Council to Shelve Road Sign Maintenance

Brighton and Hove City Council is planning to shave £17 million off its annual budget from the start of the next financial year. In doing so, the council intends to reduce funding for road and highway maintenance by £655,000 – a figure that all but guarantees the local authority’s inability to replace or repair road signs for the foreseeable future.

Opposition councillors and road safety campaigners are not impressed by the council’s plans, which have been proposed in response to the UK Government’s far-reaching austerity measures. Critics argue that funding for road signage should not be compromised on health and safety grounds.

Geoffrey Theobald, Conservative group leader, declared that road maintenance was “probably the most basic and fundamental of council services.” Mr Theobald added: “If we get another cold snap this winter then we simply won’t have the resources to deal with it.”

Brighton and Hove City Council’s cabinet member for transport, Ian Davey, defended the cuts, stating that more funds would be reserved for resurfacing roads and replacing street lights. However, no new road signs will be installed in the city.

Here at The Sussex Sign Company, we feel that any decision to overlook street signage, one of the cheapest and most important road safety measures, is, at very best, short-sighted.

Bridge Signs Evoke Parish Ire

Plans to install two road signs on Hynam Bridge in Cumbria have been criticised by the local parish council.

Officials at Cumbria County Council want to install the signs in an effort to prevent heavy vehicles from crossing the bridge, which is situated near Castle Carrock.

A spokesperson for Cumbria County Council, said: “The bridge cannot cope with a 44-tonne vehicle and as the highway authority, we have an obligation to do something about it. We can’t just ignore it. We have three options: strengthen the bridge at a cost of £10,000, close it altogether or put on a weight restriction, which is the recommended option.”

The plans have not been welcomed by Castle Carrock and Geltsdale Parish Council. Clerk, Tricia Meynell, explained: “It’s a ridiculous waste of public money. The whole situation is fairly ludicrous. It’s a case of the county council covering its back. That bridge has been there for at least 100 years without any problem.”

Hynam Bridge is located in the Northern Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Here at The Sussex Sign Company, we believe that problems of this kind can be resolved by installing signage that is designed to blend in with the natural surroundings – but obviously not to the extent that signs become camouflaged.

Officials Reject Street Sign Donation

Supervisors for Washington Township, in Pennsylvania, USA, have rejected an LED street sign that was donated by a local business, because the installation cost was deemed excessively high.

According to media outlets in the area, Washington Township supervisor, Stephen Kulla, argued that the installation would be both unduly expensive and entirely unnecessary, not least because the illuminated sign would offer no obvious safety benefit.

Mr Kulla said: “I don’t see how this will add any safety. It doesn’t seem like the best use of our money. Although we are receiving a donation, it is costing us about 95 per cent of the donation to install the sign.”

According to Mr Kulla and fellow supervisor, Jeff Geesaman, the $2,492 sign would cost around $2,100 to install. Mr Geesaman added that the decision to reject the donation rather than accept it and await funds, was taken because acceptance would necessitate installation within a “reasonable amount of time.”

Washington Township manager, Mike Christopher, had argued that the sign would “make the intersection [on Pa. 16 Welty Road] easier to see at night.”

Here at The Sussex Sign Company, we believe that LED signage has a place in society, but not as a replacement for traditional road signs, which are typically just as effective and far less costly.

Osaka Department Store Makes Expletive Signage Mistake

Based in Osaka, Japan, the Galerie department store is no different from any other on the island when it comes to obeying basic principles of decency, but embarrassed chiefs reportedly had to demand the removal of sales signs, when it emerged their use of English was not entirely proper.

Thought to have been intended as a pun on the Japanese word ‘fukubukuro,’ which means ‘lucky bags,’ signs were plastered on windows at the Galerie advertising a ‘Fu**in Sale’ worth 20 per cent.

Most shoppers who could read and understand English were said to be bemused by the signs, while a handful of visitors made complaints, which resulted in the removal of the signs. It is unclear why the marketing division responsible for the signs sought to use an English expletive to describe the sale, but it is presumed that they were unaware of the word’s precise meaning or interpretation.

Here at The Sussex Sign Company, we appreciate the difficulty faced by those who attempt to employ foreign language in shop signs. Sometimes, a missing consonant or punctuation mark is all it takes to convey an entirely different meaning from that which was intended. As in the example above, some words simply should not be used at all!

New Graphic Films Enter UK Market

William Smith has introduced two new graphic films to the UK market: the Arlon 6000RP and Arlon 6000XP. Meanwhile, 3M Commercial Graphics has announced the launch of its latest low-cost vehicle wrap, the memorably named Controltac Graphic Film with Comply Version 3 Adhesive IK170Cv3.

The Arlon 6000RP and 6000XP are specifically designed to provide high-quality results on surfaces that are contoured, curved or riveted, but the graphic films can be just as easily applied to flat surfaces. Although unsuitable for use over deep recesses, the Arlon 6000RP and 6000XP provide sign-makers with the opportunity to produce detailed designs on intricate, complex surfaces. The new Arlon products, which feature a pressure-sensitive permanent adhesive, are ideal for use on modern vehicles.

3M Commercial Graphics’ latest offering was also designed with vehicles in mind, but caters specifically to the low-budget market. The Controltac Graphic Film with Comply Version 3 Adhesive IK170Cv3 is notable for its lack of curing time, so graphics can be applied to cars, vans and other vehicles with minimal effort and downtime.

Here at The Sussex Sign Company, we welcome the addition of the new graphics films, which ought to make the process of bringing ideas to life on vehicles and other complex objects and surfaces far less taxing and expensive.

