Conspiracy

Bizarre conspiracy theory claims traffic lights are 'assault weapons'

By T.K. Randall
September 17, 2026

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) We've reported on some strange conspiracy theories over the years, ranging from the more well-known - such as the notion that the Apollo Moon landings were a hoax - to the downright bizarre - such as the idea that birds aren't real or that the Roman Empire never existed.

This latest example firmly belongs in the latter of those two categories.

According to reports, there are a growing number of individuals - known as Blade Runners - who believe that ordinary traffic lights have some sort of nefarious purpose.

Rather than simply managing the flow of traffic, the lights have been described by the group as "electronic assault weapons" that use "illegal battlefield-derived technology".They even go so far as to claim that the lights cause a range of health problems, such as heart attacks, brain cancer and anxiety, as well as directly causing deaths.

In the town of Ilfracombe in Devon, England, a man and a woman were recently caught on CCTV climbing up a traffic light and damaging it, believing that they were removing a genuine threat.

They were charged with criminal damage and causing danger to road users.

Exactly how a conspiracy theory as strange as this got started in the first place remains unclear.

Source: Oddity Central

Tags: Conspiracy