THE MYSTERY of Richmond Hill's new yellow lines has been solved!

The double yellows appeared within the last week on the hill which leads down to The Square. But, unlike the usual variety, some were as short as a metre and placed, bizarrely, on road corners upon which drivers are already prohibited from parking by the Highway Code, which also bans parking 'opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space' or 'near the brow of a hill or hump bridge'.

One puzzled office worker who asked not to be named said: "They just appeared and in all these weird places. I don't understand what they are supposed to achieve and three of them are not even as long as a bike, let alone a vehicle."

Enter Bournemouth Borough Council, which moved swiftly to clarity the situation.

Highway Design and Road Safety Manager Richard Pearson explained: “The lines are part of the change from a zonal waiting restriction to a lined waiting restriction.

"This change is to encourage compliance with the restriction as the zonal approach was not fully effective," he said. "The lines are short at certain locations due to the lines being stopped at pedestrian dropped kerbs and they do not cross the lowered kerbs."

He said the lines highlighted the road's 'informal crossing points' and 'this is common practice at both informal and controlled crossings'.

There was a special reason, too for the lines being placed outside the green cycle lanes. "It removes any slip risk for cyclists using the cycle lane," he said.

A council press spokesman confirmed that they had been introduced because of the amount of informal stopping on the road.