New traffic-calming road markings have left motorists and residents absolutely baffled, with some saying they look like ‘giant Wotsits’.
The bizarre orange and yellow squiggles stretch for 170 yards along a junction in Birkenhead, Merseyside.
The bright, colourful ‘crisp-shaped’ designs are splashed across both the pavement and the road and were installed by Labour-led Wirral Council as part of a trial one-way system, intended to calm traffic.
But the garish makeover has left some residents fuming, branding the idea ‘hideous’ and complaining it makes the road look like a ‘children’s playground’.
One made an interesting observation, saying: ‘It’s awful – it looks like someone painted Wotsits on the road.’
Another resident said: ‘Only our council could agree to something nobody on Wirral would endorse having. To think they employed an overseer on a six-figure salary to allow this to happen.’
While one local asked: ‘Is it some form of psychedelic hopscotch?’
Another resident concluded: ‘Someone in the council planning department was obviously really bored with a lot of time on their hands.’
The works followed two public consultations held between November 2022 and July 2023, both approved before contractor John Graham Ltd was awarded £2.9 million from Wirral’s £25million Future High Street Fund in March 2024.
The council says the project will help revamp Birkenhead town centre, making it a more attractive shopping destination while reducing car dominance.
Nearby Grange Road and Charing Cross are also being upgraded with new paving, improved crossings and street furniture. Grange Road West will get benches and planters as part of a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) trial.
Conservative councillor, Ian Lewis, described the scheme as a ‘monumental waste of taxpayers’ money’, adding: ‘It is a symptom of Labour’s failure to listen to residents and businesses while at the same time telling us there is no money to fix potholes elsewhere in the Borough.
‘The leader of the council should apologise to the businesses in the area and remove this eyesore.’
A Wirral Council spokesperson said: ‘The markings are part of the works to create a new one-way system on Grange Road West for westbound traffic only between the Charing Cross junction and Clayton Street.
‘The coloured surfacing will be enhanced with street furniture such as benches, planters, to represent the new boundary between an improved and widened pedestrianised area and the one-way single carriageway.
‘The aims of the scheme are to provide better access and connection to the shops, cafes and other services, make the area more attractive in order to drive increased footfall to the businesses and improve road safety while still maintaining access for traffic.
‘The use of the coloured surfacing design represents an eye-catching but straightforward way of changing the dynamics of the street without the need for major civil works, such as altering kerb lines and moving drainage systems.
‘The works here are a trial of a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) which means residents and businesses will be able to provide feedback on its effectiveness during the first six months of operation.’
Officials say the trial is designed to make the street safer and more welcoming for shoppers, while still allowing traffic through.
The works began in May 2024 and are expected to be completed later this year.
