Barga writer published on BBC web site

Deety, one of the barganews.com columnists who has been quietly writing articles about Barga since the year 2000 has finally got some of recognition that he deserves this morning when one of his articles appeared on the front of the widely read h2g2 site on the BBC in London. The h2g2 is an unconventional encyclopedic Guide to Life, the Universe and Everything.



Deety's article is A Motorists Guide to Tuscan Hilltop Towns featuring of course Barga.

Unlike most towns, where traffic lights, roundabouts and parking restrictions are abundant, small hilltop towns in the Tuscan mountains have found other ways of coping with traffic management and road safety.

Aromatic Road Signs

Wreaths and crosses are placed at all major accident black spots. These floral road markings have proved to be much more effective than the standard slow down, danger sign or flashing traffic light.

Speed Management Stalls

To reduce traffic and speed, the local market is held very close to the edge of, or just on, the road. There are no written rules, but every car driver knows that they must give way to shoppers and market stalls on market day. This technique also has the added benefit of keeping cars off the roads because old ladies and non drivers use these occasions to get their own back by purposely having long lingering, strategically positioned conversations in the middle of the road.

On non-market days, the traffic duties of the market stalls and old ladies are taken over by dithering mothers with badly-parked prams and informal mass gatherings, which act as makeshift roundabouts.

Another commonly seen vehicle in Tuscan hilltop towns is the APE, a three wheeled car-like means of transport, close relative to the scooter and best described as the open top transit van version of the Robin Reliant . These vehicles do not require the driver to have passed their driving test, or to have any formal knowledge of road traffic laws. Visitors should be wary, as these vehicles do not follow any specific rules. Local residents are able to identify each individual Ape from its characteristic markings and hence adapt to that particular Ape owner's interpretation of road traffic etiquette

The rest of his article can be found here