Poor Road Signage Pictures

Victor

This thread now the third most popular (evar!!!) on C/T.

MT

I can’t speak for everywhere but certainly in Fermanagh it seems that only the internally illuminated bollards are used at roundabouts – even at some mini roundabouts that have small ‘islands’ at their entrance/exits. It’s actually a difference between the two jurisdictions that I’d never considered. But just thinking about it, from my experience the aluminium keep-left signs appear to only be used higher up on lamp posts situated on traffic calming islands – as in this pic you took. As in that shot they’d be combined with one of the bollards.

You’d never see this arrangement up here where both a bollard and aluminium sign have been used at the same time for some strange reason.

The other place where these arrow signs are used is of course on roundabouts pointing to the left. However, they’re not used to sign a one way street as is the norm down there. In the UK a rectangular (information) blue sign with arrow is used – a bit like the American one way signs.

No entry bollards are less common with ordinary al. signs preferred in most instances. I’ve never seen them but are any no entry bollards used down there?

I think in general the reasoning behind the greater use of aluminium signs over lit bollards down there is that lighting signs seems to be much less of a policy in the Republic than in the UK. There’s even a difference between England and NI with the former lighting far more warning/reg signs, etc.

On the subject of the types of aluminium sheeting used I was intrigued when I heard about this difference myself. As I live near the border I decided, in true Walter Mitty style, to check this out. So the other day I stopped at a number of signs on both sides of the border to see if this was only a myth.

To my surprise there was indeed a difference in strength and thickness. It seemed that those in the Republic were about 2/2.5mm (no I didn’t measure) while signs in NI were thicker at about 3mm. Of course, that doesn’t seem like much but boy did it make a difference to a sign’s toughness.

I could have literally bent a sign in the Republic with my hands whereas this was in no way possible with the versions on the other side of the border – I could barely make them flex at all. Indeed, the south’s signs were so flimsy by comparison that I could well believe that an entirely different alloy had been used – if that makes sense to an engineer.

Interestingly, the one type of Northern sign that did flex quite a bit were the sharp bend chevron signs. These seemed to be made of thinner sheeting like the stuff across the border and were pretty much as dented and crumpled it would seem as a result.

Now don’t take my word for it as I only ‘tested’ a number of signs and didn’t half feel like a prat while doing so. I could just see myself having a run in with the local cops.

‘Are you trying to remove this sign, Sir?’
‘Er, no… I’m, er… a member of the sign touchers appreciation society, yes that’s right, er… you can’t beat the feel of raw aluminium…’
*Sort of begins to run away* chased by policeman shouting ‘Come back, ya dirty sign fiddler.’

Yes, it could have been like something straight out of the Worst Week of My Life.

MT

Pfungstadter wrote:

The thing about thicker signs as said to be in N.I. is that they can be a safety problem. Signs are supposed to collapse and crumple upon impact, not stay up.

As Murphaph pointed out it’s the posts that hold the sign up that you’ll hit in an accident. I doubt the steel tubing used for posts on both sides of the border is any different and so neither set of signs is any safer than the other.

Saying that you are on better cos your signs are thicker well maybe not.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not attempting to start some sort of pissing contest between NI and the Republic over signage. This thread is about the state of signage in the Republic and I’ve simply used examples from up here as references with which to draw comparisons.

I’m not trying to get one over, just highlighting areas of signage down there that I feel could be improved while attempting to point out better ways of doing things, regardless of where they may be found. NI figures most prominently simply because I live here and know it best but I’ve also used examples from the Netherlands, France, Australia, the US and so on as well.

And to further show that there’s no ‘my home’ bias on my part I’ve been just as quick to point out the failings up here that the Republic should avoid – confusing gantries, daft numbering system – and areas where the UK could learn from you guys.

This isn’t a thread about comparisons, they only happen to feature as it’s a good method of demonstrating how you feel things might otherwise be done. The aim of this thread, as Murphaph the OP stated, is to highlight the poor signage that exists in the Republic. And maybe get it sorted!

murphaph

MT wrote:

You’d never see this arrangement up here where both a bollard and aluminium sign have been used at the same time for some strange reason.

