For the past 20 years, a New Zealander has taken road traffic safety into his own hands. Russell Taylor painted yellow no-parking lines outside his house. Mr Taylor said the reason for his actions was to improve traffic safety in his neighborhood. He also wanted to protest against gentrification. Taylor initially painted the yellow lines after becoming fed up with Wellington Council's lack of interest in residents' complaints about road safety. He explained that he had seen many accidents and near-collisions on his narrow street. He said his actions have made the road safer.
Wellington City Council said it knew about the road markings and that they would remove them. It pointed out that it was illegal to install "fake traffic devices," such as Taylor's painted lines. It said: "We're aware of…complaints about parking…and that the fire service had trouble getting to a house fire there in the past year because of parked vehicles." It also said it would be meeting people to discuss the idea of no parking signs. The council added that Mr Taylor would not be prosecuted for his road markings. It said: "We would rather not pick an unnecessary fight."