Pre-Worboys preservation campaign

[DavidNW9]

I wish I'd done that with all the blue and yellow lot as well. He shouldn't worry- I've read all the law on this for the forthcoming council meeting (tomorrow) and found not only are fingerposts recommended and regulations exist to maintain them in good condition, but can be listed.

Also all existing signs recommended for removal are legal while in place and the secretary of state can approve retention and placement of any sign using his discretion. As far as I discovered in the UK there is no law saying warning signs must be erected anywhere, so any used are better than none at all. It appears Worboys plan was a policy rather than legally binding decision, as demonstrated by the varying attitudes of local councils to all non standard signs. Having studied law myself I am actually surprised how flexible they are compared to what I expected.

[JamesA44]

This first three on this page are at the same junction but were removed shortly after these pictures were taken. I wonder if someone is searching the internet for them and then going out stealing them?

Re the first yellow sign on that page - I've never seen Warley on a roadsign before!

Great pics.

[RoadKill]

DavidNW9: There's a sign like in your avatar that still exists at the A243 / B3370 junction in Surbiton.

[DavidNW9]

DavidNW9: There's a sign like in your avatar that still exists at the A243 / B3370 junction in Surbiton.

Yes, that's the one on Upper Brighton Road by the bridge which they actually repainted, the old photo is here in the gallery before and shows how easy it is to make them look like new. I only found the other one about a year later by pure chance as it's tucked away round a corner where the other is on the main road. But thanks for the heads up as there was one in Highgate I found here I didn't know about only a couple of miles from where I used to live.

[Mattemotorway]

Bump!

Well, I just thought I'd say that I was walking in Pocklington today, and I came past a house that had a pre-Warboys '30' sign on the front!

[owen b]

I think this is my favourite road sign. I presume it's pre-Worboys, but if it is, it's been wonderfully maintained or restored.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1086092

[DavidNW9]

Owen, I remember that, it's more art (and pretty modern) than anything else but still does the job as well as looking interesting. There's a similar one in Tooting Broadway

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sarflondondunc/456311795/

but the signs there look original. Many signs were incorporated into other street furniture for economy of space, so the water pump in Dorking has them on top as well, and probably Victorian and still as good as new, so bringing back structures with signs is based on the original ideas.

[DavidNW9]

If I can add a poll here please let me know (and it will be my first anywhere I think if possible to).

A rare chance to see one of each together. Be honest, if you were driving a bus, which one would you understand first?



Also, any ideas why they are no longer triangular (warning!)?

[wallasey]

If its Pre-Worboy's your after, several routes in Ceredigion are good places to go. Never seen so many in my life!

[Nicholas]

If I can add a poll here please let me know (and it will be my first anywhere I think if possible to).

Best off adding a poll to the Roads Poll section and linking across to this topic.

[Bryn666]

If I can add a poll here please let me know (and it will be my first anywhere I think if possible to).

A rare chance to see one of each together. Be honest, if you were driving a bus, which one would you understand first?



Also, any ideas why they are no longer triangular (warning!)?

There are a few of those on the A6 around Carnforth. As for the signs, a height prohibition means if a lorry does hit the bridge, the driver gets prosecuted. The triangular warning made it harder to discourage bridge bashing.

[DavidNW9]

I'll see how I get on with the software with the poll, and hope I can get everything to work.
Thanks for the pointer wallasey, I just had a look online and saw some lovely examples, a bit too far to go to for me though!

[kieron]

Also, any ideas why they are no longer triangular (warning!)?

There are a few still around, such as on the blue bridge between Queensferry and Garden City:

There isn't much reason for an oversize vehicle to approach this bridge, as there is a bridge with a lower (regulatory) height limit a few hundred yards further on, and you simply can't get a super-cube to one of the industrial units between them.

I do wonder if road authorities have a responsibility to warn against hazards (such as this sort) which are not obvious to the reasonably careful driver. i.e. they can't be prosecuted for not putting a sign on a low bridge, but they can be sued by an insurance company for it in the event of an accident.

[Halstead]

Also, any ideas why they are no longer triangular (warning!)?

According to a basic rule off the Highway Code. red triangles warn, red circles prohibit. There used to be a number of red triangle signs on bridges throughout the late 90s in my area that were changed to circles.

A number of red triangles do exist, albeit on arched tunnels. These makes more sense compared to the replaced signs mainly seen on tunnels with flat ceilings.

[M5Lenzar]

I would imagine they are now circles to allow for the dozy drivers of overheight vehicles to be prosecuted for failing to obey the signs.

[sgill77]

I would imagine they are now circles to allow for the dozy drivers of overheight vehicles to be prosecuted for failing to obey the signs.

Yes; it would be illegal to drive a vehicle past a red circle height limit sign if it was higher than the indicated limit. With a triangle the limit is a warning rather than a legal prohibition.

[DavidNW9]

Thanks for that, that's some clever legal gymnastics they used there, quite worthy of any transport department.

I wonder if they'll ever decide to use a cloud shaped one to penalise people for just thinking about doing something next?

[Chris Bertram]

I would imagine they are now circles to allow for the dozy drivers of overheight vehicles to be prosecuted for failing to obey the signs.

Yes; it would be illegal to drive a vehicle past a red circle height limit sign if it was higher than the indicated limit. With a triangle the limit is a warning rather than a legal prohibition.

Which is all very well, but surely the circle should be placed at the last point at which it is possible to turn round or take an avoiding route, rather than be attached to the bridge where there is no chance of escape?

[sgill77]

Yes; it would be illegal to drive a vehicle past a red circle height limit sign if it was higher than the indicated limit. With a triangle the limit is a warning rather than a legal prohibition.

Which is all very well, but surely the circle should be placed at the last point at which it is possible to turn round or take an avoiding route, rather than be attached to the bridge where there is no chance of escape?

I suppose that, as long as there were triangular warning signs (or white-on-blue text signs) at a suitable place, then it would be fair enough to say, "Well, we did warn you"!

After all, a high vehicle might legitimately want to travel down a road past the last chance of avoiding a low bridge bridge, in order to access premises. He would then turn around and leave the way he came. If the circular sign was at the last chance of taking an alternative route, it would mean travelling up to the low bridge would be as illegal as driving into it!

[kieron]

If you believe this sign, it is illegal to drive up to the bridge it is protecting. Unfortunately, this sign (the first to mention the bridge) is several hundred yards after the last opportunity to turn a lorry around, even with the co-operation of the owner of the last farm you pass.