Sat-nav sign finds a place in Welsh hearts

15 October 2008

The Welsh Assembly Government has given the go ahead for a new experimental sign, designed by Vale of Glamorgan council, advising heavy goods vehicle drivers to disregard their sat-navs.

Vale of Glamorgan senior traffic engineer, Mark Simpson, designed the new sign to protect minor routes to communities from HGVs following their sat-navs, blocking roads, and causing damage to properties (Surveyor, 30 August 2007).

The sign was piloted at a junction of the A48 to protect the community of St Hilary, which suffered from HGVs frequently inappropriately using the narrow route into the village. Simpson told Surveyor this week that 12 months after it was installed, there had been no complaints that HGVs were inappropriately using the route.

The assembly government has consequently granted the authority approval to retain the sign at St Hilary to remain as a permanent fixture. The government has also invited the Vale of Glamorgan, and about a dozen other authorities interested, to submit applications to use the sign – initially, temporarily – in further locations.

However, while Simpson expects approval to use the sign in a further eight locations by the end of this month, rural authorities in England will have a longer wait.

The Department for Transport wants to monitor the Welsh trials before granting any temporary authorisations. Simpson commented: ‘Once we’ve a number of signs in place, we’ll have more data, which will be useful evidence when the Traffic signs regulations are next reviewed.’ However, he welcomed the Welsh Assembly Government’s positive response, and sympathised with England’s rural highway authorities.

‘I’ve been inundated with calls from councils in England interested in using this,’ he said.

The sign was designed as ‘a local solution to a national problem,’ said Simpson, developed because ‘our communities cannot wait’ for national solutions, such as new sat-nav systems with information on routes unsuitable for HGV use.

View an image of the sign here on the BBC website

Register now for full access

Register just once to get unrestricted, real-time coverage of the issues and challenges facing UK transport and highways engineers.

Full website content includes the latest news, exclusive commentary from leading industry figures and detailed topical analysis of the highways, transportation, environment and place-shaping sectors. Use the link below to register your details for full, free access.

Already a registered? Login