No radio? No problem. The emirate of Fujairah has installed rumble strips along a 750m stretch of highway that play the Ode To Joy melody from Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony when cars roll over, part of a project to integrate music into daily life.
Similar musical roads have been installed in the US, Japan and Hungary.
However, this is the first permanent music road in the Arab world, according to Ali Obaid Al Hefaiti, director of the Fine Arts Academy in Fujairah, an emirate 120km from the global tourism hub of Dubai.
The technology works by carving strategically spaced grooves into the asphalt on Fujairah’s Sheikh Khalifa Street. When tyres hit the ridges at about 120km/h, the resulting vibrations produce a melody audible inside the vehicle.
Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, a tune known to almost every ear on Earth, was a natural choice, Al Hefaiti said.
Mohammad Al Matrooshi, an Omani resident travelling from Sharjah, said the music relaxed him after a long journey.
“The music gives you a different mood, specially because the music is by Beethoven.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.