The Big Debate: too many road signs?

There’s a debate going on in the media about road signs, and whether we have too many of them. TV coverage shows some councils – Ashford in Kent is one – removing signs and other street furniture that locals have determined are unnecessary. The Government supports the idea, and I have to say I agree. There are too many signs, and for the average driver it can be confusing. But there is another side to this argument. I was at a roundabout on the outskirts of Southampton yesterday and it had five exits. Not one of them had any signs. There was a big sign before the roundabout telling me I needed the third exit, but when I got there, there was nothing to confirm it. I ended up going round again just to make sure, then getting confused as to which was the third exit in the first place. The thing with signs is that it’s about balance. Obviously some are required, but not too many. We as motorists leave it to the expertise of road-planners to work out the right number. But the answer is surely not none at all.