The trucks have left Ottawa, but 'phantom honking' lingers for many downtown

Post-traumatic stress from weeks of honking is a temporary 'mild trauma,' psychologist says

>Zakir Virani is one of several downtown residents now experiencing 'phantom honking.' (Avanthika Anand/CBC)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/convoy-protest-phantom-honking-1.6363104?cmp=rss

Kevin uses one word to describe the first days of the protests in downtown Ottawa: torture.

"Literally there was trucks right underneath me," said Kevin, who did not want to provide CBC a last name for fear of reprisal. "It was one thing for me, but I've got animals. I've got three cats, two dogs. So yeah, it was torture."

That "torture" is the reason behind an ongoing class-action lawsuit, which sought an injunction prohibiting any participants in the convoy protest from using vehicle horns in the vicinity of downtown Ottawa.

The trucks have since been removed, with police pushing the majority of protesters outside of the downtown core over the Family Day long weekend. Even still, some downtown residents say they're haunted by "phantom honking" — what sounds like blaring truck horns, but no actual sounds are there.

City starts to tally occupation's toll on residents' mental health
"When you hear that noise, it's like, 'Oh, are they back? Is there a road convoy coming back, right?'" said Sean Flynn, who lives about three kilometres from downtown but could still hear the horns inside his home during the protests.

"'I felt I was constantly doing these sort of double takes ... it almost feels a bit re-traumatizing."

Flynn isn't alone. Downtown resident Zakir Virani said he hears phantom honking, too, usually at night, which keeps him awake.