That's the only time I've seen that mess down here either to be fair to the LA's here. That's pretty shocking actually.

MT wrote:

The other place where these arrow signs are used is of course on roundabouts pointing to the left. However, they’re not used to sign a one way street as is the norm down there. In the UK a rectangular (information) blue sign with arrow is used – a bit like the American one way signs.

Indeed, white on blue rectangles are ommon in Europe but usually are horizontal like the US ones. We don't actually use that blue circle to sign the entry to a one way street, we use a straight ahead black arrow in red bordered white roundel, the exact opposite to to the no-entry sign here which has the same features but with a red strikethrough showing prohibition.

MT wrote:

No entry bollards are less common with ordinary al. signs preferred in most instances. I’ve never seen them but are any no entry bollards used down there?

No. Not to my knowledge.

MT wrote:

On the subject of the types of aluminium sheeting used I was intrigued when I heard about this difference myself. As I live near the border I decided, in true Walter Mitty style, to check this out. So the other day I stopped at a number of signs on both sides of the border to see if this was only a myth.

To my surprise there was indeed a difference in strength and thickness. It seemed that those in the Republic were about 2/2.5mm (no I didn’t measure) while signs in NI were thicker at about 3mm. Of course, that doesn’t seem like much but boy did it make a difference to a sign’s toughness.

I could have literally bent a sign in the Republic with my hands whereas this was in no way possible with the versions on the other side of the border – I could barely make them flex at all. Indeed, the south’s signs were so flimsy by comparison that I could well believe that an entirely different alloy had been used – if that makes sense to an engineer.

Interestingly, the one type of Northern sign that did flex quite a bit were the sharp bend chevron signs. These seemed to be made of thinner sheeting like the stuff across the border and were pretty much as dented and crumpled it would seem as a result.

Now don’t take my word for it as I only ‘tested’ a number of signs and didn’t half feel like a prat while doing so. I could just see myself having a run in with the local cops.

‘Are you trying to remove this sign, Sir?’
‘Er, no… I’m, er… a member of the sign touchers appreciation society, yes that’s right, er… you can’t beat the feel of raw aluminium…’
*Sort of begins to run away* chased by policeman shouting ‘Come back, ya dirty sign fiddler.’

Yes, it could have been like something straight out of the Worst Week of My Life.

I'm gonna have to accept this then. I wouldn't have believed it but your bendiness test is more than I've ever done!

MT

Murphaph wrote:

That's the only time I've seen that mess down here either to be fair to the LA's here.

Just been driving on the newly opened N15 bridge over the Erne and unfortunately they’ve made the same blunder again. This time it’s even stranger as the ‘bollard’ is only an imitation yoke on spring hinges and yet they’ve still put up the aluminium keep left sign right after it. It looks particularly ridiculous.

Having just driven around the whole thing the new N15 is pretty impressive for a bypass of such minor towns. The bridge itself is very grand – moreso from the river beneath – and is 2+1 with a concrete barrier on top. Interestingly, part of the grant of planning permission must have involved sound proofing as immediately after the bridge there’s a break in the HRA with smooth tarmac used instead as the road passes through a housing development. The HRA then begins again after just 200 metres or so. Quite unusual.

IMV the people really to blame there were DCC for giving the go ahead for a housing development right beside the reserved route for the bypass. But then they’ve just went and given someone permission for a new entrance right outside one of the N route roundabouts – madness! :rolleyes:

Farmers have come out of it well too, with what seems like a farm gate every 200m or so on some parts. I’d say quite a few of the flyovers are for farm access too but I can’t be sure.

The signage overall is pretty good although there are a few mistakes and inadequacies, in addition to that one above. They’ve made of mess of the font size for the roundabout warning signs distance plates. On the Bundoran bypass section they got 300m, 200m etc. the correct size for the largest warning diamonds used in the scheme. But half way through one of the count downs on the Ballyshannon side they’ve suddenly gone and switched to a font size that’s smaller and difficult to read.

