Authorities in Montgomery Township, Pennsylvania, have introduced wavy lane patterns on some streets in an effort to slow down traffic in the area.
Driving along Gray Lane in Montgomery Township for the first time must be quite the trip, both literally and figuratively. That’s because the regular lane patterns have been replaced by wavy, zig-zag lines that look like they were painted by a drunk. But they are wavy by design. According to Montgomery Township officials, the unusual patterns were deemed as the best solution to discourage speeding on some of the municipality’s streets. Police sources told local media outlets that the “traffic-calming measures” were installed in response to numerous complaints about certain streets being used as “speedways”.
“Our Highway Safety Officers and Traffic Engineers have determined that this is the best course of action for the area to ensure the safety of the local residents,” Montgomery Township police wrote in a Facebook post.
“Yes, it looks like somebody just drawing lines went off the road and did their own thing, but it’s not what is happening,” Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Annette Long said. “There actually is a plan for what’s going on here.”
Long claims that this is just the latest solution to the speeding on Grays Lane. In the past, speed bumps were considered, but they were considered incompatible with the steep gradient of the street. Police radar and police cars positioned at the end of the street have also been used, but they couldn’t be used at all times, so the wavy pattern was considered the best alternative. Not everyone agrees, though!
“I am honestly in shock. I thought this was a joke, but after reading the comments it doesn’t seem like it’s a joke,” one person commented on social media.
“Why zig-zaggy lines? People are still going to go straight up the hill and straight down the hill, so I don’t get it,” someone else wrote.
Authorities have installed traffic cones and signs to help drivers get used to the unconventional traffic patterns, but Grays Lane still manages to shock motorists the first time they drive on it.
If we might make a humble suggestion to the authorities of Montgomery Township, you would have been better off using deliberately confusing lines like this French town.
