MT 95/605

Traffic sign design: signs for all-purpose trunk roads built to motorway standards

Date range	1959-1964
Location	National Archives (see all files stored here)
Catalogue	See entry
File base	Series MT, subseries MT 95

Context

Thanks to the Anderson report in 1959, standards had been established for signage on motorways and the new high speed roads being built across Britain had a system of direction signs fit for purpose. However, the Ministry of Transport's haphazard policy towards standard of road meant that roads were in planning that were fast, rural, grade-separated dual carriageways not under motorway restrictions, and these would have to use standard black-on-white direction signs to pre-war standards unless an alternative could be found.

This file documents the design process of a set of temporary standards for use on these roads - principally the A1 Stamford Bypass, which was the first to open. This piece of make-do-and-mend design work took Anderson motorway signs, turned them green, and expanded their range a little to permit signage for side-turnings and crossroads. They were only ever meant to be used as an interim measure until the Worboys Committee reported and the new signage system was introduced in 1964.

Most of this file is made up of the correspondence and discussion surrounding the design work, with the only eye candy being plans of two mileage confirmation signs.

Diagrams of the actual signs are available in a separate file, MT 95/606.

Contents of note

• Design work discussed in detail on a peculiar and obscure set of signage standards.
• Design notes, describing the new standard in detail.

Related files

MT 95/201 Advance direction signs: experimental signs on A.40; Oxfordshire CC (1957-1966)

MT 95/606 Traffic sign design: drawings (1959-1964)

MT 95/689 Traffic Signs Review Committee (Worboy Committee): experimental signing; Great North Road (1962-1963)

People with camera copies

Chris Marshall has a partial copy, including the three-page design notes document and both diagrams.