For some strange reason, despite spending a small fortune on the bridge and bypass itself, they couldn’t find the funds to put in the illuminated keep left bollards in all but a few places. As usual they resorted to the aluminium versions for the most part.

Despite putting up perfect adv and atj signage for the R237 for Kinlough on the bypass they’ve went and stuck up a woefully placed finger post for the same road in the town itself. Daft inconsistency there.

They decided to use two posts for all warning/regulatory signage on the bypass and one post for all the smaller equivalents put up on the older route. However, this logical idea came a cropper when they seemingly ran out of enough posts halfway along the route and had to resort back to using only one post for the yields at the roundabouts. Same thing seems to have gone wrong with the distance plate stockpile.

Needless to say, when you finish the newly completed stretch or turn onto any of the R roads the signage goes down the pan again – you know you’re back in DCC or LCC territory again.

The new warning signs erected by Donegal a few years back on the minor routes are really beginning to show severe wear. The thinner aluminium sheets used in the Republic just don’t seem robust enough to weather everyday bumps and knocks. So lots of signs with chunks missing, twisted or bent, etc. Interestingly, the warning signs just across the border in Fermanagh still look pretty much unscathed, despite having been up longer. Thing is, if you look closely you’ll see they’ve been hit loads too only they seem to be too stiff to bend or ‘tear’.

The other thing that DCC seem unable to do is take down any older superfluous signs. So you’ve the confusing situations on the R231 approaching the new bypass where a junction has been updated with a ‘stop’ sign, only the ‘yield’ straight in front of it was never removed. So what do you do? Then coming up to a new roundabout where there used to be a bend they’ve put up a roundabout warning sign but never bothered to take down the older bend warning standing beside it.

How difficult could it have been to have simply taken the bend sign off its post and replaced it with the roundabout version?

The other thing DCC/NRA have made a hash of is updating warning signs on the N3 to Fermanagh/the border. Instead of putting up the correct medium sized diamonds for a primary route they’ve used a mix of the correct size and the smallest version. Combine this with only one post per sign – lots of twisting to come! – and the whole stretch looks half arsed in comparison to what you get straight over the border on the A46. There every warning sign is the correct medium size and each has been mounted on two posts plus a third shorter strengthening post in the middle. Add to that the more robust sheeting and it’s no wonder the signs still look new.

Mind, the surface on the road’s sh!te as NI hasn’t got two pennies to rub together. It’s a case of excellent signage but too many potholes for a primary route! If only the Republics surfaces and NI’s signage could be combined things would be great.

N3: Crap signs.
A46: Crap surface.

Despite all of the signs in the above two pics having suffered a few thumps the only ones that show it are on the Donegal side of the border. The corner of the N3 route marker/dist. sign has been folded up in a collision while the roadside edge of the ‘Welcome to Donegal’ sign has been crumpled up like a Coke can. The Fermanagh signs look uncratched by comparison and yet I know they’ve been driven into.

One casualty of the better signs up here is that there are none of the old ‘pre-Worboys’ signs about anymore.

Victor

MT wrote:

Just been driving on the newly opened N15 bridge over the Erne and unfortunately they’ve made the same blunder again. This time it’s even stranger as the ‘bollard’ is only an imitation yoke on spring hinges and yet they’ve still put up the aluminium keep left sign right after it. It looks particularly ridiculous.

A flexible bollard or as I like to call them, floppy bollard. They strike the fear (of scratching their car) into many a motorist.

The are popular in the centre of Dublin to discourage persistant transgression and ensure lane discipline. For example, St. Stephen's Green South was four lanes (+ 2 parking lanes) one way. To discourage absent mindedness when the changed it to two way, they put in the bollards at 3-4m intervals.

http://www.google.ie/search?hl=en&q=flexible+bollard&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

MT

The one they've put up at one end of the concrete barrier has base attachments similar to those on the bollards shown at the bottom of this page. But the really strange thing is that there are three of these type of bollards in a row with what can only be described as a plastic 'cardboard cut out' of an actual illuminated bollard. Given that they've went for a fully illuminated version at the other end with an identical appearance this looks like a particularly cheapo option.

