03-07-2025
Council responds to bizarre scene on Aussie road: 'How could this go so wrong?'
A city council has responded to confusion over a wayward and "wild" set of road markings leading up to a busy intersection, after photos showed white lines strewn haphazardly and horizontally across the road, rather than running parallel with the side of the road as intended.
Perth residents were left scratching their heads this week at seeing the markings, photographed on Hutton Street in Osborne Park — an area currently undergoing maintenance.
"How could this go so wrong?" a local motorist posted to social media. Responding, another resident added, "I saw this today and was like, WTF".
"It's signalling that cars must drift through this bend," one person joked, while another said; "It's like the road got stitches".
Yahoo News asked the City of Stirling Council for a please explain over the strange-looking markings, and a spokesperson revealed there's quite a simple explanation for the mishap.
"The lane markings on that stretch of Hutton Street are temporary markings installed by the City's contractor as an interim measure while the road is resurfaced," the council explained. "The temporary markings were installed correctly, but a combination of wet weather and vehicles changing lanes can cause them to move."
The spokesperson told Yahoo that new temporary markings had been reinstated this week to address the problem. "Road resurfacing is expected to be completed this month. Once that work is complete, Main Roads WA will install permanent line markings," they said.
Across Australia, it's been an unusual week for road marking-related snafus. In Sydney, a major council in the city's southwest was forced to remove a now-infamous diamond-shaped roundabout, which left local drivers confused and made national headlines.
Aussie council removes bizarre roundabout after backlash from drivers
Residents erupt after incident at controversial roundabout
New Aussie road markings aimed at giving drivers a 'sense of warning'
Baffled motorists were mystified over how to use it, with many opting to ignore the lines and drive straight over it. Footage captured by Yahoo showed several motorists driving right through the diamond-shaped roundabout, including a large truck and several SUVs.
A local councillor branded the design "embarrassing" and over the weekend, it was eventually painted over. Council said it would install a regular, circular-shaped roundabout in its place, but before they could, and in the absence of any roundabout at all, an accident occurred on Monday.
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