Roadside clutter
Roadside clutter near A2, Bridge, Canterbury. Photo: © Ady Kerry.
A profusion of signs is cluttering our countryside
The profusion of signing and road markings is cluttering our countryside and the standardisation of signage erodes the distinctive character of our countryside.
Many road signs do continue to perform a useful purpose, and need to be retained. But doubling the number of signs does not equate to a doubling in road safety. Frequently villages are told to choose between unsafe villages or unsightly villages. CPRE believes this is as unimaginative as it is unacceptable.
To campaign against clutter is not to campaign against road safety but to argue for more sensitive measures and better design. Clutter audits show that many signs are unnecessary and by removing them, road users are more likely to notice the important signs that remain. The latest research on psychological traffic calming shows that creating attractive streetscapes and lanescapes can be more effective in changing driver behaviour than further clutter.
Better guidance on road signage
We are a key player in the Department for Transport's Traffic Signs Policy Review. Launched in September 2008, this was heralded as the biggest shake up since modern signs were introduced in the early 1960s. We have been campaigning with the RAC Foundation to urge the Government to produce clear guidance on how to manage road signage in rural areas.
Local campaigns
Across the country our branches are working with their local highways authorities to reduce standardised clutter and use natural features such as hedges and stone walls to calm traffic.
For example, CPRE Hampshire has long campaigned for a reduction in signage and other clutter on its rural roads. Consultation with parish councils in 2004 showed overwhelming support for a reduction. Now the County Council is working with CPRE Hampshire, together with the local police force, in a ground-breaking clutter reduction pilot project on the A32. Implementation is due to be complete by the summer of 2009.
> H-B Associates website: A32 Meon Valley Pilot Project
Friends of the Lake District, which represents CPRE in Cumbria, has the Rural Roads Character project that aims to make sure that the distinctiveness and character of the county’s roads are maintained and enhanced.
> Friends of the Lake District website: Rural Roads Character project
Our clutter challenge to local authorities
Our five point clutter challenge urges authorities to take out unnecessary clutter, and improve the way in which they manage traffic so that they are more in keeping with the surrounding area.
1. Develop a clutter reduction policy in the Local Transport Plan (LTP) to protect and enhance townscape and countryside character, coupled with a bid for additional funding in the plan to help implement it. New LTPs are being drawn up for 2011 onwards.
2. Work with urban designers, landscape professionals, interested groups and the wider public to develop a traffic management manual and design guide.
3. Devise a local target to reduce clutter and undertake a clutter audit across the authority’s area.
4. Undertake a clutter free pilot scheme to manage traffic in the countryside during the first two years of the life of the Local Transport Plan.
5. Write to CPRE informing them of the authority’s commitment to the clutter challenge and issue a news release to help publicise this in the local media.
See also