But the thing that Murphaph and I have been discussing is the pointless use of this keep left bollard and an aluminium keep left sign immediately behind it. The reverse of this setup.

The example that you highlight was a good use of the flexible bollards but when the warning is for a substantial structure such as the start of a concrete wall or a traffic island, that could very well contain pedestrians, the illuminated version is the superior option. At night it really increases the chances of seeing the obstruction. Furthermore, while the flexible version is good for preventing minor persistent infringements there may well never be a second time if you hit a reinforced concrete wall or a bunch of pedestrians.

What really should be in use down there now that you’ve started to installed concrete barriers are the metallic impact barriers used at the ends of such structures in the US to minimise the force of a collision. The sloped ends on their own aren’t safe enough IMO. Indeed, I fear that if someone collides with the barrier’s concrete slope on the N15 bridge they might very well be launched into the air and over the side of the bridge into the chasm beneath.

Victor

The dublin ones tend to be more like this http://www.lighthouse-bollards.com/SteelFlexPosts.jpg i.e. flat, but with two joints.

murphaph

I hate those things Victor. They are all well and good when brand new but we all know they won't be maintained and will go to pot.

Anyone seen the new mini roundabout made entirely of those things in the Phoenix Park? It's a mad lookin yoke. I'll get a pic next week. It's like a forest of those things.

icdg

MT wrote:

N3: Crap signs.


One casualty of the better signs up here is that there are none of the old ‘pre-Worboys’ signs about anymore.

I haven't seen much (if any) in the way of pre-Worboys signs on N-roads here at all, never mind an ADS like the one in the picture above - those seem to be pretty much extinct at this stage, apart from some strangely in areas of south Dublin like Dun Laoghaire. Even then they're not on N-roads. Plenty of pre-Worboys figureposts around on R-roads though, if you know where to look.

MT

Yeah, I think you're right icdg there isn't much of the old cast iron signage left on N routes and the ADS stuff is even rarer still. Here's an example of the latter from Kilkee in Clare.

I've seen the old signs all around Dun Laoghaire and I think they look great. Fantastic piece of heritage conservation.

On the subject of the scarcity of these signs around NI I think they were pretty much all removed with the introduction of the Warboys signs. There are, however, a number of the old style warning signs on one of the minor roads just off the main road into the International Airport. This sort. Apparently pretty much identical warning signs to these were used down south prior to the introduction of the yellow diamonds.

I’d like to see all such old signs from the early 20th century remain in place and be properly maintained. This shouldn’t, however, be at the expense of modern up-to-date signage which should be provided at all junctions regardless of whether older ‘relics’ are also present.

Victor

Un-stickied. I think its reached critical mass.

Victor

I'm not sure about this one

murphaph

Is that bunny rabbit wearing a g-string?

Pfungstadter

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had nothing better to do.:( :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Pfungstadter

(One of those nights)

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untitled2a.JPG

Now I'm glad no one knows me here :rolleyes:

Lennoxschips

My god, some of those gantry signs on the M50 are massively huge (is there an oversupply of steel in Ireland or something?), ugly, and generally unclear. How difficult is it to do this:



I ask you...

This one is stange:



Now, following the logic of all other signs in Europe you'd think, looking at this sign, that if you want to carry on in the direction of Wexford that you'd have to move over to the right lane. I would anyway, if I saw this sign. Yet the Sandyford thing is supposed to be indicating an exit ahead, but you'd think that the entire left lane is heading to Sandyford.

Pfungstadter

It's so much effort to do:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Pfungstadter

Juat remembered, in Australia the name every road. People often use the name of the road and not the number. but it's usually on a white background for the name, but I did yellow.

