The Auburn Walmart has got a problem on its hands. It's by no means their fault. No matter what they do, drivers are still running directly into bright yellow poles in their parking lot.

This happens so often, that it's almost become a meme on social media. Every week at least one more photo shows up on Facebook, Instagram, or Reddit of a car with a yellow pole wedged into the front end with everyone asking "How does this even happen?"

Back in the middle of May, caution tape was put up between two yellow poles, which we can logically assume is to keep people from driving between them.

Sanylia Gary
Sanylia Gary
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Either that tape didn't last very long or someone not only didn't see the pole but also ignored the bright yellow caution tape. Christopher Norris shared this picture he took on Monday, Memorial Day, of another car that has hit the pole. As is the case in most collisions, the pole is wedged firmly between the front tire and the body of the car and tilted at about 10 degrees from vertical.

Christopher Norris
Christopher Norris
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Back to the drawing board.

On Tuesday, the day after the most recent hot on Memorial Day, several yellow poles at the Auburn Walmart got a makeover in the latest attempt to stop people from hitting the poles.

Sanylia Gray
Sanylia Gray
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The poles are now bright green. Why green? The same reasoning behind why the Maine DOT recently installed green flashing lights on their plow trucks. They get your attention because you don't normally see green flashing lights on plow trucks, just like you don't normally see green poles in parking lots.

I'm no expert here but based on this photo and many in the collection we have below, people are driving between two poles that simply aren't far enough apart to allow a car to pass through while turning. You could probably make it happen if you were driving between them straight on, but you can't turn between them without hitting a pole.

Let's add to the fact that the stripped lines are not where cars are supposed to go. The lines are there to allow enough space for those with disabilities to have enough room to park their car and get out of it. Some are designated for vans and some for passenger vehicles.

Some are saying on social media that Walmart should just remove the pole, but that will just create a whole host of other problems if people can freely drive through the striped zone. My solution is to invest in some concrete barriers between the new green poles, small enough to not be in the way of disabled parking spaces but big enough to see and not run into.

Cars Can't Stop Crashing Into One Yellow Pole at the Auburn, Maine, Walmart

There's a yellow pole in the Auburn, Maine Walmart parking lot that gets hit by drivers on a regular basis.

 

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