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Coded road signs appear around Hereford

8:00am Saturday 31st July 2010 in


MOTORISTS have been left scratching their heads after a number of coded road signs went up around Hereford.

The signs, with different shapes printed on a yellow background, could easily be mistaken for cryptic clues but have, in fact, a much more straightforward explanation.

They have been installed following an agreement between Herefordshire Council and the Highways Agency to alert drivers to diversion routes should a major accident occur on the A49.

“The idea is that in response to an incident, signage will be deployed advising motorists that the road ahead is closed and asking them to follow a particular symbol, and this will guide them around the incident via the most appropriate route,” said Clive Hall, highway network manager with the council.

“As the symbols are all permanently mounted then setting up the diversion route will be quicker and should ultimately be a more effective way of reducing the congestion and confusion that can result following incidents.”

However, Mr Hall said he has questioned the Highways Agency on whether the signs’ prominence “is appropriate for their function and location”.

He added that any motorists who have queries relating to the signs, or any other highways issue, should either call 01432 261800 or email streets@herefordshire.

gov.uk.

Comments(10)

digitaldave says...
10:14am Sat 31 Jul 10

more signs = more accidents, this is a proven fact.

sign that require advanced decoding will cause even more accidents.

the end result will be people do not take notice of any signs.

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davidtphillips says...
4:48pm Sat 31 Jul 10

I agree with digitaldave - Maybe this is too logical, but why not improve the quality of the A49 so that there is less likelihood of a major accident?

It already has so many speed restrictions which are proof enough that it is not up to standard.

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apdor says...
9:03pm Sat 31 Jul 10

"Advanced Decoding" ..... An accident happens so the police/council tell you to follow all of the squares or circles as a diversion.... So you drive along the road until you observe the shape you are looking for and follow the direction of the sign! .. Not exactly rocket science is it

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digitaldave says...
11:26pm Sat 31 Jul 10

apdor wrote:
"Advanced Decoding" ..... An accident happens so the police/council tell you to follow all of the squares or circles as a diversion.... So you drive along the road until you observe the shape you are looking for and follow the direction of the sign! .. Not exactly rocket science is it
most drivers in herefordshire are not from herefordshire, will the council be updating all european cities as to what each circle or square means and the route to take?

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old guy says...
9:17am Sun 1 Aug 10

Digital Dave, this system is widely used nationally & internationally - you obviously don't get out much!

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apdor says...
8:12pm Sun 1 Aug 10

Digital Dave: Please see the following section of the highway code: http://www.direct.go
v.uk/prod_consum_dg/
groups/dg_digitalass
ets/@dg/@en/document
s/digitalasset/dg_07
0567.pdf (if the link gets removed its page 111 ) Which shows the signs and shapes!!!

You make a lot of sweeping statements like "most drivers in herefordshire are not from herefordshire" and "more signs = more accidents, this is a proven fact."

Could you give me some sources for these 'facts'

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digitaldave says...
11:11am Mon 2 Aug 10

old guy wrote:
Digital Dave, this system is widely used nationally & internationally - you obviously don't get out much!
of course, celever guy, I drive round the country to get to meetings/appintments for a living and have done for 15 years.

so yeah, never been outside of ledbury, ;)

(posted from the M6 services near snadbach)

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leftofmoorfarm says...
1:04pm Mon 2 Aug 10

I think what digitaldave (aka "Sarah" apparantly) is suggesting is that these signs are confusing because there isn't actually a diversion in place all the time. The point is that they act rather like emergency exit signs in a building - they can be ignored most of the time, but in the event of an emergency/accident, the police post notices telling drivers to follow the symbols. So rather than having to post maybe 20 or 30 signs at each junction to put a diversion in place, they need only post one either side of the accident, indicating to motorists which diversion to follow. This saves the emergency services time when they can be helping the injured, not diverting traffic. It would be ridiculous to post emergency exit signs in a building when the fire breaks out. Putting routes in place in advance, just makes good sense. Sorry "dave", nothing to moan about here.

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cursor says...
3:45pm Mon 2 Aug 10

You've only got to drive past Oakchurch to realise that a high percentage of drivers ignore road signs and road markings put there to suggest it would be dangerous to overtake, and then they overtake regardless.

I don't understand the signs mentioned in the article, but that's due to my ignorance rather than the fact that they might use "cryptic" symbols.

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mrsimon says...
4:48pm Wed 4 Aug 10

Anyone that knows how to drive should know what these mean and how to navigate via them.

If not - I think a refresher with a highway code book would be a good suggestion.



I do agree with others though - "permanent" installations are silly.

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One of the many road signs that have sprung up around Hereford, here pictured near Aylestone Hill. Buy this photo icon Buy this photo » One of the many road signs that have sprung up around Hereford, here pictured near Aylestone Hill.

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