In most cities, traffic lights are such a familiar part of daily life that it is difficult to imagine roads functioning without them. Yet there are places around the world that operate entirely without red-yellow-green signals—not because of inadequate infrastructure, but for reasons far more diverse than many would expect.
Here are some places that demonstrate that traffic lights are not the only way to manage the movement of vehicles.
1. Bhutan
Bhutan is the only country in the world without a single traffic light, including in its capital, Thimphu. Traffic at major intersections is managed by uniformed police officers standing inside decorated booths, directing vehicles through hand signals.
In 1995, traffic lights were briefly installed at a major intersection in Thimphu as a pilot project. However, residents considered them too impersonal and inconsistent with the city's emphasis on human interaction. The lights were eventually removed and replaced once again by traffic officers.
Pressure on this system, however, continues to grow as the number of vehicles increases. Traffic accidents in Bhutan nearly doubled within four years, rising from 780 cases in 2022 to 1,450 in 2025. Road fatalities increased from 79 to 102, while injuries rose from 547 to 784.
As of 2026, Bhutan has approximately 125,000 registered active vehicles. Even so, the government has not indicated any plans to change its policy. As recently as October 2024, Home Affairs Minister Lyonpo Tshering stated that installing traffic lights was still "premature."
2. Vatican City
Vatican City, the world's smallest sovereign state, also operates without traffic lights. Covering just 44 hectares and home to roughly 800 residents, the city-state has little need for traffic signals. Its roads are managed through road signs and the supervision of Vatican police.
The Vatican's transportation system includes neither an airport nor highways. Most of its infrastructure consists of St. Peter's Square, corridors within St. Peter's Basilica, and pedestrian pathways. The entire territory can be crossed on foot in less than 20 minutes.
3. Niue
Despite being three times larger than Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, Niue has no traffic lights and only a single gas station. With quiet roads and very little traffic, there is simply no need to rush.
Niue's population has fallen to fewer than 1,500 people due to decades of ongoing emigration. The 2022 census conducted by the Niue Statistics Office confirmed this figure.
4. Tekes, Xinjiang (China)
Tekes is a county in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang that has attracted international attention for its road network, which was designed according to the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) pattern in Taoist cosmology. Local authorities removed all traffic lights in 1996 because the county had never experienced significant traffic congestion.
Its circular and radial Bagua layout allows vehicles to reach their destinations from multiple directions without requiring signals to regulate traffic flow. However, according to reports by CCTV, the recent increase in private vehicle ownership has led to police officers being stationed at intersections almost continuously to ensure traffic continues to move smoothly.
