Just weeks ago the council removed lines and, therefore, lanes. The change came seemingly overnight, without warning and with little time for driver re-education.

Walking down Warrnambool’s Liebig Street – or, for that matter, any street in the central business district – you can sense the frustration from drivers.

Moreover, it is clearly visible as one driver scoots up the inside of another vehicle when it is supposed to be single-file.

Those attempting to park or back out of bays are intimidated by through traffic, giving those reluctant about shopping in the CBD another reason to avoid it.

Even before the arrival of thousands of tourists, traffic is being brought to a standstill at roundabouts as vehicles bank up.

Then there is the change to having just a single, unbroken white line down the middle of the road. Instead of double lines which prevented right-hand turns across the road and into parks, the changes mean drivers can now make a sweeping move.

The council argues the changes are designed to slow traffic through the CBD, making the area safer for all road users, drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

In isolation the changes make sense. But in reality they have created uncertainty.

With time, drivers will adapt. But in the interim, road users need to be re-educated with a campaign that highlights the dos and donts. There is no room for grey – everything has to be black and white. Based on the confusion evident this week, everything goes.

Traffic movement through the CBD has historically been a controversial subject. The removal of two lanes at intersections caused angst a few years ago. That effectively maintained the left-hand lane for those accessing or exiting parks – something that seemed to work.

Then there is the issue of centre-of-the-road parking. When it was introduced in Kepler Street 12 years ago, there were safety concerns. The positives of more parking spaces and a natural reduction in speeds outweighed safety and clear sight concerns. But in the new year, those parks will be removed.

There is no doubt the council’s intentions are right – to make the CBD safer for road users. But ratepayers are starting to feel like the child in the back seat on a long drive, pondering ‘are we there yet?’.