Did you know about musical roads?
Hyderabad: Have you ever heard of roads that sing? Well, to everyone’s surprise, such roads exist. Though they don’t literally sing, there are roads that very much produce a musical tune. Musical roads are basically when a section of a road is driven over causing a vibration. That specific part of the road has small […]
Published Date - 8 July 2022, 08:07 PM
Hyderabad: Have you ever heard of roads that sing? Well, to everyone’s surprise, such roads exist. Though they don’t literally sing, there are roads that very much produce a musical tune.
Musical roads are basically when a section of a road is driven over causing a vibration. That specific part of the road has small speed breaker-like strips set in a way that they form a tune. This audible rumbling can be felt through both the wheels and body of the vehicle and can be heard within the car in the form of a musical tune.
Each strip is placed in a way that creates the sound of a musical note. For each musical note such as E or D, the number of strips varies. These strips can be placed on the road externally or can be built within them. These strips are also known as sleeper lines, audible lines, or the woo woo boards. In some places, these roads are also used as a road safety feature to alert inattentive drivers of potential danger, by causing these vibrations.
This concept of musical roads was first popular in the United States of America when Honda placed these stripes on Lancaster City’s outskirts. A road was grooved to play the William Tell Overture, the tune that features in the Honda commercial when driven on at 50 mph. The “musical road” is now preserved as a tourist attraction.