Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Minister of State will be aware that this issue has been bouncing around a number of Departments, so to speak. I am not anticipating the Minister's reply but I hope it would at least flesh out the question I am asking.

Road signs are dealt with by way of an order made by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport under the Road Traffic Acts. The technical specifications are laid out in a detailed way in the traffic signs manual issued to all road authorities.

I raise this matter because there are growing concerns about the disparity, which is of a bilingual nature, in terms of road signs across the country where either the spelling is incorrect or it is not sufficiently highlighted. It is primarily to do with the variations between the various spellings across the country which is confusing.

Interestingly, when the Official Languages Act was introduced in March 2009 the requirement was for all new signage erected after March 2009 to be bilingual, with the Irish version displayed first and to be as legible, prominent and visible as the text in English, but it seems the Minister opted to specifically exclude road signs from the requirements of the Official Languages Act regulations.

On the spelling of placenames on road signs, the traffic signs manual to which I referred requires road authorities to use the officially designated Irish versions of placenames as agreed by the Place Names Commission. In case of doubt they are asked, under the traffic signs manual, to actively seek the advice of that origination.

There are significant mistakes on road signs throughout the country and when those are brought to the attention of Oifig An Coimisinéir Teanga it contacts the individual authorities and asks them to amend them. I understand that, in the main, local authorities are amenable and responsible in that regard.

In terms of the variations and the incorrect signage, the only way to ensure that all such road signs are correct would be to have a once-off national audit and replacement programme, as well as a detailed proofing mechanism, to ensure that incorrect road signs are not erected in future by roads authorities.

I raise this matter because this is a policy issue. I appreciate that it is about the local authorities enforcing what the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has set out in its traffic signs manual but it is patchy at best. It is only when it is brought to its attention that incorrect signs are corrected. That is not good enough, and it is time there was a more co-ordinated approach. I support the view of An Coimisinéir Teanga who stated in a number of his annual reports that a once-off national audit and replacement programme is the only way to address this issue.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I thank the Senator for the opportunity to address this issue today and I am replying on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Leo Varadkar. The Minister has responsibility for overall policy and funding for the national roads programme. However, the planning, design, and implementation of individual national road schemes, including the provision of road signs, are statutory matters for the National Roads Authority, NRA, under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2007 in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Regional and local roads, including improvement, maintenance and the provision of road signs, are a statutory function of each road authority in accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. In 2003, the regional roads signposting programme was introduced to sign all significant junctions on regional roads in county council areas. This programme is now nearly complete.

There is a clear procedure in place for local authorities to ensure that the correct spelling is used on all traffic signs. This procedure is outlined in the 2010 traffic signs manual. It is a statutory requirement that place names on information signs be in both Irish and English, except for names of destinations in Gaeltacht areas. Where the names of places in these areas are in Irish only and the spelling of a place name is similar in both languages, only the Irish form of the name should be shown. With regard to the spelling of place names on traffic signs, clear guidance on this issue is set out in section 1.1.49 of the 2010 traffic signs manual which is available on the Department's website. In ensuring that the correct forms and spelling of place names are used on traffic signs, road authorities should consult the relevant place names orders published as statutory instruments. If the place name is not included in a place names order, the Gazetteer of Ireland, the place names branch of Ordnance Survey Ireland, should be consulted. Alternatively, in determining the correct Irish form of a place name, road authorities can also consult with, and obtain advice from, An Coimisiun Logainmneacha. Before consulting with an coimisiún, road authorities may wish to ascertain, through local consultation, whether specific place names have a particular local significance or what traditional local usage may exist.

On a bilingual place name sign, the Irish place name is positioned on top, with the English equivalent underneath. In order to convey to drivers as clearly as possible that two distinct languages are contained on the sign, there must be an obvious distinction in text so as not to compromise road safety. This is imperative not just for Irish drivers, but also for the large number of tourists on Irish roads. To this end, sentence case lettering at an angle of 15 degrees is used for the Irish text and uppercase lettering is used for English text. It is believed that the use of inclined or italic and generally lower case script emphasises and best represents the older Gaelic script. In addition, Irish place names are on average 40% longer than their English equivalent. If Irish text was in uppercase and at the required height to be visible, then this would result in much larger signs or numerous abbreviations which could lead to lack of clarity of the sign for the driver. There is a practical implication in preventing signs from being unduly wide where space is limited on substantial numbers of roads around the country where sight lines of visibility can become obscured by larger signs. Also, larger signs require larger posts for structural stability, which increases the safety risk of any potential road collision impact. On balance, the current system of bilingual signs is the preferred option for displaying placenames in both languages in as safe a manner as possible.

In conclusion, the display of text on traffic signs is determined under section 95 of the Roads Traffic Act 1961. The primary motivation of the Department is to ensure that traffic information signs assist in the safe use of the road network and provide clarity for road users so as not to compromise road safety. It is a matter for local authorities to ensure that guidelines set out in the 2010 traffic signs manual are followed.

Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I am grateful to the Minister for that response as it fills in many of the gaps on the history and background to signage. However, most of the response is taken up with the issue of design and the manner in which signs should be displayed. The core of my argument is the point mentioned in the last sentence of the response, that signage is a matter for local authorities. I agree and have no difficulty about that. However, local authorities are not implementing the recommendations and guidelines as set down in the Department's traffic signs manual. Therefore, I ask for some proactive approach to be taken by the Department on this, rather than just saying it is up to the local authorities.

Local authorities are failing in their duty in this regard. It seems they tender to different companies which do not then consult with the Place Names Commission as to the correct spelling. I cannot think of any other reason for the problem. Perhaps the Minister of State can explain the reason. I am sure he has come across similar variations to those I have, where there is a variation in the spelling of the names. All I ask for is that some uniformity is brought into the system. This is a policy issue and if the Department does not take it on board, it is left to individual local authorities. Some of these are good, some very good and some not good enough. I hope the Minister of State will take the message back to the Minister that he should look again at the responsibilities of the Department in this regard, to ensure there is no variation in the spelling of place names across the country.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I will undertake to pass on the Senator's concerns to the Minister.