Birkenhead road markings branded ‘a bit much’ by residents

Orange and yellow road markings placed along a street to slow down traffic have baffled residents, who have described them as “ridiculous” and “a bit much”.

They were painted on to Grange Road West in Birkenhead as part of a temporary one-way system and other traffic-calming measures introduced by Wirral Council.

Joy Longshaw was one of several people shaking their head as they walked past the new designs, and told BBC Radio Merseyside: “I don’t mind a bit of psychedelia, but this is a bit much.”

A council spokesman said the “coloured surfacing design represents an eye-catching but straightforward way of changing the dynamics of the street without the need for major civil work”.

The bold design covers most of the pavement, and swirls onto the road in a sweeping curve, while orange planters of varying sizes have been placed on top.

One customer at the Charing Cross Pub, which sits at one end of the street, said the colour and shape of the design “reminds me of giant Wotsits”.

The scheme, which is yet to be completed, is part of the wider regeneration of Birkenhead, approved by the council in 2023.

It aims to transform the street from a narrow, cluttered thoroughfare dominated by cars, to a more pleasant place to shop and visit.

Ms Longshaw said people who were colour-blind or visually impaired might find navigating the road a problem, and the scheme, however well-intentioned, was “a mess” .

Using the work of famous artists as a way of describing the markings, she said it was “a bit of Dali, perhaps”.

“Pollock and Dali mixed together. Pollock and Dali had a child and this is kind of what it looks like!”

Nigel Nieto, who runs Grange West Lighting halfway down the street, said businesses had little say in the scheme.

He said benches were being installed against the wishes of local business owners, and he feared people would just use them to “sit and drink their beer and their wine in the middle of the road”.

The shopkeeper said the design was “too bright and it doesn’t go with the architecture”.

He said: “The plant pots will have graffiti put on them. They’ll have the soil taken out and thrown on the road. The plants will be taken out.”

Mike Atherton, owner of the Sup Store, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I think it’s ridiculous, I have never seen anything like it.”

The council spokesman said the works on Grange Street were part of a trial of a low traffic neighbourhood (LTN).

He said it meant residents and businesses would be able to “provide feedback on its effectiveness during the first six months of operation”.