National Roads Authority Signage Statement
- The purpose of signing on the road network is to promote safety and efficiency by providing for the orderly movement of traffic. Roadside signage is used to provide information on regulations, warnings and directional guidance to the road user. It should not contain any form of advertising or messages that do not relate to traffic management and control.
- The Policy on the Provision of Tourist and Leisure Signage on National Roads (available on the website www.nra.ie) sets out NRA policy in this regard. As indicated in the document, signage on motorways (and other national roads) is tightly regulated. Outside of the 50/60 kph speed limits in urban areas, signage (other than normal Directional signage) on national roads is restricted to major tourist and leisure facilities that attract substantial numbers of visitors.
- Priority is given to catering for road related information needs of road users in erecting signage and the specific requirements of the Department of Transport’s Traffic Signs Manual are followed. The Policy does not cater for signage that is intended to advertise services or facilities. Further information on the legislative position on signage on roads can be found in Part 5 of the NRA Policy document.
- The general position in relation to signage on roads is addressed in the Draft Department of Environment, Heritage & Local Government’s Guidelines on Spatial Planning and National Roads, published June 2010. As indicated therein, the erection of advertising signage is tightly regulated for road safety and environmental reasons. The Guidelines acknowledge that a “proliferation of roadside signage, especially outside the 50 kph speed limit areas, can reduce the effectiveness of essential signage such as direction and other road traffic signs, create visual clutter and reduce visibility at junctions / interchanges and bends. Advertising signs placed in locations where they compete with or mimic road traffic signs or traffic signals or are reflective can confuse drivers and are not to be permitted.
Example of a cluttered road sign