It looks so strange that the authorities have had to assure that it's not an April Fool's joke with the twisted stripes on the road.
To reduce high speeds on a particular road in the state of Pennsylvania, USA, local authorities have begun testing an alternative form of road marking.
Instead of traditional speed limiters, the road surface is now painted with curved lines. The intention of the curved markings is to influence drivers to slow down in order to navigate the stretch.
The road in question is Grays Lane, a shorter stretch that connects two major roads. It is often used as a shortcut, especially during rush hour, which has caused inconvenience to residents due to heavy traffic and high speeds.
According to the authorities, the speed limit of 40 km/h is not something that drivers normally adhere to.
In response, the city council approved the implementation of the winding road markings, also called 'chikanes', in February, as well as the installation of cones along the road to further inconvenience drivers.
I don't know why drivers slow down.
The project has raised a lot of attention and questions among local residents. Montgomery Township has addressed the comments on its Facebook page.
– In response to many of the comments: yes, it is a legitimate measure that has been implemented, they wrote to emphasize that the new look of the road was not a prank, but a deliberate action to improve road safety.
This has been confirmed by several media outlets that have visited the site.
Traffic experts point out that for years, drivers have used Grays Lane to avoid traffic on the surrounding, larger roads.
The new road markings are designed to counteract the high speed of traffic by making it necessary to slow down in order to follow the road correctly and safely.
Visually, the road markings appear different from the usual straight lines, even though the road actually mostly goes straight.
According to the authorities, the alternative markings have already caused drivers to reduce their speed.
It is not known whether drivers are slowing down because the road is widely discussed both in the media and among locals, or whether it is actually the new markings that are having an effect.