Looks like too much info but could be done better with proper design proportions and stuff. I'm just doing it toughly here with paint brush, pure brill programme:cool:

Victor

murphaph wrote:

Is that bunny rabbit wearing a g-string?

Well you can't have rabbits running around indecently exposing themselves, can you?

parsi

Lennoxschips wrote:

My god, some of those gantry signs on the M50 are massively huge (is there an oversupply of steel in Ireland or something?), ugly, and generally unclear. How difficult is it to do this:



I ask you...

.

Yeah but what if you're an immigrant and all you know is that you have to go to Hilversum and don't know if it's Nord or Dud or Ost or West....

Victor

parsi wrote:

Yeah but what if you're an immigrant and all you know is that you have to go to Hilversum and don't know if it's Nord or Dud or Ost or West....

Then you get a map.

Alun

parsi wrote:

Yeah but what if you're an immigrant and all you know is that you have to go to Hilversum and don't know if it's Nord or Dud or Ost or West....

That's Zuid, not "Dud" Anyway, you will have done your homework first and know that you need afrit (exit) 33 or whatever.

MT

Busy at the mo so can’t post much.

However, I was recently driving in Donegal and witnessed some of the most thoughtless junction marking you could imagine.

A number of new yield signs were erected a few years back at junctions on minor roads near the village of Mullaghmore (most were mounted crookedly or not at the top of their posts). For some reason the council weren’t bothered in putting down any road markings - this contrasts with the approach in NI of treating road markings and signage with equal importance and not discarding one or the other.

At long last DCC have finally got round to marking these junctions but have gone and made an utter balls of it. All the yield signs have had stop lines painted next to them and two have even had STOP stencilled on the road. For the third they either ran out of paint or realised their mistake – or possibly still didn’t know any better but just weren’t arsed with any more work that day. This seems to have been borne out by the fact that a load of other junctions in the immediate vicinity were yet again left unmarked. All in all, the entire work couldn't have been more amateurish if they'd tried. And these people are actually paid!!!

Then there’s a junction near Ballyshannon that has been changed from a yield to a stop yet they’ve erected a new STOP sign without removing the old YIELD right in front of it – so you get a choice of instructions! Although I think I’ve mentioned this previously it’s worth repeating in this context.

Then there’s a junction on the N15 which has been missing advance signage in both directions for more than five years after collisions. Well, the council has finally got around to replacing the signage – but only in one direction!

Throw in a whole load of listing signs, damaged signs, road markings long worn off and you have to wonder if maintenance is a concept anyone there has actually grasped. This compares to Fermanagh where there is usually a frenzy of activity every year to repaint junction markings, straighten and replace damaged signs, etc. They were even out cleaning signs about a month back – another thing that never happens in Donegal.

What exactly is going on? The sloppiness in installing and maintaining road signs and markings in Donegal just wouldn’t be tolerated in NI. Why don’t the authorities in the Republic do something and take this issue seriously? :mad:

daymobrew

MT wrote:

What exactly is going on? The sloppiness in installing and maintaining road signs and markings in Donegal just wouldn’t be tolerated in NI.

IIRC Donegal is one of the counties given extra money to fix their signage!

MT

IIRC Donegal is one of the counties given extra money to fix their signage!

That’s right they were – I think there were five counties in total that the scheme applied to. Not sure when it will be extended to the others.

However, this only seemed to cover directional signage as there’s still so much dilapidated warning and regulatory signage. I feel it would have been much better had a comprehensive approach been taken covering all types of road signs and markings. The result is that there are lots of junctions where brand new direction signs were installed but damaged or twisted yield signs and a lack of markings weren’t rectified. I can’t see that it’s beyond the scope of the authority to realise that junctions need proper markings/yields/stops etc. as well as the directional stuff. The examples in my post above are a case in point – despite new signs, road markings were completely forgotten about for several years.

