But the addition of more paper to the already long and complex official literature on road signs is not enough. Courses on traffic engineering should be more frequently organised and local authorities should be encouraged to be less reluctant in releasing staff to attend them. Maintenance grants should also be made conditional upon evidence being produced that a proper standard of inspection and maintenance was being applied to traffic signs.
We have considered whether the Highways Engineering Organisation in the field of the Ministry of Transport and the Scottish Development Department might not be assisted if both these Departments created central Traffic Signs Inspectorates in order to maintain a continuous survey of traffic signs through out the country. This might help to impart a national focus to the problem and diminish the differences of emphasis and application of policy which tend to occur between the ten different areas in the United Kingdom. We came, however, to the conclusion that this form of additional supervision would probably complicate rather than assist the responsible Departments in their relations with local authorities and perhaps even with their own divisional staffs. Nevertheless we recommend that there should be closer surveillance by Departments of the signing of Primary routes to ensure that the higher standards which we have advocated for these routes should be effectively implemented.
As so many different authorities are responsible for the classified roads that will form part of the Primary routes there may be some difficulty in achieving uniformity of signing. The Departments will no doubt consult local highway authorities about the determination of the initial Primary route system and about procedures for achieving uniformity in the signing of Primary routes.
301. It will be necessary in revised Regulations to prescribe the periods within which conversion to the new signs shall be completed. We think our present signs should be modernised as quickly as possible. The new signs will be much more than an improved facility for road users. They will be a positive investment in road safety and better traffic flow, and will thus yield appreciable economic dividends.
302. We are satisfied that as far as productive capacity of the sign making industry is concerned conversion to the new signs recommended in this report could be completed throughout the country within five years from the date on which new Regulations come into force, and we recommend that total conversion in this time be made a requirement upon all highway authorities.
But all mandatory and prohibitory signs should be converted as quickly as possible and in any case within two years of the issue of new Regulations. This is important in order to obtain the speediest uniformity in signs which if not complied with entail legal penalties. Some confusion will result if two sets of these signs are in use at the same time. This could only be avoided by an overnight change-over which would be physically impossible. The co-existence of the old and new signs must therefore be accepted for a time and provision be made in law for both to be valid. But obviously this period should be as short as possible.
We recommend that on Primary routes there should be a complete conversion
of all signs within three years. So far as possible the erection of the new directional signs on these routes should be phased together by co-operation between
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