§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent survey his Department has undertaken on the standards, upkeep and adequacy of road signs in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [155964]
§ Mr. HillMy Department is not responsible for roads other than those in England. We have not surveyed English roads for which the Secretary of State is not the highway authority, as these are the responsibility of local government. The Highways Agency carries out regular inspections of the condition of traffic signs on trunk roads and trunk road motorways, in accordance with the departmental standard for sign maintenance, which has recently been updated. The new standard is based more on the actual visual performance and effectiveness of the signs than the previous version, and is less reliant on subjective judgments.