A crackdown on lazy drivers honking their car horns outside shops and restaurants could soon be enshrined in law in Bahrain.

Under a new nationwide draft bill put forward by the Northern Municipal Council, shop assistants and restaurant workers could face legal action if they attend to motorists who park up outside their premises and demand to be served without leaving their cars, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

It follows an unsuccessful campaign launched by the council last year, which aimed to cut down on the amount of honking by having shops put up "do not horn" signs.

Hamad Town has been particularly affected by thoughtless motorists, with an estimated daily average of 1,500 car horns being sounded each day outside some shops.

Outgoing area councillor Jaffar Shaaban told the GDN that the new draft bill had been drawn up after the council tried and failed to win the support of the Northern Municipality and Northern Security Directorate over the issue.

"One body said it was a security issue since it involved cars, while the other said it was a municipal issue since it involved imposing stricter closing times," he said.

"In both cases, they were wrong since people were sounding their horns during the day - not just at night - and the cars involved were stationary with no accident involved.

"So we decided to try and compel shops and restaurants to set up signs, but that didn't work because people continued to sound their horns and the workers continued to serve them, despite the signs."

Frustrated at the lack of action, councillors hope the new bill - which has been passed on to Municipalities and Urban Planning Affairs Minister Dr Juma Al Ka'abi for referral to the Cabinet - will give the police and municipal inspectors new powers to deal with thoughtless honkers.

"Honking, especially if someone is asleep, would make anyone mad and I can't blame residents for clashing with shop workers over this issue," said Shaaban.

"The workers want business, so they are willing to serve customers outside - but if 1,500 horns are being sounded every day, you can imagine how 'symphonic' that must be." - TradeArabia News Service