FX.co ★ Top 7 Unusual Traffic Lights

Traffic light tree

This world famous public sculpture was created by French sculptor Pierre Vivant in 1998. The composition imitates the shape of a tree, 8 meters high with 70 branches crowned with traffic lights. Despite the fact that the installation has no practical use and performs a purely aesthetic function, it has become very popular with both locals and tourists. Located on one of London's streets, the composition symbolizes the endless rhythm of life in the British capital.

In honor of Elvis

In 2018, the city authorities of the German city of Friedberg decided to perpetuate the memory of American singer Elvis Presley and did it in a very unusual way. Several traffic lights were installed on the streets of the city, featuring the silhouette of the singer who once did his military service in Friedberg. Thus, when the red color lights up, a recognizable silhouette of Elvis standing at the microphone appears at the traffic light. And when the light changes to green, pedestrians and drivers see the singer dancing with the guitar.

Tolerance itself

In 2015, during the preparation of the city for the Eurovision Song Contest, the city authorities of Vienna decided to install several unusual traffic lights in support of gay performers. Thus, the most tolerant traffic lights in the world depicting same-sex couples were installed at 120 intersections of the city. However, «tolerant» traffic lights did not last long on the streets of the capital. Shortly after the contest, they were dismantled, since many residents were outraged by such installations.

Recumbent traffic lights

Since 2015, the project «Under-foot traffic lights» has been implemented in Russia. The first city where LED recumbent traffic lights were installed was Moscow, and later such unusual traffic lights appeared in many other cities of the country. This project is not dictated by the desire to follow modern urban trends. It is designed to prevent accidents involving pedestrians looking at a smartphone while crossing the road. That is why most often such traffic lights can be found near educational institutions and places of large concentrations of young people.

Dedication to Beethoven

As is well known, the German city of Bonn is the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven. So it is not surprising that the former capital of Germany has many «dedications» to the composer: monuments, museums, concert halls, etc. And on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven, which was celebrated in 2020, several traffic lights with a portrait of the musical genius were also installed in the city.

Follow the cartoon

As it has already become obvious, unusual traffic lights are a feature of Germany. Another example of this is the traffic lights in Mainz, depicting popular cartoon characters - the Little Mainz Men. The Mainzelmännchen (in German) are cartoon characters of the local TV station. These heroes have long been loved by the inhabitants of the city, young and old, so who else but a Mainzelmännchen should decorate the traffic lights in Mainz.

Debunking the myth

Famous for its open-air museum, the Danish city of Aarhus has recently acquired another attraction. In 2019, traffic lights depicting Vikings were installed at the city's busiest intersections. As it should be, the Scandinavian sailors are equipped with a shield, an ax, but on their heads they don’t wear the notorious helmets affixed with horns, but a bowl with a prominent nose guard. Thus, with the help of the correct image on traffic lights, the city authorities decided to debunk the most popular myth about the Vikings.