I believe although I cannot prove it that good consistent road and direction signs help road safety.
The current approach appears to be big signs. Some of the largest on motorways are difficult to see at night. Towns are being littered with big signs with suspect benefit.
Consistent direction signs leave a lot to be desired as we have all experienced in an unfamiliar location. Why after all these years cannot we get it sorted. I am sure there are enough good folk around who would offer their time to record their observations as they try to navigate with the available signs. This feedback could then be used to ensure correct positioning or siting of appropriate signs.
If signs are well placed a quick glance is all that is required then attention is back on the traffic.
An example of what I call poor or even bad signs can be found at Chichester on the south coast. This is a tourist area and if you need the Accident & Emergency Hospital from the A27 the red A& E sign is clear. Once you have passed it towards the town you have to study the small white and black signs at the many roundabouts.
If you need easy directions then follow the Brown Mask signs to the theatre. I question someones priorities. The number of A&E hospitals are being reduced so directions to them are even more important.
We are seeing more signs indicating exiting a location. e.g. a grey 20 MPH sign crossed through with grey lines. I like the French signs indicating you have just left a town / village by having the name in grey.
Compass directions being added to signs help e.g. M1 N or M4 W. This is an improvement.
A sign erected near Heathrow - Familiar triangular sign with exclamation and text underneath ? Trees removed. What do you do? Reply - Not me sir?
There does however appear to be no problem planting speed signs.
We have a local example of a 30MPH limit that ends but 30 feet of unlimited later the 30 MPH is re-imposed.
I know it is a big task but progress seems so slow.
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The sheer number of road signs is out-of-control. In some areas it's becoming difficult to take-in all the signs AND do all the usual safe driver stuff.
I was in Scotland recently and they had dot matrix signs everywhere with "helpful" messages like, "Check your fuel level". Crazy!
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The sheer number of road signs is out-of-control
Whenever I drive in London, I feel overwhelmed by the combination of road signs, road markings, and traffic. The road engineers seem to think that they can solve a problem by adding a new road marking or sign. As far as I am concerned the principal effect is to render me fit for the funny farm. Or do Londoners get used to it?
Another point regarding motorway signs, in heavy traffic I often find when I am in lanes 2 or 3 that I cannot read the signs telling me about the next junction as they are obscured by a long line of HGV's in lane 1. And no I can't move into lane 1 to read them as I can't see the signs so don't know when to move in! It seems to me to be a design fault as far as the size and positioning of these signs is concerned.
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We go from one extreme to the other - signs are so remiss, wonder if it is a left over of WW2 Too the other extreme info overload.
Other problem we have is road signs being obscured by convoy lorry traffic in the slow lane.
O/H gantry sign data would be better, in towns at night it is spot the traffic light or is it a shop display!!
IS there a standard that local councils have to work to OR is the standard SO open that it is up to interpretation ???
K2
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"Road liable to flooding" is a good one. Why not just spend the money for the sign on fixing the flooding problem?
My pet hate is a sign on the A2 into London, near Bexleyheath.
Having reduced the limit to 50mph, installed cameras, and turned the inside lane into a local feeder lane, someone has the gall to put up a sign saying "Queues Likely" well thanks.
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"Road liable to flooding" is a good one. Why not just spend the money for the sign on fixing the flooding problem?
because sign costs £not a lot
and fixing landscape costs £lots
When you're a cash-strapped council, it's a no-brainer ;-)
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Beware of a new approach to signs.
On the A308 main road from Kingston to the M3 a 20MPH speed limit has been introduced. How do I know? On a day when the traffic is light I can see on the road a 20 in a circle. There are no signs above the road surface. So I assume if visibility is poor and or traffic is around it is easily possible to miss said signs and be caught speeding.
I an guessing that several weeks after paint was applied the council is still yet to arrange signs on poles or more fancy arrangements.
In my view peak hour traffic lights are required as it doubles up as main road to Heathrow and a M25 bypass when the motorway is closed. The danger is from right turning off the A308 and trying to join it rather than speed. This would possible reduce rat runs which at this very day all growing sleeping policemen and road narrowing.
We have had three dangerous road sign screw ups in my area recently.
Two mini roundabouts painted up but NO signs to show anything.
Priority changed by road paint but NO signs for 6 weeks.
Priority introduced under a railway bridge, road painted but the sign was put on wrong side of the bridge.
The council blamed contractors. Thankfully I am not aware of any accidents at these sites
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