Signage Industry Welcomes New Printing Technology

Two new models of printer have been released in the UK: the Epson Stylus Pro GS6000 and the Sabur Ink Systems Gunsjet R4.

The GS6000 is said to be the first roll-fed inkjet device manufactured by Epson that is capable of producing prints without borders. Also available as an upgrade kit for earlier models of printer – the new technology can produce prints ranging from 300mm to 1,590mm in width.

Business development manager at Epson UK, Martin Johns, said: “The adaptation involves fitting a new platen to the GS6000. This allows variable positioning of recessed porous pads to catch the overprinted ink on either side of the media roll.”

Meanwhile, Sabur Ink Systems has launched three types of Gunsjet R4 printer. Featuring RICOH GEN4, an innovative print-head technology, the printer range can support widths of 1,900mm, 2,600mm and 3,300mm.

A spokesperson for Sabur Ink Systems, said: “We feel the Gunsjet range of printers will fit into our portfolio perfectly as the printer enables us to offer our growing customer base a wider and faster printer and enables the customer to print multiple rolls at the same time.”

Here at The Sussex Sign Company, we welcome the addition of new printing technology, which invariably helps us produce higher quality signs at a faster rate.

Road Signs Confuse British Motorists

A study carried out by Castrol has revealed that two thirds of respondents encounter confusion when attempting to decipher road signs in the UK.

The results of the survey may seem too frightening to believe, but Castrol’s research suggests that around 66 per cent of motorists in Britain do not understand road signs, while 20 per cent do not even look at them.

While it is hoped that most drivers are capable of understanding the most basic road signs – ‘STOP,’ ‘NO ENTRY,’ etc., Castrol found that approximately 50 per cent of respondents had no idea what was meant by a ‘GIVE WAY’ sign, while a sign prohibiting all motor vehicles was interpreted by 33 per cent of respondents as somehow implying that only cars and motorcycles were permitted.

Celebrity motoring expert, Quentin Wilson, said: “It’s worrying to think that the vast majority of British motorists have not got a clue about the road signs they see every day. Signs are in place not only to help motorists navigate the road, but also for safety.”

Here at The Sussex Sign Company, we strive to make all public notices as simple to understand as possible. On the road, signs need to be obvious in every sense.

Council Takes Note of Calls for New Signage

Leighton Linslade Town Council has established a special task force to ensure that new signs requested by several organisations in Bedfordshire are erected in the area.

Fairtrade Leighton Linslade, South Bedfordshire Friends of the Earth and I Love Leighton Buzzard have each lobbied the council for new signage. It is argued that improved signs would attract more people to Leighton Linslade, thereby increasing trade and improving prosperity.

Critics of existing signage in the area have long called for change, claiming that many motorists who pass by the town are not even aware of its existence, because road and shop signs fail to direct traffic towards the High Street. Leighton Linslade Town Council’s special task force is set to resolve this problem by erecting new, heavy-duty plastic signs (to avoid scrap metal theft), while encouraging local businesses in the area to do more to advertise the town.

Here at The Sussex Sign Company, we fully understand the importance of ensuring that signage is highly visible. The point of installing signs is usually to notify, inform, instruct, advise or warn members of the public. Small town shop signs are worth very little to local businesses unless they are able to attract the attention of passing motorists.

Sublimation Printing Set for Mimaki Boost

A new product manufactured by Mimaki promises to improve performance, speed and quality in the sublimation printing market. The Mimaki TS34-1800A production dye sub printer, which measures 1.8 metres in width, is likely to provide a timely boost for signage firms using sublimation printing, but it will also provide benefits for producers of textiles and clothing.

Sublimation printing has become the prevalent method of dye transfer among numerous firms. The Mimaki TS34-1800A should enhance all-round performance for sign makers who use various materials for sublimation printing, which is considered to be one of the more reliable and cost-effective methods of transferring colour prints and text onto signs.

Explaining the virtues of the TS34-1800A, Duncan Jefferies, marketing manager at Hybrid Services, which distributes Mimaki products in the UK, said: “The new Mimaki TS34-1800A delivers a competitively priced solution at a popular width and with powerful production capabilities. The response from our specialist textile resellers suggests they’re already confident the dye sub market will very quickly adopt this machine for volume output.”

The TS34-1800A can print at speeds of up to 32sqm/hour at a resolution of 540 x 720 dpi. Here at The Sussex Sign Company, we welcome the addition of the TS34-1800A, which promises to improve the efficiency of sublimation printing.

Memorials Request for Highway Animal Deaths

Road signage need not always direct, advise or instruct. Sometimes, road signs can serve to honour the memory of those killed on the road. If People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) gets its belated Christmas wish, such signage in the US will include memorials for fallen animals.

The idea in principle is not as outlandishly absurd as it may seem initially. Legislation in the US known as Tina’s Law, allows qualified relatives to erect memorials for people killed by drink drivers. After Tina’s Law was expanded to include all highway fatalities, PETA decided it was time to ask once again that memorials for animals killed on the road be erected under the legislation.

PETA campaigner, Tracy Patton, explained: “These proposed signs would also remind tractor-trailer drivers of their responsibility to the thousands of animals they haul to their deaths every day.”

Of course, it could be argued that an absence of memorials in abattoirs, fields and dining rooms across the US, negates the apparent need to erect shrines on public highways, but PETA wants change, nonetheless.

Here at The Sussex Sign Company, we value the rights of animals, but introducing highway memorials for accidentally killed animals that were destined for the slaughterhouse may be a step too far.