Botched Roadsigns

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Bryn666
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Re: Botched Roadsigns

Post by Bryn666 »

the cheesecake man wrote: Thu Jul 07, 2022 13:40 Are there any rules about sign height? :paperbag: This sign in Bakewell is barely off the ground.
The only rule is a sign can't obstruct sightlines or a walking route. Low mounting may cause issues with headlamps but there's nothing stopping you sticking an ADS at that height.
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Re: Botched Roadsigns

Post by tom66 »

Not a construction zone, so these signs appear inappropriately yellow:
https://www.google.com/maps/@52.3112606 ... 384!8i8192

I can guess that the signmakers wanted them to stand out, but I'm pretty sure it's not a legal variation. These are littered along the road, but stops at the border to Cambridgeshire.

Not sure about this entrance warning sign either:
https://www.google.com/maps/@52.3102733 ... 384!8i8192

Earlier in Leeds, I saw this fantastically botched example. I'm not too sure how to "becareful".
photo_5924530849800370508_y.jpg
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Re: Botched Roadsigns

Post by Chris5156 »

tom66 wrote: Thu Jul 07, 2022 19:46Earlier in Leeds, I saw this fantastically botched example. I'm not too sure how to "becareful".

photo_5924530849800370508_y.jpg
That sort of real attention to detail is what tells you that the person who made it takes pride in their work :laugh:
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Re: Botched Roadsigns

Post by Chris Bertram »

Is it politically incorrect to question whether the person designing this sign was a first language English speaker?

Though perhaps the number of people who use "would of", "should of" and "could of" instead of "would have", "should have" and "could have" tells us that this is actually a redundant question.
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Re: Botched Roadsigns

Post by tom66 »

I think it is politically incorrect :P

I know many people who were born and bred in this country who can't string a sentence together, unfortunately. Statistics show around 1 in 6 people are functionally illiterate (https://literacytrust.org.uk/parents-an ... -literacy/) in England. No doubt some of those people found themselves in signwriting. It's probably not a profession that attracts the best and brightest, unfortunately, given some of the examples on this forum.

In fact, of the people I do know, those who came over from Eastern Europe and were very self-critical of their own English skills ("I'm sorry, my English is not very good, I'm from Poland") have pretty good written English in my limited experience. Though these are people with an engineering degree or similar so there's probably some selection bias.
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Re: Botched Roadsigns

Post by Bryn666 »

Most sign errors are made by people with a bigger faith in their own ability than their competence allows.
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Re: Botched Roadsigns

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Bryn666 wrote: Fri Jul 08, 2022 12:42 Most sign errors are made by people with a bigger faith in their own ability than their competence allows.
Most sign errors are made by people with a bigger faith in their own ability than their competence allows.
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Re: Botched Roadsigns

Post by Jonathan24 »

What's the speed limit here?

20MPH when the lights are flashing would seem to be the obvious answer, and 40MPH (the normal speed limit for the road) when they aren't flashing.

But 2 lamp posts further along, and still before the school, there is this repeater. Does that mean the 20MPH speed limit actually only applies for the distance between 2 lamp posts?!
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Re: Botched Roadsigns

Post by tom66 »

Looks very bodge. Aren't variable speed limits are legal only on motorways? (Which is why the A14 limits don't have red rings as it's not a smart motorway, yet.)

Is it possible to apply a TRO that makes this legal?
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Re: Botched Roadsigns

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tom66 wrote: Tue Jul 12, 2022 13:57 ...the A14 limits don't have red rings...
I'm sure I've seen them with red rings.
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Re: Botched Roadsigns

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Big L wrote: Tue Jul 12, 2022 17:13
tom66 wrote: Tue Jul 12, 2022 13:57 ...the A14 limits don't have red rings...
I'm sure I've seen them with red rings.
The signs are capable of supporting red rings (in so far as they appear to have the LEDs for it), but I've seen a number of "limits" set up so far and they've all been without a ring. They also don't show the ring on the large dot matrix displays.

This is a commuter route for me, about 2 days a week.

I read that VSLs couldn't be implemented, as it's not a motorway, on here: https://www.roads.org.uk/index.php/blog/missing-m
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Re: Botched Roadsigns

Post by Big L »

tom66 wrote: Tue Jul 12, 2022 17:19
Big L wrote: Tue Jul 12, 2022 17:13
tom66 wrote: Tue Jul 12, 2022 13:57 ...the A14 limits don't have red rings...
I'm sure I've seen them with red rings.
The signs are capable of supporting red rings (in so far as they appear to have the LEDs for it), but I've seen a number of "limits" set up so far and they've all been without a ring. They also don't show the ring on the large dot matrix displays.

