Liberal Democrat Councillors on Surrey County Council have called for an end to the County Council relying on members of the public to report missing or damaged road signs and are calling for a sign inspection policy, as exists in other County Councils, to be developed and implemented.

Surrey’s roads are littered with posts with no signs and damaged signs. Not only does it look untidy, but it also means that motorists are not getting the benefit of information from signs warning of hazards such as bends or low bridges, informing them of speed limits or directions to towns or places. These signs are either necessary to make Surrey’s roads safer, in which case they should be replaced, or are redundant, in which case they should be removed.

We believe that the County Council needs to develop and implement a road sign inspection policy so that it has an accurate record of what road signs should be in place and, through regular inspections by council officers, identify those signs which are missing or damaged and should be replaced. This would ensure that vital road signs which are necessary for road safety can be and are replaced.

Alternatively if the County Council is expecting members of the public to notify it of missing and damaged road signs, it should provide an interactive map showing which road signs should be in place to enable them to more effectively perform their role.