Wiggly white lines have been added to a new tarmac surface in West Susses, UK, as part of a £178,000 ($224,529) scheme to make its own town centre car-free and “brighten up” the area. As per Ladbible, the council in Worthing, West Sussex, revealed that the move is part of the promise to go carbon neutral by 2030, and offer an “attractive outdoor meeting space” for people in the town.
Around £23,500 ($29,642) was reportedly spent on design and management fees, and the painting of the swirly while lines cost £1,230 ($1,551). The idea behind the unusual lines is to make the area a car-free zone in order to allow cafes and restaurants to have more outdoor seating, and feature more greenery and pleasant plants.
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However, the hopes that the scheme would create an “attractive outdoor meeting space” have fallen flat as residents are unimpressed and slated the council's efforts as a “waste of money”. As per the media outlet, one resident said that it was a “silly design”. Another said that the wiggly lines looked like an “absolute mess” that looked more “like a kid has been let loose than anything else”.
As per Metro, the Worthington Society Committee even called on the council to remove the white lines as soon as practically possible. Chair Sue Belton said that the extensive white lines are “over-dominant” and detract from the historic character of the listed buildings.
Other residents, however, could see the funny side. One stated that it was “very thoughtful of the council” to paint the lines on the ground and make all the drunks in the town think they were walking in a straight line.
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On the other hand, speaking to local media outlet The Argus, a council spokesperson informed that the plans to brighten up the town were a “temporary measure” to pave the way for making the town centre permanently car-free. The council will be asking residents what they wanted to see in the long term.
Previously, the road was used to provide disabled parking spaces at a convenient distance from shops.
