Member
Steffan Lewis South Wales East
WAQ75014 (e) Tabled on 03/11/2017

Do regulations allow for the erection of road signs that mark a region or area that are not national parks or population centres?

Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport | Answered on 14/11/2017

The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 (TSRGD) prescribe traffic signs to indicate the boundary of:

· A city, town or village;

· An administrative area, a ceremonial area or an historic county area;

· A river, inland waterway or bridge;

· A National Park;

· An area of outstanding natural beauty designated as such under section 82 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000(a).

There is no Welsh Government policy in respect of signing regions or an area, not mentioned above. However, a highway authority may place signs that identify areas not mentioned above, if they have been authorised by the Welsh Ministers. Uncontrolled provision of boundary signing for any area not listed above would lead to sign clutter and an increased maintenance burden on highway authorities.

There should also be a general presumption against signing areas without good reason or areas that are not recorded on Ordnance Survey maps as signing unmapped areas can lead to driver confusion.