Traffic cops hope ballet moves will soothe stressed drivers

Sitting in traffic is hardly the most entertaining of pastimes. In fact, it's usually downright dull. Unless you're a driver in the Romanian city of Timisoara, that is. There, impatient motorists will soon be offered ample distractions – in the sculpted shape of the city's ballet-dancing traffic police.

Angry horns look set to be replaced by arabesques over the coming weeks, as officers in the western Romanian city knuckle down to introductory ballet classes. It is thought that the elegant movements may help to soothe the frayed nerves of stressed drivers, while perhaps rending the dull job of directing traffic a little more interesting.

"The aim is to develop an ability to regulate traffic and achieve elegance in their movements, which will not only be agreeable to the eyes but could also help drivers waiting at red lights get rid of their stress or sadness," Dorel Cojan, the head of the community police, told AFP.

Twenty community police officers have begun studying the discipline, attending lessons taught by professional dancers at the city's Philharmonics Hall twice-weekly for a month. But the aspiring ballerinas will not be using their moves to fend off criminals. Community police in the city mostly deal with traffic regulations rather than serious crime.