Eric Pickles, the British Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government appointed by recently elected Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, is urging England’s local governments to eliminate road "unnecessary" road signs. According to a BBC report, he said, "Our streets are losing their English character. We are being overrun by scruffy signs, bossy billboards … wasting taxpayers’ money that could be better spent on fixing potholes or keeping council tax down. We need to cut the clutter." Richard Kemp, vice chairman of Britain’s Local Government Association, countered, "One man’s clutter is very much another man’s simple signing."
Pickles’ agenda is certainly proof positive that government intrusion with signage isn’t endemic to the U.S. It’s certainly possible there are confusing and redundant road signs that could be culled, but he appears to believe that signage in general is bad for the nation’s "character," never mind the many economic benefits signage provides for businesses, many of whom can’t afford to invest in other advertising mediums. One can only imagine what he thinks about electronic digital signage.
To see the BBC story, go to www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11092590