Even the directional signage project didn’t cover everything as there are still plenty of junctions with twisted or poorly placed finger posts. The type that requires you to virtually slow to a halt to read the destinations. The durability of the signage is also playing up a bit as well – the Republic seems to use a thinner/less robust aluminium sheet for the sign plates. This has resulted in the sort of dents, crumpling and ‘tears’ from collisions and flying debris that you don’t see on this side of the border where the sheeting is more durable. Indeed, one of the new signs on the N15 bypass has already been crumpled up by what can only have been a high-sided vehicle driving into it.

But what I think really needs to be addressed in Donegal and many other counties is the lack of regular maintenance. The current outlook seems to be too focused on lobbying Dublin for a big splash of cash for a major scheme every few years and then doing nothing in between. If the state of all the remaining dilapidated signage around the county is anything to go by no doubt these new directional signs will be left to disintegrate requiring another major makeover a decade from now. A good regime of checks and maintenance would go a long way towards avoiding the need for such expensive intervention in years to come.

Victor

What do other countries do for finger posts to local features?

MarinoMark

murphaph wrote:

Fair play to you Damien but I'm not gonna go down that route personally. As you say, the root cause needs to be addressed. I see the contractors digging up the roundabout traffic islands at the Ongar end of the new distributor road. I assume they are installing the poles for directional signage-I mean, could they not anticipate the need for these poles when they intitially poured the damn concrete to form the island.

The twisted signage is only symptomatic of the real problem-a complete lack of interest by our local authorities in doing anything properly. The idiots have to start by adding a screw through the bracket and into the pole to stop wind/kids from mollesting signage. The standard bracket can be seen in the attached images. Clearly a ridiculous design for a street sign.

Brackets ? Jesus....What can I say,,,G A L !!

weehamster

Jeasus H christ :eek: This has to be the best example.

mike65

Thats a fake! Please...:(

Mike.

weehamster

Please what? :mad:
I just saw it on the RTE website. I havent been in Gorey in a while so can some please confirm its a fake, thanks

murphaph

It's not fake. The signs are on single poles with (no?) poor anti-rotation brackets so the locals have just twisted them around. The nearest 'no left turn' should face traffic heading left-right, the nearest 'no right turn' should face traffic heading right-left. the nearest 'no entry' signs should both face 180 degrees from there current position to stop traffic coming towards the camera. Shambolic installation and I wonder how long it's been like that??

mike65

Ah I see! Kids eh?

Mike.

ps weehamster, I meant please let it be a fake

Victor

I presume some of them are twisted around.

MT

Murphaph wrote:

Shambolic installation and I wonder how long it's been like that??

Hmm, I wonder? No doubt Wexford’s one of the councils that favours painting black and white stripes on sign posts – if so, they’ll probably get around to doing that before these are straightened. :rolleyes:

The No Entry markings could also do with a drop of paint.

The other thing with the use of anti-rotation brackets is that they actually have to be screwed tight to function. A lot of signs in Donegal seem to have been mounted with the correct brackets only for the workmen not to have bothered tightening them. Result – an easily twisted sign. Could this be the case here?

MT

Victor wrote:

What do other countries do for finger posts to local features?

Well, your nearest neighbour – the North – doesn’t use finger posts to sign tourist attractions. All at-the-junction tourist signs are plate flags on two posts. This is the recommended practice right across the UK, although it isn’t always complied with.

Here’s an example off the web from Enniskillen in Fermanagh. If you can make it out there’s a brown tourist flag mounted on both posts beneath the white B80 flag. Unfortunately, LAs on the other side of the border can’t be relied upon to manage this simple and robust form of assembly. Strangely they seem stuck on the notion of tacking on an easily twisted finger even if two posts are available and a proper plate sign has already been used – example.

Pic: This sort of arrangement is very common down there for both tourist and route signage. Councils seem to get the idea of proper plates for the priority road but haven’t figured out how to combine this with a plate flag(s) on two posts for the minor road – so they opt for unreliable finger posts instead. By contrast an all plate assembly is used for T junctions throughout the UK and Australia. An example from New South Wales.

