form of mounting is particularly useful for signs indicating the correct lane to be taken at the approach to a junction. Wherever possible use should be made of existing structures, otherwise suitably designed gantries should be provided.
278. The current practice of providing No entry signs on both sides of the carriageway should be continued. Similarly, the permanently illuminated No right/left turn signs attached to primary traffic signals should be duplicated on the signals, if any, on central refuges.
279. We have considered whether there is a case for placing advance direction signs on the central reservation of all high speed dual-carriageway roads as well as on the near side. It has been put to us that this should be the normal practice since the view of signs mounted on the verge tends to be obstructed by large vehicles travelling in the nearside lane. We recommend that advance direction signs be placed on the central reservation (provided it is wide enough) of all high speed dual-carriageway roads as well as on the near side.
280. In Appendix V we refer to four classes of all-purpose roads, one being roads built to near-motorway standards. Since the design characteristics of the latter are similar to those of motorways, their sign requirements are also similar. On the approaches to grade-separated junctions on these roads there should be two map type advance direction signs as compared with the three on motor ways. One should be half a mile before the junction and the other at the beginning of the deceleration lane. The layout of these two signs should be the same except that on the first the forward destination should be omitted and the distance to the junction included near the bottom of the sign (figure 76). Both signs should be placed behind the hard shoulder. There should also be a supplementary direction sign (figure 94) at the nose of the land separating the main carriageway from the slip road, and a route confirmatory sign (figure 93) on the left hand verge just beyond the junction.
On other roads the distance between the advance direction signs and the junctions to which they refer will depend on average traffic speeds approaching the junction. Correct distances are suggested in Appendix VII, but these of course may have to be modified by local conditions.
Direction signs at roundabouts should be located on the guide islands or, on dual-carriageways, the central reservation. Care should be taken to ensure that the signs do not prevent drivers who are entering the roundabout from seeing traffic coming from the right.
281. We think the design of many existing signs is very poor and recommend that Ministers should exercise much more rigid control over this aspect of traffic signs. A well designed sign is one which has been planned as a unit, is as simple as possible, as durable as necessary and has a good all-round appearance.
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