Poor Motorway Signs Maintenance

[Primrose]

We've just returned from a couple of days in Leicester seeing our nephew graduate from Medical School, and on our journey up various motorways, noticed how poor the maintenence of the Motorway Direction Signs was. More than half of them were totally obscured by overhanging branches, or busy overgrowth several hundred yards in front of them, making them totally invisible until you were almost too close to notice what they were saying. On several occasions there was nearly an accident because a motorist suddenly realised they'd almost missed their exit and swerved across the carriageway to get where they wanted to be. Is is like this in other parts of the country? I would have thought a team of Highway people would be monitoring this on an ongoing basis and cutting back trees when signs were being blocked.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Primrose, i must say i try and avoid motorways like poison, i never know which lane i should be pushing my barrow in.

But i think the signs on the M1 going towards London are well exsposed. It's just the road works that are a nighmare for everyone who has to use it at the present.

[John]

OH - you really should know the motorway rules at your age!
It's barrows in the inside lane, rotovators in the centre lane and mowers in the outside lane. Strimmers are only allowed in the service areas.

John

[oldherbaceous]

Thanks John, i must say it never ceases to amaze me how people come to my help when i need it most.
Your answer did make me smile John.

[peter]

When I'm towing my trailer with my rotovator which lane should I use?

And does it change if my passenger is carrying a strimmer?

Seriously, note down a few phone numbers before you next travel on our wondeful highways and equip your passenger with a pen and paper to note the offending signs. When you get to your destination you can then enjoy a "Meldrew moment".

Living in Hertfordshire I have their Highways Dept call centre in my mobile's address book. Comes in useful sometimes. Always annoying to "go over the border" into Essex as the quality of the road surfaces goes up on the boundary as I leave Herts.

I believe the Highways Agency deals with motorways and are listed in the phone book as well as self publicising on roadside signs.

[richard p]

it appears to be a common problem in somerset the council dont seem to be doing much roadside mainenance at all. having said that a couple of weeks ago coming up the a303 we past 3 trucks with gurt flashing lights on the backs dirrecting traffic out of the nearside lane then there was a dayglow truck lit up like a christmas tree with a cherry picker extended accross the verge with a bloke washing a sign that was totally obscured by the overgrown hedge....

[Johnboy]

On the A44 twixt Wales and Leominster there is a lovely large lay by which is ideal for lorries but the sign telling everybody of it's existence is buried about 4ft into the hedge. Yes I mean 4ft!!
Then when you get to the lay by the entrance is now only a few feet wide because nobody uses it 'cos they don't know it's there and the council have not cut back the shrubby trees at the entrance for a long time.
Our roads in Herefordshire are atrocious and as I live on the Welsh/ Shropshire borders I look forward to driving on their vastly superior surfaces.
JB.

[Geoff]

What are the borders between the areas like JB?
Near here there are two boundaries between North Yorkshire and Lancashire marked by little streams and culverts. Neither council surface over the culverts so each is a 5 - 10 yard stretch of potholes. Seems mad that they can't agree on joined up surfaces.

[jopsy]

i find the signs up nr leicester a nightmare anyway-manys a time i missed an exit becausse it wasnt signposted til the last 3 mtrs!
down here we can barely get down some of the lanes because of the greeness!
oh it really wouldnt surprise me seeing you on traffic cops with your wheelbarrow!

[Colin Miles]

My son-in-law works for the Highways Agency and I will send him an email telling him to look at your comments - he's probably down his allotment at the moment.

[Johnboy]

Hi Geoff,
Thankfully the counties agree with joined-up surfaces but would think that half of them would have difficulty with joined-up writing!
We have all the A49's heavy duty vehicles going past us and the road surfaces are beginning to break-up all over the place.
The local bridge is too narrow for two HGV's to pass safely and it is now possible to load that ancient bridge with a gross tonnage of 88 tons. I just wonder how many times that will need to happen for something untoward to occur. If that goes out of use in order to get to the village instead of 1.5 miles there it would take nearly 8 miles which is a total waste of time money and effort.
JB.

[Happymouse]

Maybe this is why Sat Navs are so popular ? I bought a Tom Tom One because I just could not find my sister's house and spent 3 hours looking for it. I can now get there easily within an hour with "Thomas"