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Press releasesSIGN OF THE TIMESMotorists are calling on councils up and down the country to embark on a ‘spring clean’ of their all important road signs. A build up of winter grime and the sprouting of roadside vegetation is obscuring the visibility of thousands of directional and warning signs, says one of the country’s leading breakdown services Autonational Rescue. Autonational’s marketing manager Ronan Hart, is backing motorists’ calls for sign clean-ups to move up council priority lists at this time of year, commenting: “While we acknowledge that the majority of councils periodically check on signs, the onus seems to be on the motorist to report any problems. “This policy may well be sufficient for much of the year, but road signs suffer a disproportionate amount of wear and tear during winter and many are now looking decidedly tired and in need of attention as a matter of urgency. Road signs are designed to warn motorists of hazards and when dirty they aren’t easily seen especially at night. “Relying on the public to report any problems before action is taken seems to be the norm across the country, but what is needed on councils’ maintenance calendars is a scheduled springtime wash ‘n’ brush up for signs.” Once any problems are reported, he concedes that action is invariably prompt, but councils do not seem to be taking the lead on any clean ups. In Devon, for instance, damaged or missing warning or regulatory signs on major roads are repaired or replaced within 24 hours. Like many councils they have a helpline number and a reporting facility on their website. Kent County Council is one authority that has a general maintenance plan covering cleaning, checking, electrical safety and checking that signs are still reflective. But other potential problems such as signs being obscured by overgrown hedges, are dealt with when the problem is noticed or reported. Any damage or faults are repaired within time limits. Unsafe electrical signs are repaired within two hours. Obstructions, such as overgrown bushes, will be removed within a certain limit depending on how much of a problem there is and who owns the hedge. Again, however, they advise: “If you think there is a problem with a road sign that we need to fix, tell us through the online reporting form or call our helpline.” Heading north, Wirral Council also has a call-centre where the public is invited to provide a description of what the problem is and an exact location. They then give the assurance of a response to an emergency or dangerous defect within two hours of it being reported. Other defects will be dealt with within five working days of it being reported, says the council. The timescale for attending to a faulty road sign depends on the nature of the fault. Following an inspection by Council engineers any road sign defects are classed as either a ‘priority’ job or as a ‘serviceability’ job. The priority jobs need to be done first for safety reasons and after an initial inspection they will be repaired within 28 days. The serviceability jobs are ones that don’t present any immediate risk to public safety. They are still recommended for repair work, but the timescale within which they are carried out depends on the availability of funding. A list of all outstanding serviceability jobs is drawn up and reviewed on a monthly basis. They explain: “We attempt to clear as much of this work as possible, but due to it not being urgent and budget dependent, we are limited.” Said Ronan: “I suspect that budgetary constraints are behind many of the council policies, but all we are suggesting is that attention to road signage moves up their agendas at this time of year. Obscured or dirty signs can easily cost lives.” Ends
For more information about Autonational Rescue, the car breakdown service with the no claims bonus, call 07000 999 911 Issued by CPR Works |
