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Signs of the times - how Polish drivers are kept on track in Cheshire
Last updated at 20:52pm on 15.02.07As if road works were not bad enough, drivers in Cheshire have a new hazard to contend with - road signs in Polish.
They have been put up to prevent immigrants who cannot speak English from getting lost in a diversion.
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Signs of madness: The sign in the foreground reads 'DIVERSION A49 for Whitchurch and nearby places'
Cheshire County Council claim the eight temporary signs are needed because there are large Polish populations in Crewe and Whitchurch, in neighbouring Shropshire, following the 2004 expansion of the EU.
They said that police had received numerous complaints of Polish drivers getting lost and causing traffic mayhem. But residents have condemned the council for pandering to political correctness.
Paul Walker, 55, spotted these signs on the A49 in the Cheshire village of Ridley.
"I'm not a racist or against Polish people in any way," he said.
"But it struck me as the most ludicrous example of political correctness I've ever come across.
"How can anyone justify spending taxpayers' money on this?"
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Sign of the times: This Polish road sign translates as 'For A49 to Whitchurch turn right at next junction
Tory MP Philip Davies added: "It's absolutely bonkers, but what worries me is that once one council starts, others follow."
Even officials at the Polish Association in London could not see the point of the signs. "It seems very strange, I can't imagine why they are needed," a spokesman said.
Council engineers defended the signs, saying they were paid for by the contractor and not the taxpayer. Steve Kent, highway engineer for Cheshire County Council, said: "These signs have absolutely nothing to do with political correctness. It is a practical and commonsense approach to a problem.
"On several occasions last year, we found that Polish-speaking drivers were failing to understand diversion signs and were arriving at sections of major roads that we had closed off. In some cases, that caused congestion as we had to reverse them out of the area.
"In other cases, they would drive on the footpath and thunder past a work gang, which obviously has safety implications."
Up to 265,000 Poles have come to Britain legally in the last two years, prompting the launch of several services aimed specifically at them.
On Wednesday, Yorkshire Bank became the first in Britain to launch a telephone service in Polish.
Lloyds TSB has already opened its first Polish branch in Manchester.
And last month, signs written in Polish advertising NatWest's new bank account aimed at migrant workers sprang up on hoardings across the country.
Reader views (16)
This is the problem with immigration laws in our country and the widely spread, over political correctness of the law and government. If you have been given the right to live here then you need to learn the language and I would imagine, have to pass a short driving test in order to find out whether there is an understanding of the roadsigns.
This is also prevalent in small villages and towns where there are foreign supermarkets with signs in native languages which to be honest is a joke. People need to see that this is Britain and therefore citizenship of this country means to learn the language, cultutree and respect where you are coming to.
I agree that if Brits move to other countries, they should learn the language too, it's only fair. Going on holiday is one thing, but when you have been invited to a country to live because of whatever reason, do not treat it like it has been yours for the past god knows how many years.
We need to have laws that state that you must integrate into society the same way in which the US and Australia do before inviting any more disrespectful poeple who waste out tax money into the UK.
- Paul, Glasgow
On the one hand I'm glad to see distances in metres on British road signs and given that everybody educated in the UK under the age of 40 (and a fair few over 40 too I'd guess) was taught metric at school this shouldn't be a problem. I do agree though that putting up signs in Polish isn't right. That said I also think that many dual-language signs in Wales are unnecessary... "100 yards/100 llath" would be "100 metres" in either language!
- Alex Bailey, Corby
If it prevents accidents and saves lives go with it.
It's no more stupid than the signs one sees in France and Holland (in English) reminding stupid English drivers to drive on the right!
- Gaz, London
Although it may seem a bit strange having Polish signs in the UK, what if you were in Poland and did not understand the Polish signs and needed signs in English?
I do not mind the Polish signs, but why is it that we still cannot have metric measurements on the English signs, but we can on Polish signs? We should have metric on all signs, that would certainly help everyone by having just one system of measurement on our roads and elsewhere.
There should be metres and km on all UK roadsigns asap, as the Irish have done with theirs, and speed limits revised to km/h values.
- David, London, UK
It is good to see the metric distance shown (600 metres).
All road signage should be in metric units as soon as possible. The government should ensure that the change from Imperial yards, miles and mph to Metric metres, kilometres and km/h is completed well before 2012 (the year of the London Olympics).
- Si Metric-Matters, Worcestershire
As an expat and occasional visitor to the UK, I would greatly appreciate clear road signs in English. Preferably using international standards.
- Neil, California
Well as much as I hate to take a hard line against immigration in general or its connected issues - which I do believe is beneficial - this story is totally ridiculous.
If people want to drive on English roads then they ought to learn how to understand English road signs, it really is that simple.
This is potentially dangerous - English road users seeing these could become confused when they should be concentrating - and if it was considered necessary then Polish drivers quite clearly haven't a clue about traffic and highway codes in the UK - and so ought to be subject to the same penalties that the rest of us would be if we were driving without any knowledge.
This is a joke - whoever thought this up has gone over and beyond too far in terms of political correctness - and I never say that!
- Christopher, London W2
The first thing my grandparents did when they came here in 1940 was learn English. Sure they still speak Polish at home, but they made every effort to integrate. My grandad even ended up teaching A-level English literature!
- Paul, London
For God's sake, lets put signs in every language and make things simple for everybody in the world. I find it so ridiculous that everywhere else in the world, a foreigner has to blend with the native society. Once again, England against all the odds, or maybe just for a change, has to be different. I bet that if the native English people start migrating to China in a few years time (as the economy there is booming), the chinese won't care at all wether we speak cantoneese or not.
- Rafael Ventura, Hampton, London
They have printed the local paper in Reading, the Evening Post, in Polish because of the large Polish community there. I will be honest and say I do resent such pandering, particularly with Polish (or any other culture) shops having all of their signs written in Polish. That is basically being uninviting to the host nation. My Czech partner agrees with me on all of these examples, that whoever comes to this country has to know English and communicate in English.
- Kit Robinson, Hounslow
Immigrants must learn to read and write in English, if they want to integrate and live in Britain. Putting signs up in foreign languages only builds resentment within the British public. It may sound old hat, but we really need to address Britain's migration problem from certian countries including Poland. We must enforce similar polices as the US has in place, a lottery system that ensures mild migration and not over representation from any one country.
- Thomas Ward, London UK
I'm all for signs in Polish as long as all they all have arrows pointing to the fastest route to Poland.
- Frank, Wolverhampton, England
This is another nail in the coffin of the Great British Vowel.
- Keith, Farringdon
When can we expect signs to go up for the 20 or so other languages used around the EU? Nothing surprises me anymore in this country.
- Phil Jones, London UK
I agree with Star - there's no need to be fluent, but it really should be a condition of the driving licence that people can understand road signs. Nobody can perform their job properly without sufficient understanding of the language, so how come these lorry drivers are being employed? We need to sort out our English-language training, not litter the place with even more road signs. After all, where does it stop - will we eventually have signs in all European languages?
- Suzanne, London
If someone can't understand our road signs then surely they shouldn't be driving, they're a potential danger. I'm currently studying for my theory test and can't drive unless I pass. Shouldn't it be the same for everyone? The money spent on these signs would be better used elsewhere.
- Star, London
