The National Roads Authority is concerned at white-on-brown signs being incorrectly used to address 'non-tourist' destinations, writes DAVID LABANYI
TOURIST SIGNS FOR “predominantly retail facilities” such as pubs, shopping centres and garden centres are to be removed from national routes under new guidelines for road signage issued by the National Roads Authority (NRA).
The rules were drawn up to curb the proliferation and misuse of white-on-brown tourist signs on national routes which are being “incorrectly used for many non-tourist destinations,” according to the authority.
“The proliferation of roadside signage, especially outside the 50km speed limit areas, can reduce the effectiveness of essential signage such as direction signs, create visual clutter and reduce visibility at junctions, interchanges and bends,” the NRA said.
The authority has also imposed a visitor number target which an attraction must reach before it can be signposted from a national route. Only attractions open throu-ghout the year will be considered for a sign, “to avoid visitors being led to facilities that are closed”.
Under the new rules an attraction must draw a minimum of 50,000 visitors annually to qualify for a sign from a motorway or dual carriageway and only major tourist destinations, large rivers or scenic routes will be included. Signs for bypassed towns will be provided from these heavily trafficked roads but signs for individual businesses will not.
For other national routes this falls to 15,000 visitors per annum.
The number of attractions that can be referenced from any one sign is also to be limited to four. The new rules are in force for this summer season.
According to the NRA, the “provision of clear and consistent signage” is essential to help a motoring tourist reach their destination. A key part of this is avoiding multiple signs that could confuse or distract.
The authority’s new guidelines state “whilst recognising that additional benefit may accrue to the operator of a tourist attraction or facility through increased patronage, white-on-brown tourist signs should only be used where there are clear benefits to the road user; for safety reasons, where locations may be hard to find or to encourage visitors to use particular routes”.
The changes are part of a programme of upgrading road signage on national routes to end what NRA chief executive Fred Barry described in 2007 as “ridiculous” signage inadequacies. They follow a consolation with the tourism industry last year.
The inclusion of local road numbers on signs for regional routes since then has made finding tourist attractions easier, according to the NRA, and has “eliminated the perceived need for much of the current signage proliferation relating to tourist attractions and facilities at such locations”.
Qualifying attractions for the new signs include historic buildings, museums, parks and gardens, beaches, scenic routes, national and forest parks, walking routes, racecourses, picnic and camp sites, information centres, island and river ferries and slipways and marinas.
The changes do not apply to signs on local roads or national routes in built-up areas.