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

  • EU cross-border traffic enforcement
    July 18, 2014
    Road safety campaigners and European traffic police are putting pressure on the EU to speed up the introduction of cross-border enforcement of traffic offences. The modified rules have been published by the European Commission and come in response to a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling earlier this year saying that the existing law, which came into force in November last year, had been adopted on an incorrect legal basis. The ECJ has said the current rules could remain in effect until May 2015 while ne
  • Variations in European road safety improvements
    February 24, 2012
    Better transport safety is in the best interests of everyone. Accidents, injuries and fatalities take a heavy economic and personal toll.
  • Efficient asset management to trim maintenance budgets
    January 22, 2014
    Transport infrastructure is taken for granted in many, if not most, developed countries. This has resulted in a shortage of investment in maintenance, posing potential long term cost issues. In many developing nations transport networks are expanding fast, but insufficient thought is also being given to how these will be maintained.
  • Pan-European enforcement of driving laws due
    August 27, 2013
    Agreements are being reached that will see Pan-European enforcement of driving regulations. Drivers will now face being penalised for any offences committed in other European countries. The change is due on 7th November 2013. After this date EU Member States will commence the cross border exchange of data relating to road traffic offences. For this scheme to work, eight offences have been listed in the data exchange programme. These are; speeding, not using a seatbelt, red light running, drink driving, driv