Tiny village with bizarre wiggly lines that make drivers feel sick

27 August 2023 , 02:10

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The roads of Baune are lined with squiggles in a bid to stop cars from speeding and prevent dangerous driving (Image: Mediadrumimages / MaxPPP)

Drivers in a tiny French village say they are left feeling sick due to the bizarre wiggly lines on the roads.

The roads of Baune are lined with squiggles in a bid to stop cars from speeding and prevent dangerous driving - but it's gone viral for all the wrong reasons. Some locals initially thought the new road markings were an abstract art project.

However, authorities soon clarified that the zig-zag lines were intended to slow drivers down in a 30kph (19mph) zone. It's designed to make the road appear more confusing to drivers, prompting them to slow down. The squiggles were painted on road sections leading to a T-junction in the village.

Mayor Audrey Revereault claims the markings have done as intended with the number of cars caught driving above the speed limit having drastically dropped since they were first introduced in July. Ms Revereault said the officials had hoped the markings would "create a visual disturbance" and slow drivers down.

Some locals initially thought the new road markings were an abstract art project (Mediadrumimages / MaxPPP)

Jean-Charles Prono, the mayor of Loire-Authion, a group of seven villages that includes Baune, said that the driving in the village sometimes reached 50kph, causing huge safety concerns among locals. He added: “It is a town of 1,700 inhabitants which is crossed by three main county roads and specifically at this area, there are two. "People drive fast and it's complicated to get people to slow down and to have road signs that work."

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He added that the goal was "to make it difficult to read the landscape". However, many locals were divided about the lines. Many posted on the local Facebook page 'Ca bouge sur Bauné' to share their views.

One local resident, Rachel Decaux, remarked: "Personally, I don't like driving on it. It turns my stomach like seasickness." Popo Benoist commented: "I think it's going to be more dangerous than anything else."

Hannah Kane