Clearing the endless clutter
Ever ridden down a street and your head is spinning with the sheer number of useless signs and advertising hoardings?The UK Department for Transport is urging councils to remove superfluous signs, railings and advertising hoardings in a bid to make streets tidier and less confusing for motorists and pedestrians.
The government believes that in some cases traffic signs and railings are installed by councils in the mistaken belief that they are legally required. However, although some signs are required by law, government advice is that for signs to be most effective they should be kept to a minimum. Hallelujah, we say!
To help councils do this the Department for Transport is reviewing traffic signs policy and new advice on how to reduce clutter will be published later this year.
"We all know that some signs are necessary to make our roads safe and help traffic flow freely. But unnecessary street furniture is a waste of taxpayers' money and leaves our streets looking more like scrap yards than public spaces," said transport secretary Philip Hammond. "We have written to councils to remind them that it need not be this way -- we don't need all this clutter confusing motorists, obstructing pedestrians and hindering those with disabilities who are trying to navigate our streets.
"Empowered local communities working together with councils can bring an end to this blight on our national landscape."
If this commonsense policy eventually makes its way Down Under, will we see the end of the all-important dog registration reminder signs in South Australia?
Tags
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
