Thursday 5th May 2005

No-one cares about untidy rural roads

Safety could be at stake in roadside clutter debate

---

The ideal road-sign?

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.

• Related PistonHeads story

[crankedup]

Spotted some new ugly as sin signs recently erected within SUFFOLK rural road. 'THINK' DRIVE SAFELY. poxey things do no good what so ever, spoil the countryside and cost money which could be better spent elsewhere.

[FourWheelDrift]

I see lots of poorly maintained country roads, white lines disappeared from the centre of the road and edge of the road, no warning signs (black white chevrons) on sharp corners, lethal at night if you don't know the corners are there. Sunken drains covers, broken tarmac, pot holes you name it. If they want to take money from us in all the various road/car/scamera taxes then the money should go back into the roads.

www.bmf.co.uk/report-a-road/england.html

[lockup]

It called for fewer signs, doubling them up on a single pole and the use of hedgerows for traffic calming...

Is it just me, or is it a bit late for traffic calming by the time you're interacting with the hedge?

[Marty_aoeu]

> lethal at night if you don't know the corners are there

You're supposed to drive with your eyes open and brain engaged. Sharp corners can be lethal during the day when you do know they are there. Driving with the expectation that any/all hazards will be clearly signposted is idiotic if you ask me.

[anonymous-user]

crankedup said:

Spotted some new ugly as sin signs recently erected within SUFFOLK rural road. 'THINK' DRIVE SAFELY. poxey things do no good what so ever, spoil the countryside and cost money which could be better spent elsewhere.

Around here "Drive safely - x casualties in y years on next z miles" or similar appeared pretty much over night last March. Hmmm, nothing to do with spending the rest of the money in the pot before the end of the financial year I'm sure...

[crankedup]

LexSport said:

crankedup said: Spotted some new ugly as sin signs recently erected within SUFFOLK rural road. 'THINK' DRIVE SAFELY. poxey things do no good what so ever, spoil the countryside and cost money which could be better spent elsewhere. Around here "Drive safely - x casualties in y years on next z miles" or similar appeared pretty much over night last March. Hmmm, nothing to do with spending the rest of the money in the pot before the end of the financial year I'm sure...

Sounds and looks like 'end of year spend up'. Why the hell do these cretins think they are improving road safety with nonsense signs when in fact the opposite is true.

[LuS1fer]

The other problem is the abuse of country lanes by excess traffic after they build new estates and so forth. Once the poulation using the rioute has exploded, it's too dangerous to close the lanes to widen and resurface. The time to improve road systems is BEFORE they get crushed by local population explosions. There's no excuse where i live either as there are only 3 ways to reach the main A470/M4 artery.

Still, places like Northampton need more signs as I'm forever getting lost there.

[ajcerb]

I agree completely - the excessive creep of additional signs, lines, lights and assorted clutter year on year is creating a level of visual pollution that is quite unnecessary. After coming back from France recently, south of Bordeaux to Le Havre, it was so noticeable just how much more attractive their villages and countryside was in comparison. Oh, and in 1400 miles of driving not one speed camera - either on rural roads or motorway, and no accidents or excessive speeding witnessed either.

Over here it seems as if hardly a week goes by without some extra lines or coloured lanes being imposed on the environment and it just isn't necessary. Of course what would all those bureacrats, councillors, highways people do with all their time and our money if they weren't wasting it on completely unneccesary additions to the highways and byeways. There's a thought...

[FourWheelDrift]

Marty_aoeu said:

> lethal at night if you don't know the corners are there You're supposed to drive with your eyes open and brain engaged. Sharp corners can be lethal during the day when you do know they are there. Driving with the expectation that any/all hazards will be clearly signposted is idiotic if you ask me.

I meant the combination of problems, for example when a car coming from the opposite direction (but as yet unseen) is across your side of the road because they are taking pothole avoidance but anwyay whatever.

>> Edited by FourWheelDrift on Thursday 5th May 17:15

[mybrainhurts]

CPRE....another bunch of anti car nutters.

CPRE....Council for the Prevention of Rural Entry....

They want cars out....horses and carts in.....

They're backing very low limits for rural roads.....

Rustic wing of Transport 2000......

Probably........


thought they'd changed their name......??

[Marty_aoeu]

> I meant the combination of problems

Apologies if I misinterpreted your post - you seemed to be implying corners should be signed more clearly so that you can drive faster, which I don't agree with (I didn't call you an idiot BTW).


> interacting with the hedge

I presume they mean using hedges to block your view of roundabouts for example, forcing you to slow down rather than looking for that small gap to jump into.

[ed.]

crankedup said:

Spotted some new ugly as sin signs recently erected within SUFFOLK rural road. 'THINK' DRIVE SAFELY. poxey things do no good what so ever, spoil the countryside and cost money which could be better spent elsewhere.

'THINK' - DRIVE SAFELY
(well your gonna have to now we've spent all the money for fixing the roads on these signs )

[FunkyNige]

It called for fewer signs, doubling them up on a single pole and the use of hedgerows for traffic calming...

They already use hedgerows as traffic calming around here - unfortunatly no-one can see out of t-junctions to pull out safely.

Typical adventure that is a summer t-junction right turn is:

pull up to t-junction.
swear at council for not cutting the grass.
check nothing is coming from the right.
pull out halfway into the road.
wait for car coming from left.
reverse quickly as there is now a car coming from the right.
repeat ad infitum.

People will die if this continues.

[cdp]

mybrainhurts said:

CPRE....another bunch of anti car nutters. CPRE....Council for the Prevention of Rural Entry.... They want cars out....horses and carts in..... They're backing very low limits for rural roads..... Rustic wing of Transport 2000...... Probably........ thought they'd changed their name......??

I think in the main CPRE don't want people in their countryside. But in this case they are just complaining about the excessive roadsigns and I fully agree with them.

Only sign something it if warns of something unexpected. Like the government doing something serious about road safety.



>> Edited by cdp on Tuesday 10th May 19:27

[TripleS]

Marty_aoeu said:

> lethal at night if you don't know the corners are there You're supposed to drive with your eyes open and brain engaged. Sharp corners can be lethal during the day when you do know they are there. Driving with the expectation that any/all hazards will be clearly signposted is idiotic if you ask me.

I agree completely. Spoon feeding an endless stream of 'safety measures' to road users merely reduces the likelihood that people will be inclined to look and think for themselves. The entire approach must cost huge sums of money and it is simply unsustainable.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[grahamw48]

TripleS said:

Marty_aoeu said: > lethal at night if you don't know the corners are there You're supposed to drive with your eyes open and brain engaged. Sharp corners can be lethal during the day when you do know they are there. Driving with the expectation that any/all hazards will be clearly signposted is idiotic if you ask me. I agree completely. Spoon feeding an endless stream of 'safety measures' to road users merely reduces the likelihood that people will be inclined to look and think for themselves. The entire approach must cost huge sums of money and it is simply unsustainable. Best wishes all, Dave.

I agree that it now seems councils, or whoever, have taken it upon themselves to 'spoonfeed' motorists with a whole barrage of signs, road markings, humps, bumps and barriers.
They have turned many an attractive streetscene/village high street into an ugly mess of distractions and vehicle damaging obstructions.

Please NO MORE !

Why screw up the driving experience of the many, and the (former) beauty of our surroundings because of the minor misdemeaners of the few.

We have all passed our driving tests, and have brains in our heads.
For goodness sake just let us get used to using our common sense once more!

Apart from the cost out of my taxes, all this crap cluttering up the roads just gives me a
headache !

>> Edited by grahamw48 on Saturday 7th May 23:09