Those Pesky Road Ahead Closed signs

There are wars in Ukraine and Gaza, but regrettably I do not have the expertise or depth of knowledge to bring about a lasting peace. However when it comes to the little things such as a blip in the way in which our society is run perhaps I can make a difference - or at least try to.

Of course I could leave it to the next man, but the problem with that is that the next man may have the same idea. No, I now believe one should speak up if something is wrong or not functioning as it should. Nothing may change but at least one can say one has tried.

These thoughts were spurred by my campaign to have the wording and deployment of “Road Ahead Closed” signs improved. I don’t know about other counties but last winter in Suffolk our roads were dotted with “Road Ahead Closed” signs. These signs are meant to be informative, but as I shall explain I and many others found them confusing and I learnt to ignore them.

The sign I refer to could mean that the road directly ahead is blocked or it could be on the right or on the left. It could be 50 yards, 500 yards or 5 miles ahead and it could be the next one or the one after that or whatever. In short I believe I am better off if there is no sign at all.

I shall give one example of confusion but I could give many others. I live in Framlingham, a small town in Suffolk, and one day last winter I drove to Fressingfield, a distance of 11 miles. I was not far into my journey when I came across a “Road Ahead Closed” sign. After hesitating I decided to drive on and I reached Fressingfield with no problems only to find that the road blocked was a small side road in that village.

My solution is that the sign:

should have a sticker attached stating “on the right” or “on the left” where appropriate (none if straight ahead);

should be placed where it is the next road that is blocked;

and be not too long before the blocked road.

I believe the basic cost would be minimal, but I appreciate that monitoring it would likely incur some expense.

In the meantime drivers of vehicles on our roads are often making unnecessary detours and sending more noxious fumes into our atmosphere.

The position with my campaign is that the County Council stated that they could not do anything, so I have now written to my new M.P. asking him to refer my suggestions to the relevant Minister.

I would be interested to know if you, the reader, agree with my views and whether you support my campaign. Please add a comment.