One of the biggest sources of problematic traffic signs are temporary ones. These are often thrown together with little consideration for legibility or utility and act to simply tick a box in many cases. What this article is about though are those signs that lead the way to new housing developments. These signs are notorious … Continue reading Housing Development Signs
IHE Traffic Signs Conference 2018
On Thursday, 29 November I was invited to provide a short presentation to the Institute of Highway Engineers Traffic Signs Conference. Given the overall theme of the conference was the launch of the new style Traffic Signs Manual and to see how traffic authorities were adapting to the new Regulations which have now been in … Continue reading IHE Traffic Signs Conference 2018
Twenty’s Plenty (of Headaches for Sign Practitioners)
I'm not debating the presence of using 20 mph as a speed limit in urban areas, that is not the point of this article. I am writing to differentiate between 20 mph Zones and 20 mph Limits, as plenty of signing practitioners still get this wrong. Here is a brief overview of the history and … Continue reading Twenty’s Plenty (of Headaches for Sign Practitioners)
When are warning signs appropriate?
One of the big questions with sign design these days is that are most signs even necessary? People argue that with electronic aids that signs will be eventually rendered redundant. This is, in my view, drivel. Not everyone will be using electronic aids in the future, for a start. So, let's review warning signs. There … Continue reading When are warning signs appropriate?
Expressways and why they’re not going to work.
Those who have been keeping up with the many, many pages of documents flying out from DfT towers recently will have heard of 'Expressways'. This is a, supposedly, new concept where higher quality all-purpose routes will be transformed into what is essentially a motorway, but not for viewers in Scotland as this is a Highways … Continue reading Expressways and why they’re not going to work.
Should we allow exemptions to No Entry signs? A lesson from Ireland.
One of the big problems with restricted lengths of road that only allow certain classes of traffic is how to convey this meaning to other drivers. Take Manchester as an example, where unlawful incursions onto the off-street running sections of Metrolink is a frequent problem. Originally off-street sections used the conventional Dia. 953 variant "trams … Continue reading Should we allow exemptions to No Entry signs? A lesson from Ireland.
Blackburn Sees Red
The problems of urban parking management are well known. There are of course different arguments relating to the 'fairness' of such systems; particularly from businesses who argue that parking restrictions harm their operations. However, the crucial fact that is often overlooked in such political wrangling is that the responsibility of the Highway Authority is to … Continue reading Blackburn Sees Red
Sign Design Software and Common Errors
Firstly - let's get the vested interest out of the way. I like SignPlot. Whilst it doesn't necessarily give you the freedoms CAD based packages have for manipulating signs, for most practitioners who have no need to delve into the dark world of non-prescribed signs and authorisations, SignPlot makes it very difficult to go wrong. … Continue reading Sign Design Software and Common Errors
The M60. Driven Round In Circles.
The M60 turns 20 years old next year, and for those of us who have cause to frequently use it, the biggest problems it faces are arguably nothing to do with its traffic signs. That said, I am going to write about the signs on the M60 anyway. I find them to be rather excessive … Continue reading The M60. Driven Round In Circles.
Pedestrian Barriers
OK, not strictly a sign, but these do constitute street furniture and therefore sort of come under the remit of what I write about. In any case, as an advocate of uncluttered streets, I feel I need to speak on this subject. As we all know, the UK has fallen foul of three horrific terrorist … Continue reading Pedestrian Barriers
Show me a sign 