Our Campaign Gains Support

Christopher Napier, CPRE Hampshire Transport Campaign Group

In our last newsletter I reported that CPRE nationally has for some time now campaigned to reduce the amount of signage and other clutter on our rural roads, and CPRE Hampshire has been energetically pursuing this through its Transport Campaign Group. We have been actively campaigning for a reduction in signage on our rural roads and the use of more sympathetic designs. Use of too many signs undermines the character and appearance of rural roads. We want to see the carefully considered use of signage, and other measures, to create an environment that will influence drivers to be more careful, and so reduce accidents, but without affecting landscape quality more than absolutely necessary.

Reduction of clutter now has a lot of support from national bodies, and the RAC Foundation is the latest to add it's endorsement to the ideas behind the campaign, and to approve the "Principles for Road Signage in Rural Areas" developed by CPRE Hampshire - which can be seen on the Branch website. CPRE and the RAC Foundation recently issued a joint press release calling on the Government to issue clear guidance on how to manage road furniture in rural areas.

Our main focus has been on Hampshire, and within Hampshire County Council. Workshops have been held for a cross section of staff to raise awareness of the issue and promote good practice. There is now recognition amongst HCC staff and councillors that there is a real issue, and good support for change. This is an essential start to a more enlightened future. Workshops to raise awareness with District and Parish Council are planned to come soon.

The demonstration project designed to reduce road clutter on the A32 between West Meon and Wickham has now started, under the control of Hampshire County Council. This will remove unnecessary signs and relocate others, and we will be involved in some of the detailed work. This phase of the project will not address some of our central ideas, such as changing the driving environment within villages without using so many signs, but we are assured that discussions on these will follow.

What is clear is that one outcome of the project will be guidance to highway designers for use across the county. This has always been one of the main aims of our campaign, and we will ensure that we are actively involved in putting then together.

So, as I said before, maybe that blitz on clutter is getting closer!

November 2006