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US 'musical road' hits bum note | US 'musical road' hits bum note |
(1 day later) | |
It might sound like an idea from a 1960s hippy gathering, but there really is such a thing as a musical highway. | It might sound like an idea from a 1960s hippy gathering, but there really is such a thing as a musical highway. |
A section of Avenue K in a Californian desert town uses grooves cut into the road surface to play the Lone Ranger theme to cars driving along it. | A section of Avenue K in a Californian desert town uses grooves cut into the road surface to play the Lone Ranger theme to cars driving along it. |
But some Lancaster residents are not amused. They say the noise from the road sounds more like a discordant screech than the Rossini overture. | But some Lancaster residents are not amused. They say the noise from the road sounds more like a discordant screech than the Rossini overture. |
Officials have bowed to their views and have agreed to pave over the grooves. | Officials have bowed to their views and have agreed to pave over the grooves. |
'High-pitch drone' | 'High-pitch drone' |
The response to the new grooves in Avenue K was immediate. | The response to the new grooves in Avenue K was immediate. |
While several Lancaster residents were entertained enough to post footage on video-sharing websites such as YouTube, others were less pleased. | While several Lancaster residents were entertained enough to post footage on video-sharing websites such as YouTube, others were less pleased. |
"I think it's terrible because it keeps me awake at night," Lancaster resident Donna Martin told the Daily Breeze newspaper. | "I think it's terrible because it keeps me awake at night," Lancaster resident Donna Martin told the Daily Breeze newspaper. |
"You can kind of tell it's music, but it's not any tune or notes. It's a scratchy sound, a high-pitch drone." | "You can kind of tell it's music, but it's not any tune or notes. It's a scratchy sound, a high-pitch drone." |
The musical road was the idea of car-maker Honda. The firm said the grooves in the road were engineered to play the overture at perfect pitch for motorists driving Honda Civics at 55mph (88km/h). | The musical road was the idea of car-maker Honda. The firm said the grooves in the road were engineered to play the overture at perfect pitch for motorists driving Honda Civics at 55mph (88km/h). |
Similar ideas have been tried out in Japan, South Korea and the Netherlands. | Similar ideas have been tried out in Japan, South Korea and the Netherlands. |
But the music was intended only for those inside the cars, so it seems the sound has carried too far. | But the music was intended only for those inside the cars, so it seems the sound has carried too far. |
Although the grooves were carved into the road only a couple of weeks ago, officials have announced they will resurface the quarter-mile (400m) strip on Tuesday. |
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