Road signs in the United Kingdom

The number of road signs in the United Kingdom has doubled over the last two decades. Currently, the streets of Britain play host to around 4.5,000,000 road signs, which is a figure that over the past twenty years, has doubled.

For example, the number of speed limit road signs since 1993 has risen from 224,885, to 441,400 when counted in 2013. Road signs for speed bumps went up from 4,675 to a gigantic 98,351 in comparison. Other notable road signs that increased included no stopping, or clearway signs, which rose from just over 3,000 to just over 113,500 and also priority restrictions such as Give Way signs, rose from just over 1,500 to just over 23,000.

The Facts and statistics of the UK's road signs

The Department for Transport revealed these figures after a consultation on guidance was launched for local councils throughout Britain on how they could eliminate clutter in the streets and also get eradicate road signs that were deemed unnecessary.

In January of last year, Patrick McLoughlin who is the Secretary of State for Transport relied on local councils to get rid of 9,000 unnecessary road signs that were said to be spoiling the countryside in Britain. In September of last year, Norman Baker who was roads minister then announced that other than road signs for speed limits, there should only be one sign put at the start of a restriction.

The future for the UK and it's road signs

The Department for Transport also gave guidance on how ugly and confusing signs could be removed in the most cost effective way possible. Though the AA have recently stated that it is not an easy job to declutter the streets of Britain and that just removing road signs just is not the answer.

A spokesman explained in a recent statement that the upside is that some motorists would likely say that there were not enough road signs in some areas where fines are being raked in by councils. There are not enough road signs to warn people about such things as box junctions for example.