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U.K. rail chiefs to customers: Stop smooching!

Stop smooching — that's the message of a new sign that went up outside a train station in northern England on Monday.
BRITAIN KISSING BAN
This "no kissing" sign has been unveiled at Warrington Bank Quay railway station in Warrington, England.Peter Byrne / AP
/ Source: msnbc.com staff and news service reports

Stop smooching.

That's the message of a new sign that went up outside a train station in northern England on Monday that divides its parking lot into "kissing" and "no-kissing" zones.

The goal is to stop departing passengers from causing traffic jams as they kiss loved ones farewell after pulling up in their cars at a crowded drop-off point.

Colin Daniels, chief executive of the town's chamber of commerce, said the signs were put up because the station has become "increasingly busy".

Speaking to the The Independent newspaper, Daniels said: "It is a fairly congested station and ideally what we want is for people to come here, drop someone off and move on. But that wasn't always happening and people were lingering and causing delays.

"With these 'no-kissing' signs we are pointing out that we don't want people doing that right outside the front of the station. If they want to linger and say a longer goodbye they can do that in the 'kissing zone' where there is a limited amount of parking."

But Ruth Sargeant, 38, was not impressed by the new rule.

"It's ridiculous," she told the Daily Telegraph. "I don't see the point of having a no-kissing area, surely people are entitled to say their good-byes."

Tom Hall, 25, another commuter, added: "What are they going to do if they catch couples kissing, fine them?"