Opeifa.

More than 60% of the vehicles in Nigeria drive on Lagos’s roads. Photograph: Tim Graham/Alamy

The constant “peep-peep” of the car horn is the soundtrack to Lagos life and is seen by many as part of its vibrant charm as a hive of industry and bustling entrepreneurial spirit.

Cars, battered danfos (minibuses), okada motorcycle taxis and lorries use the horn as punctuation before, during and after every manoeuvre – and when stuck in traffic. But added to the thumping beats of loud music, the noise of generator engines and 20 million people talking and shouting, residents can barely hear themselves think.

More than 60% of the vehicles in Nigeria are in Lagos and Opeifa said attitudes needed to show more consideration about how the horn is used. The government plans to take the campaign to churches, mosques and parks, where loudspeakers pump out religious messages and music, also shattering the peace.

The move will come too late for Yekini Anifowose, a trader in one of Lagos’s largest and busiest roadside parks, Oshodi, which is also one of the city’s worst traffic bottlenecks. “Seven years ago, I started gradually to lose my hearing when I was exposed to the deafening noise from this environment,” the 36-year-old said.

Anifowose is not alone. Emmanuel Abayomi Oyewole, a consultant ear surgeon, believes the horn-free initiative is long overdue. “Exposure to noise should not be greater than 90 decibels for eight hours per day and five days a week,” said Oyewole, warning that anything above that level can lead to permanent hearing loss.

Bomb blasts and military shelling can cause permanent deafness instantly but Oyewole said there had to be greater awareness of gradual loss of hearing, with many people exposed to loud noise day and night. “Noise pollution is a very serious problem in developing countries such as ours, where laws against noise pollution are either non-existent or not enforced,” he said.

Doctors around the world have increasingly warned about the effects of prolonged exposure to loud noise, saying it can cause illnesses such as epilepsy and cardiovascular disease.

Benedict Kunle Adebiyi, who teaches students with hearing difficulties at a specialist school in south-western Oyo state, said legislation would be a welcome first step. “There is yet no law to control noise pollution in Nigeria. And there should be one,” he said.

For the Lagos state governor, Babatunde Fashola, reducing noise pollution would improve residents’ quality of life and life expectancy. He called for Nigerians to tackle the problem in the same way that citizens took on board advice to combat the threat from the Ebola virus.