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22.
August
2014.
GEM calls on councils to cut back foliage obscuring road signs

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PRESS RELEASE

 

22August 2014

 

GEM calls for big council cut backs... of foliage obscuring road signs

 

BREAKDOWN ANDroad safety organisation GEM Motoring Assist is calling on local authorities to tackle the present menace of road signs obscured by foliage.

Obscured road signs are at best a nuisance for drivers, and at worst can be misleading and dangerous, according to GEM.

GEM chief executive David Williams MBE comments: "Road signs provide vital orders and information for drivers, who choose their speeds and actions based on what the signs tell them. If they can't see the signs, then their ability to make safe decisions is compromised, especially if they're on unfamiliar roads.

"In the name of road safety, we therefore call on local authorities to organise some far-reaching cutbacks of trees, bushes and branches, so that speed limit and other signs are made as clear as possible to everyone using their roads."

GEM encourages drivers to report obscured road signs to the appropriate local authority, and to remember that a limit of 30mph usually applies to all traffic on all roads with street lighting, unless there are signs to say otherwise.

Court decisions

GEM has assembled some examples of prosecutions in which attempts were made to use obscured road signs as a defence:

  • Caspar James was caught in July 2013 driving at 43mph in a 30mph section of the A143 in Suffolk. After being found guilty of speeding at Bury St Edmunds Magistrates' Court in January, Mr James successfully appealed the conviction at Ipswich Crown Court. He used evidence from an arboriculturist to prove the road sign was obscured by foliage, making it unfair to prosecute.

  • In March 2013, Julian Sandiford pleaded not guilty to driving at 36mph in a 30 zone, arguing that warning signs leading up to a speed camera on the A1074 in Norwich were obscured by trees. District Judge Peter Veits agreed that the signs were covered by foliage but he questioned why the driver did not see a 30mph sign on the right-hand side of the city-bound road which was not covered by bushes and trees. Mr Sandiford's appeal was rejected.

  • On 4 July 2005, John Coombes was detected speeding on a road in Somerset. He was convicted and fined £250 with £150 costs. He took his appeal to Bristol Crown Court, where it was rejected. However, two High Court judges threw out his conviction after hearing how his view of the speed limit had been obscured by an overgrown hedge. The judges also ruled that his legal costs (believed to run into tens of thousands of pounds) should be reimbursed from public funds.

  • Anthony Hemmings, 52, from Bromley Heath, Bristol, successfully argued that a £60 fine was unlawful because a 50mph sign had been hidden behind a tree branch.

 

Follow GEM on Twitter @MotoringAssist for the latest industry news.

 

-Ends-

Notes for picture desks

A selection of images, taken by photographer John Eccles during summer 2014, is available for free editorial use. Please contactpress@motoringassist.com.

 

Notes for editors

GEM Motoring Assist provides two levels of recovery service; Recovery EXTRA and Recovery RECLAIM, to suit all needs and pockets. All GEM policies also include free Accident Management, so members are also fully covered in this area. 

GEM provides a unique, comprehensive and competitively-priced Roadside Assistance and Vehicle Recovery Service. GEM has also been voted number one for Breakdown Cover in the 2014, 2013, 2011, 2010 and 2008 Auto Express Driver Power Survey, and runners-up in 2012 and 2009. 

GEM Motoring Assist is a trading name of The Guild of Experienced Motorists, established in 1932, as an independent driver-based road safety association. GEM's aim is to improve safety for all road users through the sponsorship and initiation of accident prevention measures throughout the UK and to provide motoring and safety information to its own members. Member benefits include a quarterly magazine, free literature and advice and discounts on insurances and other services. 

Press information: David Williams MBE, Chief Executive of GEM Motoring Assist, is available for comment on 01342-825676 (office) or 07711450560 (mobile).  David Williams was awarded the MBE in 1998 for services to road safety. Alternatively you can emailpress@motoringassist.comfor any further information.