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Earlier this month a “singing road” appeared, it was in the Netherlands. The Dutch replaced uniform rumble strips with those which would play a tune.

The idea is to induce the driver to roll over the strips and play the tune. In doing so, the driver would have to a) pay attention and b) drive the speed limit. In doing both, the driver would enjoy the sounds of the road, in this case the regional anthem of Fryslân, a beautiful Dutch tourist destination.

They worked for the driver. Sadly, they drove the residents who lived in proximity to the road to a point beyond frustrated. The singing road kept residents awake all night.

“The Frisian national anthem is fine, but not 24 hours a day,” Sijtze Jansma, who lives about 600 feet from the road, told the news website RTL. “I’m going nuts. You can’t sit outside and you can’t sleep at night.”

The experiment ended after only a few days when the singing road was removed.

De dit weekend aangebrachte proefstrepen op de N357 bij Jelsum geven teveel overlast voor omwonenden. Daarom neemt provincie Fryslân maatregelen. https://t.co/8R2FmRbmis pic.twitter.com/CeCnRxiNqY

— Provincie Fryslân (@provfryslan) April 9, 2018

Reporting from The New York Times tells us

Local officials hoped the strips would encourage drivers to stick to the speed limit. In addition, Ms. Poepjes said, “Since we’re the cultural capital, we said, ‘Let’s make a cultural event of it.’” The coastal province of Friesland, while part of the Netherlands, has its own language. “We don’t speak Dutch; we speak Frisian,” Ms. Poepjes said. “So that’s why we gained the title of cultural capital in 2018, and we wanted to highlight that.” Working overnight last Friday, road crews painted about 490 feet of a newly paved, 124-mile stretch of the road with the strips. Ms. Poepjes said music from “a popular part” of the regional anthem, “De Alde Friezen,” or “The Old Frisians,” from the 19th century, had been painted on. The project cost 80,000 euros, or about $99,000. Signs told drivers, “You are approaching a singing road.” When drivers hit 60 kilometers per hour, about 38 m.p.h., the regional anthem rang loud and clear.

Where might you still find a singing road?
Listen to America the Beautiful on Route 66

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