TIME OF THE SIGNS: TRAFFIC SIGNS IN A WORLD HERITAGE CITY

Introduced by Brian Cassidy, Member on 13 October 1998

The speaker envisaged traffic flowing like water and considered it required the same physical control. A physical barrier in the form of a kerbstone, for example, could sometimes eliminate the need for a pair of obtrusive signs, e.g. where a two-way road joins a one-way system. Signs imposing restrictions were frequently ignored and not enforced.
Signs were of various types - directional, warning, advisory, compulsory and confirmatory. He considered the main problem was that there were too many signs. In Queen Square there were 30, about one every 12 metres; in Milsom Street 19, one every 10 m , which gave an approximate 80 - 85 signs per km of road. The design was often poor and the view of signs sometimes obscured, for example, by hanging baskets of flowers. Some signs were mounted on elegant lamp-posts, others on lengths of scaffold pole. There appeared to be little consideration of the effect of the erection of signs on the townscape; only the legal requirements and the needs of vehicle drivers were considered.
Many small signs referring to yellow line restrictions (e.g. ‘at any time’)are mounted singly on poles when they could be placed on adjoining walls or railings where they would be less obtrusive but equally visible to those requiring the information on them. Traffic Advisory Leaflet 1/96 “Traffic Management in Historic Areas” states “Narrower yellow lines can be used in conservation areas....a paler colour may be used...the designation of a restricted zone can obviate the need for yellow lines....authorisation would be given where the enforcement of restrictions was assured”. As Bath is a Conservation Area why are these measures not applied - and enforced? It also highlights some principles, including:
- review existing signing and consider scope for rationalisation
- anticipate and minimise new signing requirements at the earliest design stage
In many cases the signs were considered excessive - an official arrow accompanied by the words ‘one way’ in some places but not in others, so why have the words included anywhere? With the proposed introduction of a 20 mph zone with seven gateways, there will be an extra 14 speed limit signs and 14 Restricted Zone signs beside them. Where busgates are introduced additional large signs will accompany them.
It is appreciated that drivers sometimes need apparently redundant signs and sequential signs repeating directional information but considered that some pruning could be done.
In the discussion, it was pointed out that signs painted on road surfaces had been reported to speed-up the flow of traffic but they were invisible in the dark in wet weather and could be covered by vehicles in a queue.
The use of flashing signs showing the speed limit in special situations such as near schools, combined with a speed camera in occasional use, was recommended.
It was suggested that we should contact other towns in the Historic Towns Forum and Bath’s Urban Designer to discuss the subject of signs.
Don Lovell