Residents install false road signs to fight speeding in south-west France town
Signs reminding drivers of 30 km/h speed limit were printed and stuck to lampposts
The fake signs mimic official notices by using the same symbols and font, including an official 30 km/h sign shown here
Agrus/Shutterstock
Two residents fed up with vehicles speeding down their street in south-west France have decided to install fake road signs in an effort to get drivers to slow down.
Several signs were installed along Rue du Marranel in Albi (Tarn) last weekend, with the residents just two of several along the street frustrated that it is often used by vehicles to bypass busier routes elsewhere.
The signs, printed on A3 paper and stuck to lampposts are identifiable as fake if viewed closely – drivers may not necessarily notice they are not legitimate.
“It is not the traffic that bothers us, it’s the speed,” they said to local media outlet La Dépêche.
“There are children, strollers, people coming out of their homes… and on the bend, you can get caught off guard.”
Indeed, one of the fake signs denotes the road as a 30km/h zone and warns that there may be schoolchildren in the area. Several others using official symbols show the road’s 30 km/h limit with the word RAPPEL (reminder).
Another ‘Sortie de véhicules’ or vehicle-exit sign installed on the road is also false.
Installing the signs was a last resort, after letters, petitions, and requests to local authorities went unanswered.
You can see some of the signs in the video below.
Risk of penalties
Despite garnering attention, the residents run the risk of receiving penalties.
Road signs can only be installed by authorities responsible for the route (commune, department, or region depending on road-type).
Even in cases where the signs are clearly unofficial and only a reminder of existing rules (the road does indeed have a 30 km/h limit), their installation can risk causing confusion or danger for drivers and pedestrians alike.
Fines up to €1,500 can be issued to those who install fake signs and their removal is all but guaranteed.
The situation in Albi is not an isolated one, and residents in France have been known to use hand-written signs and fake messages to implore drivers to slow down.
One Dordogne couple disguised their postbox as a speed camera in a bid to reduce the speed of passing cars.
