Exiting Motorways

[Nigel]

Not wishing to take the thread too far off topic...........but........have you all noticed how the distances to junction notification signs are being lessened ?

Umm Nope. On motorway the standard is still 1mile, half mile, 3,2,1 start of diverge, end of diverge.

Only in situations where this cannot be achieved will it be altered-reduced and this can only be done with special authorisation from the HA.

The main 'recent' difference in motorway junction signing appeared in the 2002 sign regs where the 1 mile and half mile advanced direction signs contain the same info. Previously the 1 mile sign only gave road numbers, the half mile sign gave destinations and road numbers. Now both signs have destinations and road numbers.

But don't you think we have too many road signs?

Eric

Eric

I do indeed think we have too many road signs, and most of them telling us absolute rubbish.

There is however a situation where I think we could do with more....advanced warning of a lower speed limit, time & time again I'm making good progress on a single carrageway nsl, you round a bend...and theres a 30 mph limit (or something similar), and quite often backed up with a scamera or talivan....just for good measure !

You are actually wrong on the motorway exit signage, it is becoming more common for these to be 2/3 & 1/3 of a mile, and 1 mile & 1/2 mile signs are being changed for these (along with being moved obviously).

[TripleS]

Not wishing to take the thread too far off topic...........but........have you all noticed how the distances to junction notification signs are being lessened ?

Umm Nope. On motorway the standard is still 1mile, half mile, 3,2,1 start of diverge, end of diverge.

Only in situations where this cannot be achieved will it be altered-reduced and this can only be done with special authorisation from the HA.

The main 'recent' difference in motorway junction signing appeared in the 2002 sign regs where the 1 mile and half mile advanced direction signs contain the same info. Previously the 1 mile sign only gave road numbers, the half mile sign gave destinations and road numbers. Now both signs have destinations and road numbers.

But don't you think we have too many road signs?

Eric

Eric

I do indeed think we have too many road signs, and most of them telling us absolute rubbish.

There is however a situation where I think we could do with more....advanced warning of a lower speed limit, time & time again I'm making good progress on a single carrageway nsl, you round a bend...and theres a 30 mph limit (or something similar), and quite often backed up with a scamera or talivan....just for good measure !

You are actually wrong on the motorway exit signage, it is becoming more common for these to be 2/3 & 1/3 of a mile, and 1 mile & 1/2 mile signs are being changed for these (along with being moved obviously).

Why are we going to all the trouble and expense of changing motorway exit signs? Can anybody see any justification for it?

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[7db]

time & time again I'm making good progress on a single carrageway nsl, you round a bend...and theres a 30 mph limit (or something similar), and quite often backed up with a scamera or talivan....just for good measure !

And of course since you are always able to stop in the distance which you can see to be clear, getting down to thirty is a complete doddle.

I'd rather come round a corner to be surprised by a 30 limit and speed camera than a reversing articulated 7-eating lorry (at night, downhill in the wet on an adverse camber).

[TripleS]

time & time again I'm making good progress on a single carrageway nsl, you round a bend...and theres a 30 mph limit (or something similar), and quite often backed up with a scamera or talivan....just for good measure !

And of course since you are always able to stop in the distance which you can see to be clear, getting down to thirty is a complete doddle.

I'd rather come round a corner to be surprised by a 30 limit and speed camera than a reversing articulated 7-eating lorry (at night, downhill in the wet on an adverse camber).

Well I still like the 3, 2, 1 countdown markers on the approach to a 30 limit for a village etc.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[7db]

And yet others feel the roads are over-cluttered with the legal roadsigns out there...

[JamesH]

In Portugal, the motorways, although mostly two lanes only, had solid lines a few hundred yards either side of a junction - indicating no changing lanes.

I personally think this works well, in that everyone has to be in the correct lane for a good distance either side of the junction. People leaving are in lane one, and people joining can't try and cut straight through into lane three, and in so-doing slowing down those trying to pass straight through the junction.

[7db]

Lane lines here often change to hazard lines on the approach and departure from an exit.

[TripleS]

And yet others feel the roads are over-cluttered with the legal roadsigns out there...

Yes, I do - but I still see merit in some of them.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[Big Err]

You are actually wrong on the motorway exit signage, it is becoming more common for these to be 2/3 & 1/3 of a mile, and 1 mile & 1/2 mile signs are being changed for these (along with being moved obviously).

Tell me where Nigel, as the good book (TSRGD) and the current design stuff being used up here for motorways is quite explicit about the 1mile and half mile signs remaining. Lesser distances are generally used where there is less than a mile between junctions.

Would be interesting to get a response from the HA about this.

Eric

[crr003]

Tell me where Nigel, as the good book (TSRGD) and the current design stuff being used up here for motorways is quite explicit about the 1mile and half mile signs remaining. Lesser distances are generally used where there is less than a mile between junctions.

I'm not Nigel, but M6 northbound junction 20 is signed 2/3 and 1/3 mile. Distance 19-20 is about 5 miles.
I'll look for more examples on my travels!

[Gareth]

M6 northbound junction 20 is signed 2/3 and 1/3 mile. Distance 19-20 is about 5 miles.

Could this be a sneaky preparation for metric distances? I think these values are pretty close to 1 km and 0.5 km ...

[TripleS]

M6 northbound junction 20 is signed 2/3 and 1/3 mile. Distance 19-20 is about 5 miles.

Could this be a sneaky preparation for metric distances? I think these values are pretty close to 1 km and 0.5 km ...

....thus making a conversion to metric signage in two steps rather than one? That sounds an inefficient and expensive way of doing something that they should not be doing at all. It would simply be yet another waste of money.

Is there no limit to this government's capacity for meddling with things that should be left alone?

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[7db]

Is there no limit to this government's capacity for meddling with things that should be left alone?

No.

[Nigel]

You are actually wrong on the motorway exit signage, it is becoming more common for these to be 2/3 & 1/3 of a mile, and 1 mile & 1/2 mile signs are being changed for these (along with being moved obviously).

Tell me where Nigel, as the good book (TSRGD) and the current design stuff being used up here for motorways is quite explicit about the 1mile and half mile signs remaining. Lesser distances are generally used where there is less than a mile between junctions.

Would be interesting to get a response from the HA about this.

Eric

Eric

One that springs to mind is M5 northbound Jnc 5, these have just been changed, as indeed have junc 7 M5 southbound.

Would you like a list of these ?, if so, I'll make notes as I drive around ?

[Nigel]

time & time again I'm making good progress on a single carrageway nsl, you round a bend...and theres a 30 mph limit (or something similar), and quite often backed up with a scamera or talivan....just for good measure !

And of course since you are always able to stop in the distance which you can see to be clear, getting down to thirty is a complete doddle.

I'd rather come round a corner to be surprised by a 30 limit and speed camera than a reversing articulated 7-eating lorry (at night, downhill in the wet on an adverse camber).

I can of course stop within the distance to the speed limit change, but that is not the point, it is a harsh braking manouvre sometimes, which should be reserved for emergency stops, not speed limit changes.

If you have a following vehicle, I would suggest its not always a wise move to brake so harshly, for obvious reasons.

Its bad road planning, which does nothing to improve safety.