Every government in the world likes to compile statistics about their countries, such as population, births, deaths, length of roads, type of roads and yes! Road signs. Research on roads is usually carried out by transport ministries and same is the case in UK, where The Department of Transport collated a record of road signs used in England only. They gathered that there are 4.57 million road signs in England, where 10,000 new signs are put in place every year.
They offer so much information that you can’t even absorb them while driving at 30mph. The simple pictogram signs have recently completed 50 years. In today’s driving conditions, drivers do not have enough time to look at all the road signs.
Road Signs were first put in place in 1960s, they used a group of standard text-heavy-signs on the cut-to-fit triangles, circular or squared metal sheets that communicated effectively with the non-native drivers, as well as Brits.
They were easily absorbable for drivers in particular. Most of these road signs are still available unchanged and whereas the hundreds have arrived in the meantime.
A road sign for the school has been inspired by its designer’s own life, where a girl on the sign is artist’s own relative Calvert from Warwickshire. A “cattle in the road” sign has also been designed by the same artist, where again he used the cow of Calvert. She said, “The previous sign had a boy with a book and a girl behind him, and they weren’t holding hands,” this is a bit more caring; I switched it around and I based the girl on me as I was a child.”
The newly opened M1 uses relatively mixed signs, but they were not appreciated as a whole. When new signs join the group government issues a booklet that explains the changes, but new designs cause anxiety in locals.
Since 1965 it has been the top priority of The Department of Transport to make the national road signage clear, cleaner and smarter to make the driving experience as easier as possible.
