Skip to main content

No punctuation

Local authorities in various parts of the UK are opting to remove punctuation marks from roadsigns so as to remove confusion. The move comes in the wake of numerous complaints from concerned members of the public that roadsigns contain incorrect grammar. The authorities in the UK's second largest city, Birmingham, have already taken steps to remove apostrophes from roadsigns because council staff spend too much time dealing with complaints over the correct use of punctuation on signs. The Apostrophe Protect
July 6, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Local authorities in various parts of the UK are opting to remove punctuation marks from roadsigns so as to remove confusion. The move comes in the wake of numerous complaints from concerned members of the public that roadsigns contain incorrect grammar. The authorities in the UK's second largest city, Birmingham, have already taken steps to remove apostrophes from roadsigns because council staff spend too much time dealing with complaints over the correct use of punctuation on signs. The Apostrophe Protection Society has criticised the move while the Plain English Campaign has refuted suggestions from some official sources that it ruled in favour of the removal of apostrophes from roadsigns. Road safety campaigners are not thought to be prioritising the risks posed by vehicle occupants arguing over the correct use of an apostrophe and whether or not a word is possessive or an abbreviation as a threat to other road users.

Related Content

  • Road user charging, the way to highway investment?
    April 12, 2012
    Tough political decisions have to be made to ensure highway investment - *Dr Max Lay reports Our road systems and how we use them have changed dramatically over the last few centuries, and yet some problems persist and others reappear. For most of human history roads have been used by foot traffic and by cumbersome wagons hauled at walking pace. Roads were built to provide some obvious advantage in commerce or conquest. They were then grudgingly maintained by those who might gain some advantage from the
  • XCMG sets out six stage path for future plans
    October 14, 2013
    XCMG has seen strong exports, with one deal in particular providing a major boost to turnover - Mike Woof writes It is rare that a single machine order can provide a substantial portion of a large manufacturer’s annual results. However the firm’s massive contract signed with the Venezuelan Government was a major boost to XCMG; the supply of no less than 6025 machines in a deal worth some US$750 million. This order came at an important time for the company when the world demand for construction equipment sl
  • Crash barriers aid vehicle protection, road safety
    February 8, 2012
    Barrier and crash cushion systems can make a great deal of difference to roadway safety, with new technology offering major benefits to road users. In North America and Western Europe, concrete centre line dividers are being used for many major highways as these provide a durable solution for preventing cross-over accidents with large vehicles such as heavy trucks. It is worth noting too that other countries are now adopting concrete barriers for highway centre line dividers also, with this system being use
  • Road safety concern for Europe highlighted
    March 8, 2022
    A road safety concern for Europe has been highlighted by the ETSC.