Drivers who honk their horns face a fine of 150 yuan (US$21.10) in Shenzhen City as authorities launch a three-month campaign to improve the city's living environment amid rising noise complaints.

The police pledged to take the lead in the campaign and officers are also required to use their horns less frequently, Guangzhou Daily reported.

Drivers who have received three fines for honking will be blacklisted and exposed to the media, the report said. Blacklisted drivers will be monitored more closely, according to the report.

The police may also unplug fixed horns in public areas if they have caused serious noise pollution, the report said.

The report cited the Shenzhen Traffic Bureau as saying that the authority had received more noise pollution complaints recently, especially in residential areas.

In Shanghai, police enacted a traffic rule on June 1 last year that bans motorists from beeping horns inside the Outer Ring Road. Violators face a fine up to 200 yuan although operators of two-wheeled vehicles will only be fined five yuan to 50 yuan.

(Shanghai Daily March 10, 2008)