Give way to Europe: how will the UK feel about standardised road signs?
Give way to Europe: how will the UK feel about standardised road signs?
In an effort to aid the introduction of intelligent cars that can communicate with the driver, proposals have been laid out by the European Road Assessment Programme (EuroRAP) and EuroNCAP to replace existing road signs with a standard set of signage – right across the EU.
In a report released at the end of November entitled “Roads that cars can read”, EuroRAP and EuroNCAP argue that adopting common standards for road signage will reduce the number of fatalities on European roads, and that such changes are vital for road user safety.
EuroRAP states: “Now vehicles, like drivers, will not function well where road markings and signs are worn out, inconsistent or confusing. This means putting an end to the different fonts, colours, sizes and shapes that are seen in even the most basic, internationally standardised safety signs such as “stop” and “give way”.
“It means standardising the width of white lines and the amount of light they reflect – and ensuring the edges of major roads are marked.”
John Dawson of EuroRAP commented: “Lane markings are now the ‘rails’ for self-steering vehicles.” In order to be prepared for the onset of driverless cars, he argues, certain road improvements are completely necessary.
Many modern cars already feature technology such as lane assist and collision warning, which rely on the car 'reading' the surrounding landscape and making changes or alerting the driver.
As well as making travel in and around the EU a more consistent experience, the introduction of standard road signs would mean that such in-car technology – already available in Ford and Volvo cars – could be more easily and readily developed. Each new model of car would be able to do more on their own – reading road signs, advising of delays and weather changes and, eventually, driving themselves based on all the relevant outside information. Moreover, they could prevent accidents and road casualties.
With the Government currently offering £10 million to local councils who wish to trial driverless cars in their towns, it may seem rather surprising that they aren’t in support of changing the current traffic signs.
Perhaps because of the cost, or the uncomfortable idea of conforming to a European standard, the Department for Transport hasn’t supported the proposal. Moreover, some members of the public have have voiced concern at the rise of driverless cars and sophisticated in-car technology, suggesting that our reliance on computers is likely to put our safety at greater risk.
However, if the current traffic signage is getting replaced anyway, research by taxi app ‘Hailo’ has already highlighted some possible replacement messages. Potential new signs suggested by the 500 London cabbies surveyed were: “Caution Texters”, “Craters Ahead” and “School Run Congestion Zone” – as well as warnings for middle-aged men in lycra, tourists and headphone users.
The taxi drivers questioned gave their opinions on the most outdated road signs, with the top 10 including “Soft verges for 2 miles”, “Car carrying explosives”, “Migratory toad crossing” and the rather confusing “sign not in use”.
What are your thoughts on UK road signs? Are there any you would ditch or change? And should road signs be standardised across Europe to accommodate the new breed of clever cars?
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