Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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Question 408: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in view of the number of cities, towns and villages that are currently bypassed, if he will consider revising the traffic sign manual, to allow representatives of business and commercial interests to suggest and agree icons for those businesses and amenities that are currently not represented on signs with his Department and the National Roads Authority in order to encourage motorists to enter the settlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22974/12]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The current edition of the Traffic Signs Manual (TSM) was last published in January 2011, and constitutes a Ministerial Direction to road authorities under section 95(16) of the Road Traffic Act 1961, and is available from my Department's website.

The TSM stipulates the traffic signs to be used on Irish roads, their layout and symbols, the circumstances in which each sign should be used and the rules for positioning them.

Chapter 4, to which I would refer the Deputy, sets out the provisions which govern the use of information signs for tourist attractions, destinations and facilities.

It would be inappropriate for commercial or business logos to appear on traffic signs, as they have the potential to distract motorists from the essential safety message contained on the signs. It is, of course, open to commercial enterprises to engage with their relevant planning authority and other interested parties about the possibility of erecting such information signs independent of traffic signs.