“Dirty signs result from inadequate maintenance and indifference by the people responsible”

• The sign must be clearly visible so that the driver has enough time to be able to respond to the message
• The message the sign seeks to convey must be clear, concise, and unambiguous
• Signing must be standardised and consistent along the route

These three principles are not mutually exclusive. If the sign can’t be seen, drivers cannot respond to it; if the sign’s message is complex or ambiguous, drivers may make the wrong decision; and if the signing is not consistent along the route, drivers will be confused and frustrated. Good traffic signing is, therefore, a chain of events – and failure at any point along the chain will make the sign ineffective. But, all too often, the chain is broken. Some research has even suggested that as many as two in every three signs are flawed in some way.

Being able to see the sign is the first link. Many signs are hidden away by foliage in the summer because the foliage has not been cut back. Better still, the sign should be repositioned because signs that are hidden by foliage are badly-sited in the first place. Dirty signs result from inadequate maintenance procedures and indifference by the people responsible. Filthy signs don’t reflect at night, and often can’t be read during the day. All that is needed is a bucket of soapy water and a sponge!

Clearly, visible signing is the first principle of good signing – and clear intelligible messages is the second. Yet warning signs, regulatory signs and direction signs are often all bundled together in a forest of signs with no thought for the driver who has to untangle the mass of information and make a sensible decision in a matter of seconds. Single signs that show 10 or even 20 destinations, confuse drivers, so do groups of direction signs with each additional sign erected as an after-thought.

Traffic signing requires design and engineering skills, but good signing has another ingredient – customer care. And what the customer wants in addition to clearly visible and easily understood signing is logical consistency. Too often, the place name motorists have been following is dropped or signed in varying colours or size. Traffic signing is among the most important features of the road environment and yet it is often the most neglected. Signs are not provided for the local community – they are provided primarily for drivers who don’t know the road, who don’t know the potential dangers, and who don’t know how to get to where they want to go.

Such drivers depend totally on traffic signs for warning, guidance and advice. Good traffic signing makes driving safe and less stressful. And it is why The AA Trust believes the road user deserves better.


For more information on traffic signs go to www.AAtrust.com
then click on to The AA Motoring Trust then click Roads
and Traffic then Britain’s roads – a national asset?