Britain's roads 'plagued by pointless signs'

Language campaigners said today too many pointless signs were springing up next to Britain's roads.

The Plain English Campaign (PEC) - which aims to reduce gobbledegook - said roadsides were filling up with "too much information about nothing".

Officials said drivers were being distracted and money wasted.

The group made its complaints as the Highways Agency, a Government agency which manages major roads, said it had decided against planting signs saying "Highways Agency" next to motorways across the country - after spending £76,000 of taxpayers' money on a "pilot project" in the north west of England.

A Highways Agency spokesman said 23 "Highways Agency" signs had been installed alongside the M6 and 11 alongside the A66 in 2005 as part of an experiment.

"Police constantly tell motorists not to use mobiles or eat or drink when driving but to concentrate on driving," said a PEC spokesman.

"Yet at the same time there seem to be more and more signs springing up to distract motorists.

"We've seen signs that seem to invite drivers to take a note or use a computer - such as trafficinfo...; signs which pointlessly state the obvious - such as 'don't drink and drive'; and signs which are frankly baffling - such as 'don't become a statistic'. What is that about? A protest against identity cards?

"Some signs - such as the 'Highways Agency' signs put up by the M6 - seem to be little more than adverts.

"There's too much information about nothing. We may as well fill the roads with commercial advertising as they do in America and put up signs saying 'High Lane Oakcakes' and 'Cheshire Cheese'. At least that would raise money."

The Highways Agency spokesman said 'Highways Agency' signs were planted in the north west as part of "a pilot which investigated whether we should sign the roads we manage". But he said the agency had decided against installing signs nationwide.

"The agency wanted to assess whether such signing would clarify for road users whom they should contact to make comments about a particular route, and whether it would increase awareness of the agency's role as network manager for the country's strategic roads," he added.

"The signs were designed and located with the aim that they would inform drivers, but not distract them."