A typical road sign in Kosovo looks like this - in this case, the destinations are provided in Albanian, Serbian and Turkish. This sign was from the Prizren area where a number of Turkish minorities reside, thus, the Turkish translation. [I have heard a number of Kosovar Albanians complaining about how poor the road signage is in Kosovo, but speaking as a resident of D.C., where it seems entry to certain roads, like Rock Creek Parkway, is a well kept secret, devoid of any signage whatsoever, I have actually found the Kosovo road signs to be accurate and helpful.]
Now if you are NATO in Kosovo, you have to come up with a road sign understandable to all 17,000 troops who are on the ground throughout the province and originate from some 35 countries (the force is made up of troops from both NATO members and non-member states). The answer.... animals. [In Bosnia, if memory serves, they used colors, so Blue Route, Red Route, etc., and you would look out for stripes painted on various landmarks along the routes - just like hiking trails are marked.] All over Kosovo roads, you will see yellow signs with images of animals such as snakes, birds, rats, and this one, for example, indicating three roads - Duck/Goose (I can't tell), Horse and Lion.
Finally, in signs unique to a peacekeeping region, all the bridges in Kosovo are preceded by signs indicating speeds not just for trucks, but also for tanks.
Now if you are NATO in Kosovo, you have to come up with a road sign understandable to all 17,000 troops who are on the ground throughout the province and originate from some 35 countries (the force is made up of troops from both NATO members and non-member states). The answer.... animals. [In Bosnia, if memory serves, they used colors, so Blue Route, Red Route, etc., and you would look out for stripes painted on various landmarks along the routes - just like hiking trails are marked.] All over Kosovo roads, you will see yellow signs with images of animals such as snakes, birds, rats, and this one, for example, indicating three roads - Duck/Goose (I can't tell), Horse and Lion.
Finally, in signs unique to a peacekeeping region, all the bridges in Kosovo are preceded by signs indicating speeds not just for trucks, but also for tanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment