Published at 15:47, Wednesday, 01 July 2009

SOMETIMES you can look at something for too long and no longer really see it. Such must be the case with looking at your home town. We all ‘see’ Whitehaven every day, but on occasion it takes fresh eyes to show us what’s wrong – and what’s right – with it.

Steve Palmer of the North of England Civic Trust has seen at a glance that’s something not quite right with Whitehaven. And while Norman Clarkson can hardly be called an outsider, he too has spotted the problem: road signs. Hundreds of them. All different sizes, different colours, some of them long out of date, some of them duplicating each other – and, one suspects, many of them never ‘read’ at all by the public.

Whitehaven does have some nice signs. The oldy-worldy tourist ones would seem to suit the town well. Unfortunately they sit next to the likes of the 20ft tall signs warning you of the hidden exit from Morrisons. Each agency has its own branding for signs and not one of them complements any of the other agencies.

The worst culprit must be the Highways Agency. They have put signs up on the A595, marring beautiful views of the Lake District, which tell you nothing other than the Highways Agency are responsible for the road! It’s time to get tough, get the hacksaw out and let people once again see our beautiful towns and our beautiful countryside.

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk