He got the speed bump outside his home removed. Now cars hit 90 km/h

Be careful what you wish for. That's the lesson Pierre Luinthre, a retiree in the village of Ajou in northern France, is learning the hard way.

For months he had asked for the speed bumps outside his house to be taken away. He got his wish. Now he says cars are flying past at up to 90 km/h, in a zone limited to 30.

What happened?

Ajou is part of Mesnil-en-Ouche, a merged municipality in the Eure department in Normandy. The bumps outside Pierre's home were concrete "Lyon cushions", a type of raised speed reducer.

He says they caused heavy noise and constant vibrations that made his house shake. When he came back from holiday, the town hall had finally removed them.

The relief didn't last. Without the obstacle, many drivers now press the accelerator on that stretch, he says. He would have preferred a new slowing device, just not right in front of his door.

Why is everyone talking about it?

The story went viral online, and the irony amused a lot of people. Belgian humorist Vincent Flibustier shared it on X with just three words: "Summary of France".

Not everyone laughed at the neighbour, though. One user pointed out that Flibustier clearly doesn't live next to a speed bump, with car tyres banging all day. In their view, a chicane (a zigzag road layout) slows traffic just as well without the noise.

What's next?

There's no easy fix. A chicane is sometimes considered, but it's hard to build because combine harvesters and bulky farm vehicles pass regularly in summer.

Pierre praises the new mayor, Stanislas Wers, who had the original equipment removed. He now campaigns for slowing measures upstream of the village. His warning is blunt: "One day, there will be an accident." He is especially worried about the neighbourhood's children.