Unkown Sign 1395m?

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DEFarnes
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Unkown Sign 1395m?

Post by DEFarnes »

Hello all, I tried searching the forums first but no avail.

Any idea of the sign saying 1395m on The Avenue section of the A316 in Twickenham? I think it is a distance marker, but where from and why in metres? I don't know what is 1395 miles away!

https://goo.gl/maps/2pB8TV5xZtp

https://photos.app.goo.gl/1u11Z84VY8LrPbxb9
Last edited by DEFarnes on Mon Apr 08, 2019 04:09, edited 1 time in total.
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Berk
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Re: Unkown Sign 1395m?

Post by Berk »

There’s also a marker further down saying 1259m, but they seem to give out after that. Could it be a countdown marker to Twickenham Bridge??

Your post was very confusing - it’s actually the A316, not A319, and there are loads of roads called ‘The Avenue’ down there. Maybe Margot and Jerry live on one of them?? :wink:

From the SABRE Wiki: Twickenham Bridge :
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DEFarnes
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Re: Unkown Sign 1395m?

Post by DEFarnes »

Many thanks, editted the post to be correct.
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multiraider2
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Re: Unkown Sign 1395m?

Post by multiraider2 »

I don't think it's a countdown marker for the bridge, the start of that is only about 450 metres in front of the 1395m sign. That distance takes you to about here. I can't see the significance unless it's to the end of the red route clearway? If not, perhaps what it was has long gone and they just forgot the signs. It all seems a bit specific though. Historic sreetview also has them.
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Re: Unkown Sign 1395m?

Post by KeithW »

As near as I can figure it the only feature around 1395 m away is the Old Deer Park in Richmond which has had sporting and other events held there.
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Re: Unkown Sign 1395m?

Post by JohnnyMo »

Does anyone know of an Olympic or cycling events which closed that road. As we only appear to have 2 signs 1395m & 1245m, and the fact they are metric ( I am assuming the two signs are 150m apart) I am guessing these were temporary signs for some event and these two were forgotten about.

Ignore Olympics as Apr 2017 does not have them, but Mar 2018 does.
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Re: Unkown Sign 1395m?

Post by Andy P »

Looking at the Streetview history, the sign was put up between April 2017 and March 2018, and the 1259m sign further down the road between April 2017 and July 2017.

So, not the Olympics, but was anything happening in that area in Summer 2017?
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Re: Unkown Sign 1395m?

Post by Pendlemac »

multiraider2 wrote: Mon Apr 08, 2019 11:27 I don't think it's a countdown marker for the bridge, the start of that is only about 450 metres in front of the 1395m sign. That distance takes you to about here. I can't see the significance unless it's to the end of the red route clearway? If not, perhaps what it was has long gone and they just forgot the signs. It all seems a bit specific though. Historic sreetview also has them.
Haven't been able to pin down the date of the 1395m sign, but the 1259m one is not on the image from April 2017 but is on the July 2017 one. In the July image there is no evidence of another sign above the distance one.

Measuring up on Google Earth shows about a 25m difference in where the two distances end up ( I don't think I was that far out in getting the position on the overhead shot from the StreetView image ) so it looks like they were just stuck on the nearest lamppost.

The junction the tracks ended up at is that with the minor road giving access to the golf club, swimming pools and sports pitches.

Edit : Was still working out distances when AndyP posted and missed the warning about a new post. :oops:
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Re: Unkown Sign 1395m?

Post by jervi »

multiraider2 wrote: Mon Apr 08, 2019 11:27 I don't think it's a countdown marker for the bridge, the start of that is only about 450 metres in front of the 1395m sign. That distance takes you to about here. I can't see the significance unless it's to the end of the red route clearway? If not, perhaps what it was has long gone and they just forgot the signs. It all seems a bit specific though. Historic sreetview also has them.
It is unlikely that the signs were linked to any road sign due to the Traffic Signs Manual saying that all distances are to be given in yards/miles and never metric. (Chapter 7 - Section 14.2.5)
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Re: Unkown Sign 1395m?

