Baffled Residents Claim LTN Road Markings That Look Like “Giant Wotsits” Are Wreaking Havoc
Birkenhead locals say their street now looks like a bag of “giant Wotsits” after Wirral Council’s Low Traffic scheme splashed orange markings everywhere. The Mail has more.
The adventurous shapes cover the pavement and half of the road, with orange planters placed on top at intervals, which will soon be joined by benches.
The overhaul, which is ongoing, comes as part of a local authority trial of a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) in the area, which will make the street one-way.
Wirral Council said the coloured surface and street furniture serve to “represent the new boundary” between “an improved and widened pedestrianised area” and the single carriageway.
It is “an eye-catching but straightforward way”, it added, of “changing the dynamics of the street without the need for major civil works”.
The hope is the road will become an enjoyable shopping street, instead of an overly busy thoroughfare, crammed with cars.
But residents are not so convinced, finding themselves scratching their heads at the town’s bold new look.
One customer at the Charing Cross Pub, which sits at one end of the transformed road, said the orange blobs “reminds me of giant Wotsits”.
And local woman Joy Longshaw said: “I don’t mind a bit of psychedelia but this is a bit much.”
She said it looked messy – like if “Pollock and Dali had a child” – and might make navigation hard for colour-blind or visually impaired people.
Business owner Nigel Nieto said he and others who trade on the road had little say in the rollout of the scheme.
The shopkeeper at Grange West Lighting said benches were being brought in against their wishes, fearing people would simply use them to sit and drink on.
He was not a fan of the garish design either, dubbing it too bright and incongruous with the look of the street.
And Mr Nieto raised concerns the planters will not last amid anti-social behaviour, predicting the soil and plants will simply be removed and the pots graffitied. …
Other locals told the Wirral Globe the design made the street look like a “children’s playground” and was “a waste of money”, saying “the council has lost the plot”.
Ten up ticks. Imo, In this lost land of endless/planned industrial decline and joblessness, voting for a continuing existence on the government teat is the only intelligent choice.
Is there actually the option of voting for people who don’t just want to rule over others and tell them what to do?
I mean, that’s all those marking are, isn’t it. Just someone getting off on the fact that people will now drive down that street the way he wants them to. Or she.
Same as the masks, same as the social distancing, same as a tonne of long standing bureaucratic rules. Just crap someone makes up to be able to tell others what to do.
I don’t think voting in a different group of people is going to change the general dynamic too much. The people who stand for these things are drawn to the power it gives them over others. If it isn’t stupid road markings it’ll be something else.
The only reasonable stance, in my view, is not to vote, to refuse to play the game. It’s a rigged game.
Getting yourself voted in might. Tongue in cheek really, but half serious. Those who wish for power have the energy to pursue it. Those who have other careers/interests (like me) can’t be bothered, hence we get shafted.
I wouldn’t call it passivity. I would call it non-cooperation, which I actually think is general extremely disruptive. It’s also the only honest position to take when you just want to be left alone and don’t want either to impose yourself on others.
Indeed.
Reform deserve a chance but spoiling your ballot paper is a reasonable option
Things will only get significantly better if there is a wider realisation that we give these people too much power
Yeah we live in a “conservation area” because we’re opposite a beautiful Grade 2 listed manor house and a Norman church – we are restricted as to what we can to do our hideous 1950s brick bungalow. But the council festooned the whole area with stupid 20mph speed limit signs that everyone thankfully ignores.
Close to my reaction which was ‘what a f*cking abortion!’.
Gezza England
6 months ago
‘might make navigation hard for colour-blind or visually impaired people.’
The clowns who run the traffic departments were all gung ho on removing kerbs on streets in the belief that it would slow traffic. But of course these mental retards had not considered blind people who need the kerbs to navigate safely. Eventually some braincell at the DfT realised this and blocked any further kerb removal. Still, just to ensure blind people were still placed in danger they started battery powered scooter hire schemes.
happycake78
6 months ago
All about getting you out of your car
RTSC
6 months ago
I wonder which illegal substance they were imbibing when they came up with this nonsense?
