Sound Emissions: SX4 v/s Auto-Rickshaw

I hate autorickshaws! They represent the disease that afflicts Mumbai's prosperity, and are a menace on roads. Driven by un-educated, poor and unhygienic drivers, its' unbelievable that people of this city place their fate in such hands. As if the meter-tampering, abusive / filthy language and thick-spewing exhaust is not enough, there are reportedly 2 illegal rickshaws for every legally permitted one in the suburbs of Mumbai.

Two-stroke / four-stroke rickshaws are known for various vices, but the one that probably gets least attention is their enormous appetite for Noise Pollution. The auto-rickshaws' flout every known sound-limit imposed within the city for ANY zone anywhere. Its' socialism that's keeping them alive, otherwise, its' hard to imagine such an outdated relic of the past continuing to rub shoulders with Civics/SXs/Corollas/3-Series that dot the Mumbai roads.

I did a systematic study of noise pollution by recording sound levels while travelling in a rick and compared it to a drive in my SX4 car. The difference is neither subtle nor worth ignoring.


(Click to see the full sized version)

The rickshaws' are maiming us, perhaps even killing us slowly and steadily, but the corrupt officers and policemen will NOT act, not unless they find an easy way of bribes.