Brazil: Zig-zag road markings baffle Sao Paulo drivers

The yellow lines meet transport rules, officials say

Sao Paulo drivers say they are baffled by a double yellow zig-zag line in the middle of a busy road, but it is in accordance with traffic regulations, it appears.

The lines were supposedly put in place to expand the space where cars can wait or move forward at traffic lights, the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo reports, but they have left locals confused and worried it could cause accidents. A YouTube video shows cars apparently trying to follow the lines. "It's very confusing, and the traffic is worse as well," a motorcyclist tells the TV Gazeta channel. "Whoever did this was drunk," another complains.

Taxi drivers have reportedly signalled an increase in accidents. The "little-used" lines have complicated the movement of vehicles in the area, the R7 web portal says.

But Sao Paulo's transit authority, the CET, says the road markings are normal and meet regulations. Correspondents say Sao Paulo's lane dividers sometimes expand to give turning drivers some extra room, but they admit the lines on Avenida Dr Francisco Ranieri in the city's north zone are rather odd.

Sao Paulo's zig-zag lines usually look more like this turning lane

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