Page:Report of the Departmental Committee on Traffic Signs (1946).djvu/26

 (c) The larger size of “Keep Left” sign (24 in. x 18 in.) should be used only in exceptional cases where specially authorised by the Minister. (See also paragraph 95.).

Recommendations on the subject of the lighting of posts or bollards on street refuges were made in 1937 in the Final Report of the Ministry of Transport Departmental Committee on Street Lighting. These recommendations are ‘reproduced in Appendix II of this Report. We endorse them, and would add our opinion that unless the standard of street lighting is such that the guard posts are clearly visible to traffic, they should be self-luminous.

Lighting of road excavations and obstructions

29. We are of opinion that in the interests of public safety, the method of marking and lighting road excavations and obstructions should be uniform over the whole country, and recommend that powers be sought by the Minister to enable this to be achieved by Regulation.

We consider that Regulations similar to those at present in force in the London Traffic Area (reproduced in Appendix III of this Report) would be appropriate for the purpose, subject to the provision that the maximum interval at which lamps should be placed along the length of the excavation or obstruction, parallel to the line of traffic, should be 20 ft. and not 12 ft., and that the warning notices required in certain circumstances by these Regulations should be placed at a distance of not less than 25 yards from the excavation or obstruction, instead of “at a distance of 25 yards or as near thereto as may be practicable.” Where a warning sign 1s required, that shown in diagram 43 of Appendix VI and referred to in paragraph 65 should be used.

Signposting of dual carriageways

30. The mileage of dual carriageways in this country is likely to be greatly extended after the war. We are confident that the great majority of road users will conform to the traffic conventions of the dual carriageway system without compulsion, but for their safety it is necessary to legislate for the exception and to provide for the control of the direction of flow of traffic on dual carriage- ways by statutory Orders or Regulations. Mandatory and prohibitory signs must be erected to give notice of the effect of these statutory provisions. The procedure for applying these provisions should be made as simple as possible, and we therefore recommend that Regulations similar in form to the London Traffic (Dual Carriageways) Regulations, 1938, reproduced in Appendix IV, should be applied over the whole country. We further recommend that:

(i) The words “dual carriageway” should appear only on authorised signs used in connection with dual carriageways upon which, by virtue of an Order or Regulation, vehicles are permitted to travel in one direction only. These signs should be erected only at places approved in writing under the hand of an officer of the Department.

(ii) Statutory Orders or Regulations of this nature should provide for the erection of appropriate signs in such positions that drivers entering the dual carriageway from any contiguous highway should be able to see the words “dual carriageway” on at least one sign.

(iii) To avoid unnecessary multiplication of signs, the use of the words “dual carriageway” should be authorised, subject to the safeguard enumerated under (i) above, on approach direction signs where this course is appropriate and practicable (see paragraph 117 and diagrams 87 and 88). In other cases it may be necessary, in order to comply with (ii) above, to use the sign “Dual Carriageway Ahead” recommended in paragraph 135 and shown in diagram III.