Village sets record for highway clutter - 45 signs in just half a mile

Baffled drivers passing through the small community of South Milford, near Selby, have been left "totally bombarded" by the crazy number of signs which experts believe could prove more dangerous than helpful.

Scroll down for more...

RAC bosses said they were "astonished" at the number of signs on Low Street, which runs through the village, saying it was the worst case they had ever come across.

They believe the street has twice the number of signs per kilometre than any other road in the country.

Villagers are now calling for a clear out of the signs, which include warnings about roundabouts, pedestrians and other hazards, through the centre of South Milford.

Scroll down for more...

Angry resident Edward French, who is leading the campaign, said: "You can only concentrate on a certain number of things, and you're just faced with all this proliferation of signs.

"If you had to look at everything, you would not be concentrating on the road itself.

"It is both ridiculous and totally unnecessary, not to mention the fact it is an eyesore on the village."

Edmund King, executive director of the RAC Foundation, said the village's stretch of road was at least twice as bad as the previous record-holder - a rural road in Hampshire.

He said the problem was that drivers were being given too much information to comprehend in such a short space of time.

He said: "It is really quite astonishing that so many signs can be found over one half-mile stretch of road.

"Psychologists tell us that the average person can take in five, plus or minus two messages at any one time, so if you come to a junction and there are 10 different signs there's no way the average person can take all that in.

"It leads to confusion and uncertainty, which is a serious road safety issue.

"Another concern is that more and more local authorities are putting signs in the middle of roundabouts saying, 'This roundabout is sponsored by XYZ Consulting.'

"Drivers have enough to concentrate on and the last thing they need to know is who the tulips are sponsored by."

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) have urged the local council to remove some of the signs to make the road stretch less confusing for motorists.

Spokesman Paul Miner said: "We believe that the council has to take action as soon as possible, certainly in the next local transport plan, to address the problem of clutter - too many road signs."

North Yorkshire County Council, which is responsible for the road, defended the signs, claiming they were there for safety reasons.

A spokesman said: "We are aware of the concerns of a small number of residents in South Milford regarding the use of a signage in their village.

"Most of the signs which are currently in place are required to be there by law, such as those warning of low bridges and pedestrian crossings and they play an important road safety role."

Highways bosses at the council have now promised to meet with local residents to discuss the matter further and devise a traffic management strategy for the village.