Traffic lights across Hamburg have been malfunctioning since Friday midday, with over 50 signals stuck on red or green, or failing to cycle properly, according to the city’s traffic control center.
At the intersection of Koppelstraße and Hagenbeck’s Tierpark, drivers reported permanent green lights while pedestrians waited uncertainly before crossing against red signals on the busy road.
Police are directing traffic at multiple locations including Kieler Straße, Glashütter Landstraße, Poppenbütteler Weg (Ring 3), and Hammer Landstraße as the outage affects signals citywide.
How traffic authorities are responding
Nils Schönrok from Hamburg Verkehrsanlagen said teams are working under pressure to fix the issue, though the cause remains completely unclear.
Hamburg has more than 1,700 traffic signals in total, and officials have not yet determined whether the failure stems from a software glitch, power issue, or external interference.
What Which means for commuters and safety
The disruption creates hazardous conditions as drivers and pedestrians face conflicting signals, increasing the risk of collisions at major crossings.
Similar widespread signal failures occurred in Berlin in 2021 when a software update caused dozens of lights to default to red, requiring manual police control for three days.
/wp:paragraph –>How long will the repairs take?
Authorities have not provided a timeline for resolving the outage, stating only that work is ongoing with high priority.
Are drivers allowed to treat malfunctioning lights as stop signs?
Under German traffic law, when signals fail completely, drivers must follow right-of-way rules or police instructions, but flashing or stuck lights do not automatically revert to stop-sign status.
