It’s my birthday on Saturday and I’m off work tomorrow so, as tradition dictates, I popped to a nearby Chavda to buy some cakes and biscuits.
As I was driving back through some roadworks I noticed the roadsigns were all written in bloody Welsh with English translations underneath. Welsh. In Telford, which is about 40 miles as the crow flies from the nearest point of the Welsh border.
I phoned the council and they said that as long as it’d got English on there and it was legible it’s fine. I pointed out that if you’re reading a road sign and the first line is foreign it means you’ve got to scan the sign for the English which takes longer and hence makes the signs less safe. The disinterest went off the disinterest-o-meter.
If I’m down that way again before they finish I’ll find out who it is and ring them up and explain the different between Shropshire and Wales.
Technorati Tags: Welsh Language, England, Telford, Shropshire, Roadworks
Seems positively dangerous, Wonko – there are tourists and newcomers here who are not even that familiar with English and the signs could be very confusing. And how many people in England speak and read Welsh? What the hell’s going on?
It wasn’t the Donnington Chavda was it jockey?
I wonder if this is preparing the good people of Shropshire, England to find that their county has been gifted to Wales, as was Monmouthshire.
Perhaps the Welsh on these roadsigns should be painted out, by persons unknown on some dark nights.
Yep, it’s the Chavda in Donnington. You go psat that on the way to work don’t you Ginge? See if you can nab a picture or at least find out who the company is.
Colin, if there’s a law against it then painting it out would be legal. I’m not sure there is though.
Jeeeeeeeeeeeeez, dont be gay, the road works company won the contract to fix the road but are too cheap to buy the proper equipment, that is so wrong and not only are they hiding behind the law, you are letting them do it.
One of our coulcils has gone native and has all their signs in mumbo jumbo, so road works signs have to be in mumbo jumboese too but if you try to use one of them off district, you gets fined
Paint them out and send the pics to the BBC or the Daily mail
Don’t recall seeing anything major there, but I’ll have a look later on and let you know.
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You could make a TV show and call it ‘How aye Arrivideci!’
actually, is it the council who deals with such things?
I would phone the company that is digging up the road and ask them, ‘Are you sure your foreign Road signs are legally permissable in england and do you have a legal opinion that backs this up?’
The council are a bunch of cock smokers who dont know dick but because it is not their problem they dont care either
I think the welsh should just accept the fact that britain is an english speaking country and since they’re part of,it the roadsigns have to be in english.
I mean 3 per cent of belgium is german speaking but I still don’t expect them to put up french/flemish/german roadsigns.
If you do that,you might as well put up english signs through out brussels and turkish ones in berlin.
And yes welsh is part of their heritage but other people have their heritage too so I don’t think it’s right to force yours upon them.
Jerry, I agree with what you say but one important note – Britain isn’t just English speaking, Welsh has equal status with English in Wales. Gaelic might do in Scotland as well.