A town in Pennsylvania has painted squiggly lines on the roads to reduce speeding, and it's somewhat effective.

      Adam Ismail

      Yesterday, local news from the greater Philadelphia area (about an hour's drive north of Center City, so the term "greater" might be a bit generous) highlighted a peculiar method for managing speeding. Traffic engineers and road officials in Montgomery Township, Pennsylvania, are seeking to reduce traffic speeds on a short residential road that lies between two major routes. Commonly, this might be addressed with speed bumps or digital signs designed to shame drivers, but authorities are testing a unique approach on Grays Lane: wobbly road lines and cones.

      The posted speed limit is 25 mph, yet the township reported to NBC10 that many motorists have been ignoring this limit for over two years, with no signs of improvement. The issue arises because Grays Lane connects PA Route 309 on the west with US Route 202 on the east, making traffic around these parts particularly frustrating during rush hour—just ask a local. The confusing, perpetually under-construction five-point intersection located just beneath Grays Lane that 309 passes through certainly complicates matters. Consequently, as is predictable in the age of Waze navigation, drivers are using Grays as a shortcut to save time.

      Residents have reached their breaking point, and in February, the township's board of supervisors approved a project to paint chicanes over two blocks of the road. Currently, there are large electronic signs alerting motorists to a “new traffic pattern” ahead, accompanied by cones along the outer white lines. And yes, it feels odd to drive through. When I discovered this controversial stretch was roughly 20 minutes from my home, I felt compelled to see it for myself.

      In person, the route isn't as jagged or twisted as some photographs taken with particularly long lenses might suggest. However, drivers generally do not adhere closely to the wavy lines. Of the 20 cars I observed on the road this morning, I would estimate that only nine made even a slight effort to steer correctly. Yet, many of those were navigating the bends like Formula 1 drivers at Suzuka. I witnessed one Subaru driver navigate the entire distance in a straight line at full speed, entirely unfazed by oncoming traffic. Conversely, I also saw another driver, seemingly baffled, almost come to a stop at the bulletin and crawl through the chicane at a walking pace.

      What I can say, even without a radar gun, is that it appeared most cars slowed somewhat while traversing those two blocks. Whether this is due to the new layout doing its job or local residents trying to figure out what exactly has happened to this road, it's too early to determine. It seems a proposed solution involving speed bumps was discarded because the road was considered too steep (there's a gentle incline rising from Doylestown Road). In the near future, the township plans to install further "posts" and obstructions down the center of the road to discourage straight-lining.

      Perhaps today, at least, police should have adjusted one of those electronic signs to clarify that this is no April Fools’ prank. “In response to many of the comments, yes, this is a legitimate precaution that has been put in place,” the township felt compelled to declare in response to its own Facebook post regarding the measure.

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