25/11/2011
The overlord of all 30mph signs
Do you get sick and tired of people speeding past you on the road?
Then you might like to the applaud the efforts of one man who lives in the village of Bow in Devon, who has painted a huge 30mph sign on the side of his home.
It’s 4.5 metres high, cost him £100 in red, white and black paint, and took him five hours to complete!
The man’s aim is to remind motorists of the speed limit as they enter the village during Road Safety Week.
I think it’s a great idea and should be a permanent fixture and potentially copied all over the UK, but sadly the Department for Transport has said that the sign is in fact illegal.
However, before you go and camp next to it in protest – neither the Department for Transport or Devon County Council plan to take action against the giant 30mph sign because it’s painted on a private property and the owner plans on painting over it himself on the 5th of December anyway.
It’s a shame really…maybe they could change the legislation against over-sized speed limit signs?
Then you might like to the applaud the efforts of one man who lives in the village of Bow in Devon, who has painted a huge 30mph sign on the side of his home. It’s 4.5 metres high, cost him £100 in red, white and black paint, and took him five hours to complete!
The man’s aim is to remind motorists of the speed limit as they enter the village during Road Safety Week.
I think it’s a great idea and should be a permanent fixture and potentially copied all over the UK, but sadly the Department for Transport has said that the sign is in fact illegal.
However, before you go and camp next to it in protest – neither the Department for Transport or Devon County Council plan to take action against the giant 30mph sign because it’s painted on a private property and the owner plans on painting over it himself on the 5th of December anyway.
It’s a shame really…maybe they could change the legislation against over-sized speed limit signs?
Photo © bengrey via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: 30mph sign, Bow, Department for Transport, Devon, Devon County Council, paint, road, speed limit, speeding, UK
14/10/2011
Does every minute really count that much?
We all like it when journey times are shorter than we expected, unless we happen to be travelling in a limo complete with jacuzzi, massage therapist, with five-star food available on demand, which doesn’t happen every often.
However, if we’re not in that limo and it’s a matter of being one minute earlier than we would have been, we’re not that energised by the amount of time we’ve saved.
Nevertheless, the Department for Transport seems very pleased that by removing the bus lane from the M4 from Heathrow to London, it has cut the journey time between the two destinations by a whole minute.
That’s 20 seconds more than they had thought previously.
Excited?
Well we found it difficult to throw a party in celebration of it too – but as the head of road safety at the AA highlighted, “At least people queuing to get onto the elevated section don’t have to endure the frustration of seeing an empty lane alongside them.”
We suppose that is a plus, it’s annoying seeing an empty lane and knowing that you can’t use it.
But wait! The lane will be reinstated in 2012 so that the ‘Olympic Family’ can use it to get to their events in good time – so other road users will have that achingly long minute put back onto their journey time soon anyway.
However, if we’re not in that limo and it’s a matter of being one minute earlier than we would have been, we’re not that energised by the amount of time we’ve saved. Nevertheless, the Department for Transport seems very pleased that by removing the bus lane from the M4 from Heathrow to London, it has cut the journey time between the two destinations by a whole minute.
That’s 20 seconds more than they had thought previously.
Excited?
Well we found it difficult to throw a party in celebration of it too – but as the head of road safety at the AA highlighted, “At least people queuing to get onto the elevated section don’t have to endure the frustration of seeing an empty lane alongside them.”
We suppose that is a plus, it’s annoying seeing an empty lane and knowing that you can’t use it.
But wait! The lane will be reinstated in 2012 so that the ‘Olympic Family’ can use it to get to their events in good time – so other road users will have that achingly long minute put back onto their journey time soon anyway.
Photo © nikoretro via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: AA, bus lane, Department for Transport, destination, journey time, limo, M4, Olympic Family, travelling
01/07/2011
Warning: Poor road maintenance ahead
There are so many potholes on Britain’s roads at the moment that price comparison website Confused.com is petitioning the Department for Transport to introduce a pothole warning sign to be used across the country.
The company has commissioned a common red-bordered triangular sign, and in the centre it has chosen to place the image of a car with one wheel down a hole.
Confused.com decided that enough was enough when it realised, after doing some research, that even if councils had sufficient budgets for road maintenance it would take them about 11 years to fill all of the potholes and generally repair damaged areas of road.
The price comparison company’s chief marketing officer stated, “Although repairing these roads is obviously the long term solution, something needs to be done now.
“Currently the UK’s road signs include warnings for wild horses, wild animals, cattle and even toads but potholes aren’t considered worthy enough. A pothole road sign is a vital step in preventing accidents and reducing insurance claims.”
The AA however, is not so taken with the idea. A spokesperson explained, “It costs up to £100 to put up a sign but £50-£60 to fix a pothole.”
Hmm, now we don’t know what to think. Generally we like the idea of a pothole sign, but money-wise it doesn’t look so appealing.
Well, if you like the scheme, you can always sign the petition. We’re going to mull it over some more.
The company has commissioned a common red-bordered triangular sign, and in the centre it has chosen to place the image of a car with one wheel down a hole.
Confused.com decided that enough was enough when it realised, after doing some research, that even if councils had sufficient budgets for road maintenance it would take them about 11 years to fill all of the potholes and generally repair damaged areas of road.The price comparison company’s chief marketing officer stated, “Although repairing these roads is obviously the long term solution, something needs to be done now.
“Currently the UK’s road signs include warnings for wild horses, wild animals, cattle and even toads but potholes aren’t considered worthy enough. A pothole road sign is a vital step in preventing accidents and reducing insurance claims.”
The AA however, is not so taken with the idea. A spokesperson explained, “It costs up to £100 to put up a sign but £50-£60 to fix a pothole.”
Hmm, now we don’t know what to think. Generally we like the idea of a pothole sign, but money-wise it doesn’t look so appealing.
Well, if you like the scheme, you can always sign the petition. We’re going to mull it over some more.
Image by Mike Willis via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: Department for Transport, potholes, repair, road, sign, wheel
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