This is a commuter route for me, about 2 days a week.

I read that VSLs couldn't be implemented, as it's not a motorway, on here: https://www.roads.org.uk/index.php/blog/missing-m
Red rings on Google StreetView imagery.

That's not to say that it is allowed - 528 pages and counting in this Botched Roadsigns thread shows that plenty that isn't right is out there in the wild.


Edit : In the rarest of cases, the thing that is being warned about actually happened !!
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Re: Botched Roadsigns

Post by tom66 »

Big L wrote: Tue Jul 12, 2022 17:41 Red rings on Google StreetView imagery.

That's not to say that it is allowed - 528 pages and counting in this Botched Roadsigns thread shows that plenty that isn't right is out there in the wild.


Edit : In the rarest of cases, the thing that is being warned about actually happened !!
Why I never... Well, there's a first for everything!

I have seen "stranded vehicle" before with a 50 mph advisory, and that did have (then) Highways England on site and a large lorry had indeed blocked one of the lanes of the A10(N) sliproad.

Maybe the Police have discretion to order NH to apply a limit? And otherwise NH can't set a limit just for congestion... Would love to know the actual reason

There are also signs on the A14 section past Cambridge advising of an average speed camera system but no one is visibly present (and a FOI request confirmed that there isn't one installed or an immediate plan to install one)

I suppose this limit DOES explain the otherwise meaningless "Variable speed limit ENDS" signs...
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Re: Botched Roadsigns

Post by BlakeTehGreat2 »

Does this count? On the former A487 in Llanwnda. The slip road (which has been removed due to the new bypass) is poorly censored by a green plate.
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Re: Botched Roadsigns

Post by Chris5156 »

tom66 wrote: Tue Jul 12, 2022 17:19
Big L wrote: Tue Jul 12, 2022 17:13
tom66 wrote: Tue Jul 12, 2022 13:57 ...the A14 limits don't have red rings...
I'm sure I've seen them with red rings.
The signs are capable of supporting red rings (in so far as they appear to have the LEDs for it), but I've seen a number of "limits" set up so far and they've all been without a ring. They also don't show the ring on the large dot matrix displays.

This is a commuter route for me, about 2 days a week.

I read that VSLs couldn't be implemented, as it's not a motorway, on here: https://www.roads.org.uk/index.php/blog/missing-m
Bearing in mind that article is now two and a half years old, it's possible the situation has changed. Certainly the signal equipment and fixed signage on the A14 was put in place with the expectation that legislation would then be passed to enable variable speed limits on all-purpose roads, and HE/NH was actively pursuing that. I have to admit I don't know whether that has happened yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if it has. Equally, as Big L says, the occasions where red rings have appeared may be in error, these things do happen.
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Re: Botched Roadsigns

Post by tom66 »

This morning along the A14(E) past Cambridge there was a huge queue on the A10 off slip backing onto the main carriageway (with the usual jokers in L2 and L3 jumping across the 'tiger tail' causing all sorts of hazards)

The gantries and the large graphic message signs (what are they called?) were all showing advisory 50 limits.

Shrug as to when the *legal* limits come into play. I don't use the Huntingdon section that much so perhaps there are different rules there.

edit: Maybe the 'Variable speed limit ENDS' sign here means that the A14 past Cambs. does not have enforceable variable speed limit signage.
https://www.google.com/maps/@52.2320896 ... 384!8i8192
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Re: Botched Roadsigns

Post by Chris56000 »

. . .Now that the A1 Birtley–Coal House widening will shortly be going ahead, perhaps we might finally get a correct sign with chopsticks on it where the s/b A1 from Coal House J67 becomes motorway A1(M) at Birtley J65 – the post–mounted verge sign on the A1 here just before the off–slip to the A1231 & B1288 branches off has been updated/replaced three times to my knowledge since the bypass became A1 and none of the replacement signs have had the chopsticks on the ahead Motorway Panel "The SOUTH, Durham A1(M)" here, when they should have been!

(I live in hope, as the "fly–through" video shows gantry signs for replacements and there are "chopsticks" depicted on the proposed gantry signs!)

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Re: Botched Roadsigns

Post by Conekicker »

A botched roadwork sign, how very unusual.
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Re: Botched Roadsigns

Post by OliverH »

Nathan_A_RF wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 23:05 Spot the issue here
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.19975 ... 384!8i8192
It looks like it's a replacement. The one that was there before was correct.
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Re: Botched Roadsigns

Post by solocle »

This Motorway only lane in Glasgow. Also missing any form of chopsticks sign.
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