The Australian assembly above - with the minor road plate flags mounted on top of those for the priority road – is very common up here for both tourist and route junction signage. Interestingly, just over the border on the newly opened stretch of N15 a guesthouse managed to get this sort of T junction signage erected for it at the N15/R280 GSJ. Typically, nearby council tourist signs on the R280 are of the finger post variety. :rolleyes: There’s even one for a historic fort on another local road that has long since been twisted and fallen over – problems easily averted when using two posts and a plate flag.

Gotta love this adhoc use of a cantilevered post for a variety of fingers – including the inevitable advertising one. It looks amateurish in the extreme!

Typical NI method: typical RoI method.

The other annoying problem with finger posts down south is their often poor placement. As they need just one hole in the ground workmen can get away with plonking them in anywhere (invariably a corner close to the traffic). On the other hand, some thought has to go into siting an assembly with numerous posts.

D'Peoples Voice

Lads,
Is it really asking a lot of local authorities to put some thought into road signs paid for, out of our taxes.You can be damn sure if the civil/public service were paying for these signs themselves out of their (after-tax) wages, they would be correct.

Take for example the stretch of the Kylemore road between Mc Donalds on the Kylemore Junction and EP Moooney's Nissan garage on the junction of Kylemore road/Long mile road.

There is a sign on the left hand side before the junction of Kylemore road/Long mile road saying "Cork N7" .
Can you imagine what tourists would think of this sign erected by Dublin City Council(I don't think south dublin county council are repsonsible for kylemore road). they would be wondering just how difficult it is for someone from Dublin city Counil to pick up a map and get this right. Worse still, after you take the right turn onto Long Mile road, you immediately enter the administrive area of South Dublin council counil, who like every other local authority in the country say Limerick N7 on every sign, might be something to do with that BEING THE LIMERICK ROAD.

It's bad enough Fingal County council on the N3 at Blanchardstown saying "Cavan N3" while in Virginia, Cavan, Cavan county council say "Ballyshannon N3" to be consistent with all maps published since 1994 & indeed the AA and indeed any map shown by the NRA.

fletch

weehamster wrote:

Jeasus H christ :eek: This has to be the best example.

lol what do you have to do....reverse back down the road?

Lennoxschips

surely instead of a no straight on and a no right turn sign there should be one "left turn only" sign. (do these exist in ireland?)

Victor

The new rules of the road plan to incorporate the "new" blue signs.

Thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054940609

jd

Lennoxschips wrote:

My god, some of those gantry signs on the M50 are massively huge (is there an oversupply of steel in Ireland or something?), ugly, and generally unclear. How difficult is it to do this:



I ask you...

This one is stange:



Now, following the logic of all other signs in Europe you'd think, looking at this sign, that if you want to carry on in the direction of Wexford that you'd have to move over to the right lane. I would anyway, if I saw this sign. Yet the Sandyford thing is supposed to be indicating an exit ahead, but you'd think that the entire left lane is heading to Sandyford.

Every time I go back down to Wexford, those gantries annoy me. I sent off a query to the NRA regarding this (ie directing motorists into the overtaking lane unnecessarily), but have not received a reply. Are these gantries the responsibility of the NRA or SDCC? I'm seriously considering a FOI request seeking access to the documents regarding the decision on the gantry design !!

jd

jd wrote:

Every time I go back down to Wexford, those gantries annoy me. I sent off a query to the NRA regarding this (ie directing motorists into the overtaking lane unnecessarily), but have not received a reply. Are these gantries the responsibility of the NRA or SDCC? I'm seriously considering a FOI request seeking access to the documents regarding the decision on the gantry design !!

