Motorists still face a bewildering array of unnecessary traffic signs despite Government attempts to encourage local authorities to cut the clutter, the new president of the Local Authority Technical Advisers Group (TAG) has said.

Phil Moore (pictured) of Medway Council, who was sworn in as TAG president last week, described the recent review of Traffic Signs Regulations as a step in the right direction, “but unfortunately it did not go far enough.

“I personally made a number of proposals that could have resulted in a considerable number of decluttering exercises,” he said. “But it was considered to be too politically sensitive to remove so many road signs.”

He added that the Department for Transport has recently said it will take another look at traffic sign regulations. “I hope that lessons are learned from the last review and they acknowledge that it was not as productive as it could have been.”

Mr Moore claims that drivers are often “bombarded with hundreds of pieces of information” that are not always necessary and can serve as a distraction from concentrating on the road ahead. “There are a huge number of examples where advance warning signs clutter up the near side lane,” he added. “If there are traffic lights ahead and visibility on the approach is good, I don’t need a sign telling me there are traffic lights ahead, because I can see them. So why are the signs there?”

He added that one of his aims as TAG president over the coming year will be to expand the group’s influence across the UK. “We are very active in London, the North East and Northern Ireland but less so elsewhere. I will be writing to every local authority in the next three months to remind them about who we are and what we do.”

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