History of British Traffic Signs.docx
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HistoryofBritishTrafficSigns
HistoryofBritishTrafficSigns
ThepagesbelowpresentthehistoryofBritishtrafficsigns,withafewpicturesthrowninforyourviewingpleasure.
1.Beforethe1920s
2.ClassificationandRegulation
3.FromWartoWorboys
4.TheWorboysReport
5.1964-1987:
Tinkeringaroundtheedges
6.The1987DirectionSignsReview
7.TheGuildfordRules
MostoftheinformationherehascomefromtheDepartmentofTransport'sbrochureentitledTheHistoryofTrafficSigns,whichyoucangetfromthemfree.
Someinformationon1908roadsignserectedbytheAA,RACandlocalauthoritiesinanAdobePDFfile(41KB).ManythankstoDavidD.Millerforprovidingthis.
1:
Beforethe1920s
Perhapsit'sbesttostartwithasummaryofthefunctionsoftrafficsigns.
oWarningofhazardsontheroadahead
oGivingdirectionstotowns/cities
oInstructingtraffictodo(ornotdo)something
It'sworthrememberingthatnoneofthesefunctionsisspecifictomotortraffic,althoughthisiswhatwemostassociatetrafficsignswithnowadays.
TheRomansuseddirectionalsignsofasortwhentheyinstalledmilestonesalongthenewstraightroadstheyhadbuiltinBritain,givingdistancestothenexttown/militarybase.Whentheyleft,however,theimprovedinfrastructuretheyhadbuiltwaslefttodeteriorate,andthetechnologicaladvanceslearntwereforgotten.Sotheroadsandsigningfellintoneglect.Somefingerposts,givingdirectionsanddistances,wereerectedbyprivateindividuals,andtherewasnostandardisedsystem.Thereliabilitywouldhavebeendubioustoo.
Thingschangedinthe18thcenturywhentheGeneralTurnpikeActof1773waspassed.Underthis,TurnpikeTrustswereresponsibleformaintainingtheroadsusingmoneycollectedviatolls.Fingerpostshadtobeerectedalongtheroute,andmilestoneswerealsoinstalledforthepurposeofcalculatingthetollspayable.Therearestillafewofthesemilestonesaroundonthetrunkroads-madeoutofcastiron,andgivingthedistancestothenexttownineachdirection.I'lltryandgetapictureofonesometime.
Untilthemid-19thcentury,roadswereonlyusedbypedestrians,andpeopletravellingonhorseback(orbeingpulledalonginacarriagebyahorse),sotheyweresedateaffairs.Nothingwouldbetravellingatmorethan10milesperhour.However,thecomingofthebicyclechangedallthat:
bicycleswerefastanddangerous,bothtotheirridersandtootherroadusers.Thiswasespeciallytruewiththeroadsinsuchabadstateofrepair.Anorganisationcalledthe`BicycleUnion',whichrepresentedcyclists,tookituponitselftoinstalldangersignsatsharpbendsandsteephills(withaskullandcrossbonesfortheworsthills!
).
Somethingelsethathappenedinthemid-19thcenturywastheadventofrailwaysandcanalsasalternativemodesoftransport.Roadswerenotunaffected,astheyhadtocrossrailwaysandcanalsbymeansofbridges,builtofstoneoriron.Thesefrequentlyhadweightrestrictions,andsotherailwaycompanywoulderectweightrestrictionsigns.
Thecombinationofsignsforcyclists,weightrestrictionsigns,anddirectionsignserectedbylocalauthoritiesmeantthattherewereabout4,000signsonBritishroadsattheendofthe19thcentury.Theywerenotofstandarddesign,therewerenoregulationstorestricttheiruse,andtheywerebecomingsocommonthattheywereignoredbyroadusers!
Thearrivalofthemotorcar,andtheabolitionofthe`redflag'lawin1896,meantthattherewasanewkidontheblock.Motoristswouldneedmorewarningsigns,astheycouldtravelmuchfasterthancyclistsandhorses.Withmoreroadusers,roadswouldbecomemoredangerousanyway.
In1903,theMotorCarActmadelegislativeprovisionforlocalauthoritiestoerecttheirownwarningsigns.Thedesign,specifiedinasubsequentCircular(1904),wasstandard-ahollowredtrianglemeaningahazard,asolidreddiscmeaningaprohibition,orahollowwhiteringmeaningaspeedlimit,aboveanexplanatoryplate.Youcanseesomeofthesesigns,aswellassomelaterdesigns,onthefollowingpage.
Thenumberofsignsappearingonthevergecontinuedtoincrease:
themotorists'organisationstheAAandRACerectedtheirownsigns,givingdirectionsandwarningofhazards.Theofficialsignswerealsospreadingaroundthecountry.
2:
ClassificationandRegulation
ThelargenumberofsignsonBritishroadswasbecomingaproblem:
thereweresomanythattheywereindangerofbeingignored.Inresponse,acommitteewasappointedin1919toconsiderandreportontrafficsigns.Thecommittee'sreport,whichwasusedtoissueanotherCirculartolocalauthoritiesin1921,suggestedtheextensionofthesigningsystemspecifiedin1904,withmorewarningandregulatorysignsspecified.
