Village paints 'squiggly lines' on roads to stop cars from speeding

UK motorists are often driven around the bend by bad road signs, but they might want to spare a thought for French drivers.

Across the Chanel, one village has decided to paint squiggly lines at a T-junction in a desperate bid to slow traffic.

Whilst it might be having the desired effect, locals aren’t so impressed by the abstract road signs.

Facebook/Ca bouge sur Bauné

Painted in the sleepy village of Baune, which is close to the city of Angers, the motor markings are more like modern art.

Zig-zagging across the street, it makes even the biggest petrolheads want to hit the breaks after seeing the road before them.

The lines were introduced after locals grew concerned about drivers repeatedly breaking the 19 mph (30 kph) limit in the small village.

Eager to slow things down, the French authorities discussed possible solutions and later settled on the mad markings.

Speaking to The Connexion, local mayor Audrey Revereault revealed locals hope the road will be a ‘visual disturbance’ and force people to slow down.

The mad markings are currently being trialled with authorities waiting to see how effective they will be.

Surprisingly, the design was chosen over more traditional traffic control as Jean-Charles Prono, the mayor of the Loire-Authion region, explained.

Having overseen seven villages in the area, he told EuroNews that ‘people drive fast and it's complicated to get people to slow down and to have road signs that work’.

He added that the design had been implemented instead speed bumps, which would have created too much noise for residents.

However, it seems locals are already having a headache over the new look road.

Pexels

Taking to Facebook, one villager even claimed they felt ‘seasick’ because of the design as they discussed it on a local page, Ca bouge sur Bauné.

Responding to a photo of the design, she told users: “Personally, I don't like driving on it. It turns my stomach like seasickness.”

Others agreed, with another adding: “‘It's destabilising the first time you pass over it.”

To which, a third pointedly replied: “Frankly I was very surprised and indeed my attention as a driver was disturbed because I wondered where I had to drive, if the direction of traffic had changed, etc…”

Some even questioned whether the road signs would make things any safer.

One even argued: “I think it's going to be more dangerous than anything else.”

Clearly, it seems that some residents want to hit the brakes on this project.