Almost no-one cares how our rural roads look -- and it could have an effect on safety. That's the conclusion to be drawn from the near-universal indifference to the Council for the Protection of Rural England's bid to de-clutter rural roads (see link to story below).
The CPRE wrote to 79 councils urging them to remove unnecessary road markings, signs, and street furniture which it said spoiled the countryside.
When it launched the campaign last year, the CPRE reckoned that some small villages looked like "a shop window for traffic-calming manufacturers". It called for fewer signs, doubling them up on a single pole and the use of hedgerows for traffic calming, and less white paint on the roads. Motoring groups concurred, warning that the plethora of signs often distracted rather than helped drivers.
However, just two county councils -- W Sussex and Herts -- put their names to the CPRE's so-called street clutter challenge, while Suffolk reckoned it supported most of the council's proposals. The rest did not reply or said they didn't have the money to do anything about it.
CPRE transport policy head Paul Hamblin expressed his disappointment. "There has been a refreshing willingness to embrace the need for better streetscapes in our towns and cities -- our countryside deserves the same," he said.