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Rail chiefs put up `no kissing' sign
1 day ago



LONDON (AP) — Stop smooching.

That's the message of a new sign that went up outside a train station in northern England on Monday.

The goal is to stop departing passengers from pulling up in their cars at a crowded drop-off point and pausing to kiss each other farewell.

Virgin Rail says it installed the sign while refurbishing the station after a local business networking group said the place had to become more efficient.

But profit margins may have been a factor, too.

Virgin Rail says that if passengers want to share an embrace before they part company, they should pay to park their cars nearby where they can kiss all they want.

This No Kissing sign was unveiled at Warrington Bank Quay railway station in Warrington, England, Monday Feb. 16, 2009, in a bid to cut delays. The sign has been placed at the drop off point, because departing passengers and drivers block access to the station with their vehicles while saying goodbye to each other. Virgin Rail, which runs the station, says if passengers want to share an embrace before they part company, their loved ones should pay to park their cars nearby.(AP Photo/Peter Byrne/-pa)

www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gvg7t50AYukPijKmI-8l2LNKBa-
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One prohibits passionate clinches, while the other points to a designated bay set aside for the long kiss goodbye.

The signs were given to Cheshire businessman Christopher Reston by Katie Spies, the president of the chamber of commerce for the Chicago suburbs of Deerfield, Bannockburn and Riverwoods, as a souvenir of his trans-Atlantic trip.

They are a familiar sight in Deerfield, Illinois, where an embargo on early morning embraces has eased traffic congestion, says Ms Spies.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/61464.stm

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