Quite possibly the most well known motorway sign in the UK is the "M40 Bunny" sign. Why is it called this, you ask? Well... look at it... The less safe-for-work description is "the M40 Playboy Bunny sign", but it doesn't really look like that logo. Or so I am told. Picture credit: unknown I do … Continue reading The M40 Bunny Sign
Category: Traffic Sign Design
Housing Development Signs
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)
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.
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
Logical SEMMMS Antics*
*The punny title is the work of Johnathan Randall of Motorway Services Online. Blame him. As you may know if you follow the infrastructure news, the first piece of the A555 (SEMMMS, or MARR to use its Sunday title) extension jigsaw opened this week. This was the short re-alignment of the A6 at the eastern … Continue reading Logical SEMMMS Antics*
Private landowners and homemade signs
Note: some of the images in this article are taken from Motorway Services Online. This post is also a little tongue in cheek and a bit of a rant. You've been warned! One of the things that always causes me to chuckle, or in some cases want to rip my hair out, when out and … Continue reading Private landowners and homemade signs
Out and about – the A601(M)
Today I went for a little drive around Lancashire and collected some images of old and new signs, and several of them have caused me to get a bit grumpy due to elementary mistakes that either make a sign cluttered, or suffering from design errors. Instead of just griping, though, I intend to demonstrate how … Continue reading Out and about – the A601(M)