I got a reply-looks like those misleading signs will be history

To date there have not been very many overhead gantry or cantilever signs used in this country. The new overhead cantilever type signs were piloted on the M50 South Eastern Motorway along with the newer sign face layout with the separate panel for each lane. Following the installation of these signs a study was carried out on behalf of the Authority by the UCD Marketing Development Programme to determine the attitudes of motorists to the new signage with a view to determining its effectiveness. The study found that motorists “considered the signage beneficial” and “found the sequence of the signage excellent”. The new signage namely Cantilever, Gantry and Next Exit signs were well received by all motorists and considered a great improvement over the more traditional motorway signs bringing much greater clarity than before. In relation to the gantry signs in particular, motorists responded very positively stating that they were “very comprehensive, informative and helpful”. There was however, some confusion over lane destination and a certain “ambiguity regarding the eventual destination displayed on the left lane as this indicated that continuing along the M50 in this lane would reach that destination only”. On foot of these findings the Authority has recently made alterations to the sign face layout on overhead gantry signs – the revised layout will be used on future overhead gantry signs on motorways and dual carriageways including those on the upgrade works elsewhere on the M50

Chris_533976

Good god people liked those things?

Just goes to show that average Joe Public should not be asked an opinion on anything.

FFS NRA come to these boards and listen to people WHO KNOW WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT

spacetweek

Chris_533976 wrote:

Good god people liked those things?

Just goes to show that average Joe Public should not be asked an opinion on anything.

FFS NRA come to these boards and listen to people WHO KNOW WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT

lol!

Seriously though it's not enough to just use a better layout on new gantries - the existing ones need to be fixed too. They're an affront!

Victor

From here: http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12680&sid=c0be1b478650a24d907af854776b674d

Lennoxschips

can't believe that the NRA had to conduct a survey to realise that signing a lane as an exit lane when it's not an exit lane is not a good idea

they should have studied the autobahn and autoroute first

spacetweek

Lennoxschips wrote:

can't believe that the NRA had to conduct a survey to realise that signing a lane as an exit lane when it's not an exit lane is not a good idea

they should have studied the autobahn and autoroute first

I was driving in Germany recently, Munchen to Berlin. Here's how it's done.

One part sign, not in 3 pieces; no repeated information; turn off lane signed as "straight ahead/turn" and not just straight ahead. Thereby indicating that you could stay in that lane to go straight on if you wanted - you don't need to change lanes.

Chris_533976

Please dont get me started on Autobahn vs. Irish signage, I'd never stop ranting

murphaph

You don't even need to travel more than 100 miles to find proper motorway signage!

icdg

D'Peoples Voice wrote:

Lads,
Is it really asking a lot of local authorities to put some thought into road signs paid for, out of our taxes.You can be damn sure if the civil/public service were paying for these signs themselves out of their (after-tax) wages, they would be correct.

Take for example the stretch of the Kylemore road between Mc Donalds on the Kylemore Junction and EP Moooney's Nissan garage on the junction of Kylemore road/Long mile road.

There is a sign on the left hand side before the junction of Kylemore road/Long mile road saying "Cork N7" .
Can you imagine what tourists would think of this sign erected by Dublin City Council(I don't think south dublin county council are repsonsible for kylemore road). they would be wondering just how difficult it is for someone from Dublin city Counil to pick up a map and get this right. Worse still, after you take the right turn onto Long Mile road, you immediately enter the administrive area of South Dublin council counil, who like every other local authority in the country say Limerick N7 on every sign, might be something to do with that BEING THE LIMERICK ROAD.

This is the problem with the NRA's Ongoing Mission To Rid Ireland of Superdestinations. Before, those signs would have all said "The South N7". Now superdestinations are no longer allowed, they are supposed to say "Limerick N7" - but lets face it, Cork is bigger. The same farce on the N4 where now the signs once reading "The West N4" have now been "corrected" to read "Sligo N4" - even though Galway is bigger!

To be fair, still plenty of signs with superdestinations in the city centre...

It's bad enough Fingal County council on the N3 at Blanchardstown saying "Cavan N3" while in Virginia, Cavan, Cavan county council say "Ballyshannon N3" to be consistent with all maps published since 1994 & indeed the AA and indeed any map shown by the NRA.

Ballyshannon, and no offence to anyone living there, isn't exactly a sprawling metropolis, even if it is the official end point of the N3, and why its deemed worthy of being a primary destination I don't know. I'd sign Cavan (or The Northwest) if I was making the decisions.