Re: Re: Road signs
As someone once said ‘Irish road signs defy gravity’ Ask any tourist or visitor. While the road surface quality has improved tremendously in recent years. There is no political will, let alone any other will to sort out signage or road markings. While there is a lot of talk about road safety in this country, the most glaringly obvious road safety aspects are completely ignored.
Commonplace:
1. Signs non-existent at junctions
2. Signs turned around!?!?! This is thanks to our adoption of British standard ‘clips’ as opposed to continental nailed signs to poles
3. Signs in a ditch or blown off
4. Filthy signs, caked in dirt, that no one wants to clean
5. Signs covered in hedgerow, same reasons as 4.
6. Absent road markings (lethal at night!!)
The main problem is county councils employ their own road teams, who like to do as little work as possible. They all work on a work to rule basis. As local government is unaccountable in the Republic, nobody has paid domestic rates, since 1978. Who can object?
The road crews are ‘supervised by local authority bureaucrats who most of the time, don’t want to rock the boat or simply don’t care. Topped off by the Department of Environment, who have responsibility for non-national roads, who don’t or WON’T issue directives. The road teams would be offended if you asked one or two of them to go out and straighten never mind clean a road sign. I have seen two man crews in many countries, drive along roads and clean, tidy up and straighten signs, Not in this country!!!!!!
While most of the road surfacing is carried out in summer, the road crews lie relatively idle in winter months. ideal time to tackle signage?
I also really think the whole question of enforcing traffic laws is laughable, never mind when speed cameras are rolled out. Due to the chances of escaping prosecution, ‘ I couldn’t see any signs, there was no line on the road, your honour’ Case dismissed!
Fortunately, Northern Ireland has an independent Roads Service, separate from council control. We should emulate that in the Republic for non-national roads or a least privatise the non-national network as No amount of money is going to change the existing, couldn’t give a damn attitude.
