A great Gubberment Directive

[Smiler.]

Some road works recently completed comprising slight modifications to a crossroads junction.

One of the side roads has been widened at the point where it meets the main road & an island installed for pedestrians.

So far, so good.

But in order to comply with legislation, a red-backed "New Road Layout Ahead" sign as been installed, less than 50 yards from the junction.

In addition, before the work was carried out, the road junction consisted of a crossroads. It now consists of, a crossroads. Not exactly new layout then.

However, the location of the sign completely obscures the view of the crossroads when using the right-fork slip to the main road on the approach from one direction.

This will cause an accident. I contacted the council & they said the sign was a legal requirement.

What a total waste of money, of fitting the sign in the first place, then having them go back to inspect & re-site.

Common sense prevails? What was I thinking

[PintOfKittens]

Smiler. said:

Common sense prevails?

Its the council, what were you expecting? Theres probably a jobsworth in there, all he does is insist that the sign be placed everywhere where any change what so ever happens. We cant have common sense, because then he will be out of a job!

[tvrgit]

Ask them under what legislation this is a "legal requirement".

Ask them if the legislation requires that the sign be located so precisely that it causes a visibility and safety difficulty, or if some discretion is alowed in terms of its location and/or height off the ground.

Ask them if they have completed, or propose, a Stage 3 Road Safety Audit (post completion) as recommended by Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, which should pick up any such difficulties.

[hidetheelephants]

PintOfKittens said:

Smiler. said:

Common sense prevails?

Its the council, what were you expecting? Theres probably a jobsworth in there, all he does is insist that the sign be placed everywhere where any change what so ever happens. We cant have common sense, because then he will be out of a job!

I don't get the point of these 'New road layout ahead' signs, but then I'm not a mithering idiot mouthbreather. Why do we cater for these oxygen thieves; is there any evidence the extra expenditure on signs actually reduces the accident rate? The implication is either

1. Standard road signage is inadequate; it isn't, there's already too many bloody signs.
or
2. Mouthbreathing idiots are unsafe behind the wheel; tell us something we don't already know.

and breathe!

[oldsoak]

I find it a great source of merriment when I see people moaning at councils putting signs up in one breath then complaining because they got a parking ticket and blame the council for not putting up enough signs.
Do you not realise that they put signs up that may save them money but don't put in as much effort where it may make them a bob or two?

[Smiler.]

To be fair to the chap I spoke with, there was a hint of resignation in his voice, suggesting that he might agree with my point.

As for the siting of the sign, I reckon something like this from the contractors:


"Oi mate, where does this sign go?"

"I dunno, stick it over there somewhere."

"Where?"

"There. There. Stick it over there."

I appreciate that the above only makes sense having been waiting at the temporary traffic control during the works.


Now for the pot holes

[Hooli]

So this sign does exactly what the utterly moronic fence panels they love to put up on the approaches to roundabouts so you can't see the traffic do? Force you to stop, cause more queues & make it harder to safely use the junction.

[Engineer1]

I honestly believe that these artificially built queues are there to help build the case for congestion charging.

[SS2.]

Hooli said:

So this sign does exactly what the utterly moronic fence panels they love to put up on the approaches to roundabouts so you can't see the traffic do? Force you to stop, cause more queues & make it harder to safely use the junction.

Exactly what they have just done on the approach to a motorway junction roundabout near me. It used to be the case that you could see any traffic on the roundabout from some 100 yards out (the approach being NSL DC). Other than the morning rush, the old layout enabled smooth traffic flow.

Now that they have placed these bloody panels on the approach, all traffic has to come to a halt at the roundabout, irrespective of the time of day.

Seems like a costly and entirely pointless exercise..

[Smiler.]

Engineer1 said:

I honestly believe that these artificially built queues are there to help build the case for congestion charging.

I agree. Also where they alter roads that once had two lanes into a single lane with stupid hatched areas.

[Starfighter]

SS2. said:

Hooli said:

So this sign does exactly what the utterly moronic fence panels they love to put up on the approaches to roundabouts so you can't see the traffic do? Force you to stop, cause more queues & make it harder to safely use the junction.

Exactly what they have just done on the approach to a motorway junction roundabout near me. It used to be the case that you could see any traffic on the roundabout from some 100 yards out (the approach being NSL DC). Other than the morning rush, the old layout enabled smooth traffic flow.

Now that they have placed these bloody panels on the approach, all traffic has to come to a halt at the roundabout, irrespective of the time of day.

Seems like a costly and entirely pointless exercise..

I believe that the logic is that you cannot see and so have to stop and so you must be safer. Where as in reality those of us who have the intelegence to take the views where we can will see the approaching danager and adjust our speed to arrive in a suitable gap and so aid free flow of traffic.

M40 North, junction 10 is a classic, The boards are put in such a place asto move the go / no go point back at least 100 yards too early.

[Guybrush]

Smiler. said:

Engineer1 said:

I honestly believe that these artificially built queues are there to help build the case for congestion charging.

I agree. Also where they alter roads that once had two lanes into a single lane with stupid hatched areas.

I'm convinced that's the case. In every town where there have been road layout changes, congestion has been created.

[mat205125]

Guybrush said:

Smiler. said:

Engineer1 said:

I honestly believe that these artificially built queues are there to help build the case for congestion charging.

I agree. Also where they alter roads that once had two lanes into a single lane with stupid hatched areas.

I'm convinced that's the case. In every town where there have been road layout changes, congestion has been created.

The slower that traffic travels, and the more frequently it can be made to stop, the more fuel the cars use, the more frequently they must be refilled, and the more revenue the government generates for themselves.