RichardTechnik
6 months ago
It’s going to look really good in 2 or 3 years with wear and tear, general neglect and black/green organic detritus settling in the rough surface
Are we sure it was daft left councillors who originated this idea. Often it is a quango (quasi regulator) such as the Local Government Authority that pushes such ideas and officers obediently put them in front of councillors.
Are there no rules as to what idiot councils can paint on the thoroughfare?
inamo
5 months ago
Student activist local and national government by displacement activity. More insane spaffing public money bllx. Instead, spend the money on maintaining the infrastructure, parks, schools, etc. and fixing the potholed roads. And vote Reform – if you ever get the opportunity to vote, ever again.
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I presume a good portion of the locals voted for these clowns or people like them
A busy road will become less busy, so roads somewhere else will become busier
Scam
An electorate that votes in a council run by 62% Labour + Greens gets the psychedelic tarmac wotsits it asked for.
Ten up ticks. Imo, In this lost land of endless/planned industrial decline and joblessness, voting for a continuing existence on the government teat is the only intelligent choice.
Is there actually the option of voting for people who don’t just want to rule over others and tell them what to do?
I mean, that’s all those marking are, isn’t it. Just someone getting off on the fact that people will now drive down that street the way he wants them to. Or she.
Same as the masks, same as the social distancing, same as a tonne of long standing bureaucratic rules. Just crap someone makes up to be able to tell others what to do.
I don’t think voting in a different group of people is going to change the general dynamic too much. The people who stand for these things are drawn to the power it gives them over others. If it isn’t stupid road markings it’ll be something else.
The only reasonable stance, in my view, is not to vote, to refuse to play the game. It’s a rigged game.
Passivity will change nothing either.
Getting yourself voted in might. Tongue in cheek really, but half serious. Those who wish for power have the energy to pursue it. Those who have other careers/interests (like me) can’t be bothered, hence we get shafted.
I wouldn’t call it passivity. I would call it non-cooperation, which I actually think is general extremely disruptive. It’s also the only honest position to take when you just want to be left alone and don’t want either to impose yourself on others.
It might be but there’ll only ever be a small percentage of us who don’t vote as a question of principle.
We’ll just get ignored.
The only thing that can move the needle is civil unrest, peaceful of course but massive and hugely disruptive.
That might have a chance.
Indeed.
Reform deserve a chance but spoiling your ballot paper is a reasonable option
Things will only get significantly better if there is a wider realisation that we give these people too much power
And so the uglification and infantilisation of England continues.
Yeah we live in a “conservation area” because we’re opposite a beautiful Grade 2 listed manor house and a Norman church – we are restricted as to what we can to do our hideous 1950s brick bungalow. But the council festooned the whole area with stupid 20mph speed limit signs that everyone thankfully ignores.
Jesus wept.
Close to my reaction which was ‘what a f*cking abortion!’.
‘might make navigation hard for colour-blind or visually impaired people.’
The clowns who run the traffic departments were all gung ho on removing kerbs on streets in the belief that it would slow traffic. But of course these mental retards had not considered blind people who need the kerbs to navigate safely. Eventually some braincell at the DfT realised this and blocked any further kerb removal. Still, just to ensure blind people were still placed in danger they started battery powered scooter hire schemes.
All about getting you out of your car
I wonder which illegal substance they were imbibing when they came up with this nonsense?
It’s going to look really good in 2 or 3 years with wear and tear, general neglect and black/green organic detritus settling in the rough surface
Sorry, but it makes that street look like a gaudy tastless third world slum!
No need for “sorry” Dinger.
Are we sure it was daft left councillors who originated this idea. Often it is a quango (quasi regulator) such as the Local Government Authority that pushes such ideas and officers obediently put them in front of councillors.
Low traffic neighbourhoods, ULEZ schemes, manufactured consent and other assorted Mayor-led climate change bs, see C40 Cities. E.g.
https://www.charlottecgill.co.uk/p/who-funds-you-c40-cities
Are there no rules as to what idiot councils can paint on the thoroughfare?
Student activist local and national government by displacement activity. More insane spaffing public money bllx. Instead, spend the money on maintaining the infrastructure, parks, schools, etc. and fixing the potholed roads. And vote Reform – if you ever get the opportunity to vote, ever again.