Botched ‘upside-down’ sign causing mass confusion for drivers
A new road sign has been causing mayhem for drivers in a Conwy[1] town. Apparently installed “upside down”, it’s left motorists baffled over who has right of way at a new traffic priority chicane.
The botched sign was installed on School Bank Road, Llanwrst, following a priivate development scheme. The road is often used by locals as an alternative route through Llanrwst[2] when heavy A470[3] traffic clogs up the town centre.
Give way road markings were painted at the other end of the chicane. As soon as the sign was erected, motorists started coming to grief.
“I wondered why the person the other end wasn’t coming through and flashed me when I flashed her,” said a man on a local Facebook[5] page. “Apologies if it was you.”
A woman later confessed she thought she was “seeing things” when spotting the sign. Another resident said: “I actually stopped in confusion when I drove past it yesterday!”
Congestion in the heart of Llanrwst is why some locals use School Bank Road as a cut-through (Image: Janet Finch-Saunders)
More chaos ensued when a man gave way to a woman driver at the chicane – she couldn’t understand why she was being given priority. “I mean, you couldn’t make it up,” he sighed.
Other locals have suffered the same fate, prompting complaints from residents and councillors. “Bunch of clowns,” said one woman. “Complete waste of taxpayers’ money, which would have been better spent repairing the potholes in the town.”
Taking up the cause was deputy Llanrwst Mayor Mostyn Jones, who labelled the situation as “ridiculous” and “unbelievable”. After contacting Conwy Council[6], to ask for a new sign, he called for the chicane’s removal. “A zebra crossing would be better as it allows traffic to move in both directions,” he said.
Potholes like craters near you? Do councils need to get a grip? Have your say in the comments below.[7]
Conwy Council[8] told North Wales Live[9] the sign will be replaced – but that it wasn’t responsible for the mix-up. A spokesperson said: “The sign is part of a new road layout for a new development.
“This work was carried out by the developer as part of a planning agreement, where the Council would then inspect the work after it is finished. We are aware of the issue with the sign and we’re making arrangements with the developer to correct this as soon as possible.”
A town centre lorry jam on the A470 last week again threw a spotlight on the town’s traffic issues. It prompted Aberconwy MS Janet Finch-Saunders to call for a study into possible solutions – you can read about these here[12].[10][11]
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References
- ^ Conwy (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Llanrwst (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ A470 (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ 250 passengers evacuated as firefighters board luxury train on North Wales tour (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Facebook (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Conwy Council (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Potholes like craters near you? Do councils need to get a grip? Have your say in the comments below. (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Conwy Council (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ North Wales Live (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ the A470 (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Janet Finch-Saunders (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ you can read about these here (www.dailypost.co.uk)
- ^ Sign up to our newsletter (www.dailypost.co.uk)