Inadditiontothewarningandregulatorysignsystem,thedirectionalsigningwasgivenagoodgoingovertoo.Theroadswerebeingclassifiedandnumberedatthistime,anditwasdecidedtomakethepublicawareofthesenumbers,ratherthankeepingthemforofficaluseonly.Thusitwasnecessarytoincorporatetheroadnumbersondirectionalsigns.Tothisend,fingerpostswerestandardisedwithplacenamesin3-inchhighblackblockcapitalsonawhitebackground.`ClassI'roadswereindicatedbyablack`A'andanumberonawhitebackground,and`ClassII'roadswereindicatedbyawhite`B'andnumberonablackbackground.
Hereisanexampleofafingerpost,withroadnumbersoneach`arm'.ThispicturewastakenfromtheDoT'sHistoryofTrafficSignsbrochure.Notethatthiswasnotanactualsign:
theA749isnowherenearGloucestershire!
Thiswasallfineanddandy,buthighwayauthoritieswerestillnotobligedtousethesesigns,onlystronglyrecommended.Variantswerestillbeingproduced,andsupplementedbytheAA'sandRAC'ssigns.
YetanotherCircularwasissuedin1930,stillnotobligatory.Thisintroducedadvancedirectionsigns:
carswerecapableoftravellingsofastastoneedtobrakesharplywhenthedriverrealisedhehadreachedajunction,andneededtomakeadecision.Thesenewsigns(whichhadwordedlegends,eg`TURNRIGHT',andarrows)helpedgivedriversadvancewarningofajunction.Morewarningsignswereintroduced(forexamplethe`steamengine'levelcrossingsigninthetablebelow)andthedistinctiveSTOPsignmadeitsfirstappearance,althoughwithamorewordyexplanationofwhatthedriverwasrequiredtodo!
Yetanothercommitteewassetuptoreviewthesigningsystemin1931;thisreportedbackin1933,andfinallyspecifiedsomerecommendationswhichwerelegallyenforceable.Therewerenomajorchangestotheexistingwarningsigns-thetablebelowshowsaselectionoftheplates(whichweremountedbeneathhollowredtriangles).
Commonwarningplatedesignsbefore1963
Signmeaning
Design
Signmeaning
Design
Levelcrossing(nogates)
Levelcrossing(gates)
Crossroads
Doublebend
Steephill
Humpbridgeahead
Lowbridgeahead
Roadnarrows
School
Sideroad
'T'junction
Trafficsignals
Giveway
Halt/Stop
However,directionalsigningwasoverhauledyetagain.Theexistingsystem,whichconsistedlargelyoffingerpostsandwordyadvancedirectionsigns(suchas`TURNLEFTFORLONDON'),wasnolongerappropriateforfastertrafficonthe`A'and`B'roads.Thesignswerestillblackandwhite,with`A'roadsblack-on-whiteand`B'roadswhite-on-black,buttherewereafewchanges:
oAnewstandardfont(theLlewellyn-Smithalphabet)wasintroducedforuseonsigns.Thishadcapitallettersonly,wasasansseriffont,andalltheletterswere4½incheshigh.
oRoadnumbersweregivenmuchmoreprominence(theirusefornavigationhadprobablybeenunderestimatedbytheMinistrysofar),with6-inchhightype;
o`Map'signswereintroduced,withroutenumber/destinationsshownonseparatepanelsaffixedtothesign;
oRoadnumbersreachedviathemainroutewereindicatedbychequersabovetheroutenumber.
Examplesof1933RegulationsSigns
Thisisanexampleofarouteconfirmationsign,placedjustafterajunctiontoreassuredriversoftheroutetheyareon.ThiswouldhavebeeninSouthEastLondon,andmeansthatbyfollowingthis(unclassified)road,driverscouldreachtheA2,A20andA21.
Thisisa`map'-typeadvancedirectionsign,erectedjustbeforeajunction.Noticethatthenumbersnowhavemoreemphasisthanthedestinations.
Surprisingly,despitethesenewregulations,theAAandRACwerestillallowedtoputuptheirownsigns.Thesewereofthesameformatasthe1933Regulationssigns,butwiththeadditionofanAAorRACbadge.
3:
FromWartoWorboys
ThesigningsystemtookaknockduringtheSecondWorldWar,whenmanydirectionsignswereremovedorpointedinthewrongdirection,forfearthattheywouldassistGermaninvaders.PerhapstheMinistryregrettedreplacingthemorewordysigns(`FORKLEFTFORPORTSMOUTH'),hardertounderstandfornon-nativeEnglishspeakers,withclearermap-typesignsnow!
!
Anothercommitteewassetupin1944whenthetideofthewarhadbeguntoturn,anditwasrealisedthatlifehadtogoon:
thesigningsystemwouldneedfurthermodificationsandadditions.
oOptionalreflectinglensesonthered`danger'triangles,andsignificantpartsofthewarningplatebeneath;
oLocaladvancedirectionsigns-whitepanels(withblacklettering)onablackbackgroundsign
Thetriangle-above-platewarningsignsystemhadchangedlittlesince1904,andtheGovernmentwascomingunderpressuretoadoptmoresymbolicsigns,similartoEuropeanpractice.Threesymbolicsignswereintroducedinthe1957Regulations(children,schoolsandcattle)butthiswasaratherhalf-he