Drivers report being puzzled by a new lozenge symbol road sign used to indicate a car-sharing lane reserved for vehicles carrying at least one passenger.
The signs were tested in Grenoble and Lyon and are now also in Toulouse and Marseille. They will be multiplying across the country in a four-year trial.
It said officials decided to change from the usual multi-person symbol signs, used for covoiturage parking spaces, to the new symbol because the lozenge shape was already in use in parts of North America to designate car-sharing lanes.
“We did not think the signs that were approved fully reflected the use that these lanes will have, with them being open also to public transport,” a spokesman said.
The symbol is similar to Renault’s logo, but a spokesman for the firm said its lawyers had looked into the matter but decided not to protest.
Other French road signs that can be confusing
The yellow diamond means your road has priority over cars coming from your right, cancelling the priorité à droite rule.
The latter was fixed in an international traffic convention signed in Paris in 1926. It was meant to give clarity and avoid accidents, however it said countries that drive on the left could do as they liked. (Photo credit: vvoe / Shutterstock)
The triangle indicates danger. Its yellow hue means the danger is temporary. And the blurry car? Fog or fumes. Visibility might be temporarily poor. (Image credit: beatrice louvet / Shutterstock)
This experimental sign, used in 21 departments, is a reminder that motorcyclists can (legally) go between lanes and imposes a speed limit on bikes doing so. (Image credit: sécurité routière)