Post by multiraider2 »

jervi wrote: Mon Apr 08, 2019 15:12
multiraider2 wrote: Mon Apr 08, 2019 11:27 I don't think it's a countdown marker for the bridge, the start of that is only about 450 metres in front of the 1395m sign. That distance takes you to about here. I can't see the significance unless it's to the end of the red route clearway? If not, perhaps what it was has long gone and they just forgot the signs. It all seems a bit specific though. Historic sreetview also has them.
It is unlikely that the signs were linked to any road sign due to the Traffic Signs Manual saying that all distances are to be given in yards/miles and never metric. (Chapter 7 - Section 14.2.5)
Yes I agree, although metric/imperial mistakes have been made in the past.

But even for a one off event that does measure distances in metric: running? cycling? why are the distances not at a round point. Seems random. Not a distance at all?
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Re: Unkown Sign 1395m?

Post by Nwallace »

multiraider2 wrote: Mon Apr 08, 2019 17:00 But even for a one off event that does measure distances in metric: running? cycling? why are the distances not at a round point. Seems random. Not a distance at all?
You wouldn't normally go to the effort of producing a compliant sign for such events, and if the council insisted (as falkirk once did... it was the only running of that event partly because of that) you'd use yellow temporary signs.
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Re: Unkown Sign 1395m?

Post by Johnathan404 »

Maybe you've all got it wrong and you need to be looking at what's 1395 miles away! :D
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Re: Unkown Sign 1395m?

Post by Bryn666 »

How weird this is being asked here... a couple of weeks ago I was asked by colleagues from our London office about this.

I had no idea then and still don't know now. As signs go they're unlawful obstructions and should be removed.
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Re: Unkown Sign 1395m?

Post by RichardA35 »

Having slept on this, I'm coming to the view that the sign, being a visual reference of distance, could be the equivalent of a timing mark for the local police.
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Re: Unkown Sign 1395m?

Post by Conekicker »

There's an easy way to find out what it's all about - take it down and see who complains. If no one does, unlawful obstruction removed, job jobbed.
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Re: Unkown Sign 1395m?

Post by JohnnyMo »

As a timing mark 150m is too short, IIRC the police need to average your speed over a third of a mile ( about 500m ) to get an accurate timing.
Conekicker wrote: Tue Apr 09, 2019 21:10 There's an easy way to find out what it's all about - take it down and see who complains. If no one does, unlawful obstruction removed, job jobbed.
Probably the local police, charging you are stealing road signs to sell as scrap.
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Re: Unkown Sign 1395m?

Post by Truvelo »

Maybe it's the modern equivalent of the measured mile signs you used to see.
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Re: Unkown Sign 1395m?

Post by c2R »

Someone could FOI it.....?
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Berk
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Re: Unkown Sign 1395m?

Post by Berk »

JohnnyMo wrote: Tue Apr 09, 2019 21:32 As a timing mark 150m is too short, IIRC the police need to average your speed over a third of a mile ( about 500m ) to get an accurate timing.
Conekicker wrote: Tue Apr 09, 2019 21:10There's an easy way to find out what it's all about - take it down and see who complains. If no one does, unlawful obstruction removed, job jobbed.
Probably the local police, charging you are stealing road signs to sell as scrap.
The distance between the two observed markers is 136m, which comes out just below 150 yards (148, to be exact).

Neither fish nor fowl. :confused: If it was 200m/220 yards, that would make sense.
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Re: Unkown Sign 1395m?

Post by Pendlemac »

Berk wrote: Tue Apr 09, 2019 23:36
JohnnyMo wrote: Tue Apr 09, 2019 21:32 As a timing mark 150m is too short, IIRC the police need to average your speed over a third of a mile ( about 500m ) to get an accurate timing.
Conekicker wrote: Tue Apr 09, 2019 21:10There's an easy way to find out what it's all about - take it down and see who complains. If no one does, unlawful obstruction removed, job jobbed.
Probably the local police, charging you are stealing road signs to sell as scrap.
The distance between the two observed markers is 136m, which comes out just below 150 yards (148, to be exact).

Neither fish nor fowl. :confused: If it was 200m/220 yards, that would make sense.
Given that the physical distance between the signs is approx 110m that would agree with my earlier measurement that revealed the 25m difference in the points being measured to. ( The lampposts on that road appear to be around 35m apart which ties in with 'nearest lamppost' fixing as 3 lamppost gaps is around 105m. )
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