Page:Report of the Departmental Committee on Traffic Signs (1946).djvu/66

 RESERVATIONS

Reservations by Lt.-Col. Dudley on:

1. Colour of Direction Signs

I have signed the Report subject to the following reservation in respect of paragraph 18 in relation to the colour of direction signs.

I do not agree that letters and numbers of all rural signs should be black on a white ground on a white foundation. I am impressed with the claim that yellow as the basic colour for all direction sig1s has considerable advantages in providing better visibility.

2. The Use of Route Numbers on Direction Signs

I have signed the Report subject to the following reservation in relation to the recommendations in paragraph 112 with regard to route numbers.

I remain unconvinced that the motoring public desires to travel by the aid of route numbers in preference to place names, unless the main roads of the country are renumbered on the basis of one number for one road from coast to coast.

In my opinion place names should be given greater prominence on signs than road classification numbers. As an example of the difficulty of memorising road numbers as compared with place names the route from Cardiff to Birmingham (1023 miles) passes over the following roads: A.48, A.440, A.40, A.449, A.38.

I should like to add that the opinions I have expressed in these two reservations are supported by the official views of the Automobile Association and the Royal Scottish Automobile Club.