Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm what safety considerations are taken into account to ensure that bilingual road signs are clear to motorists?
The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 sets out our duties to promote or facilitate the use of the Welsh language. It states that we must not treat the Welsh language less favourably than the English language. Therefore, both languages are treated on the basis of equality with equivalent terms displayed in the same font and colours on road signs in Wales. The Welsh Language Standards, which came into force on 31 March 2016, mandate that all new road signs will display Welsh first. Where a message cannot be displayed bilingually on one sign, they will be utilised in pairs with Welsh on the first sign and English on the second.
Local authorities from all parts of Wales were consulted on the proposed Regulations, and responses were considered in their entirety prior to finalising the Regulations and introducing them to the Assembly. Local authorities in Wales have been using bilingual road signs for many years and there has been no evidence of any road safety implications, relating to bilingual traffic signing, in those areas.