Of the nearly 1,050 traffic signals in Seattle, about 100 have audible traffic signals. Pedestrians who have gotten used to the chirps and cuckoo sounds are contending with a new tone. So far, multiple people have described the new “rapid ticks” as jarring, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation.

“I think some of it is just in the sampling of the noise: It cuts off pretty quickly, and that’s what makes it sound more like a gun than anything,” said Ahmed Darrat, traffic signal shop manager for SDOT.

The NEW Seattle Crosswalk Sound: Rapid Tick by KUOW

So why is Seattle phasing out the sound of birds with something that sounds like the clip from an action movie? In a nutshell: because the federal government said so, according to Darrat.

Darrat and SDOT are trying to comply with standards outlined in Federal Highway Administration's “Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices," or MUTCD.