This week’s calls from ministers to reduce unnecessary street signs, railings and advertising hoardings, the latest in a wealth of cost-saving announcements, reveal a potentially short-sighted approach to the management of our public spaces.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles and Transport Secretary Phillip Hammond have urged council leaders to ‘cut the clutter’ on streets and remove 'scruffy signs and bossy bollards'. The character of our spaces is being damaged and taxpayers' money wasted, they argue, in many cases unnecessarily, as signage is often installed in the mistaken belief that it is legally required.
However, such a heavy focus on the aesthetics of road signs, bollards and railings brings the risk of overlooking the potentially serious implications of removing them.
While times are tight and some people might feel the money involved in installing or maintaining signage might be better spent elsewhere, the same could be said for the costs associated with their removal. Clearing street furniture might, in some cases, be a massive undertaking and even a small reduction in the number of bollards and advertising hoardings that populate our streets would have cost implications for local authorities.
Yet perhaps of more concern to councils is the potential likelihood of increased litigation – which can be costly to councils in more than just financial terms. It seems one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. As Richard Kemp of the Local Government Association has rightly pointed out, signs that are considered superfluous by some are vital to others, whether on information or safety grounds. Removing signage might create tidy spaces but could also increase the risk of all kinds of accidents or public confusion.
True, the government’s calls for councils to involve local communities in the decision-making process might well help to reduce costs. Yet before decisions are made at local level, all the possible risk implications need to be closely considered or local authorities risk generating further costs, or harming their reputation further down the road.
In the rush to cut costs and under the guise of maintaining the character and beauty of our public spaces, we need to avoid creating potential new costs and problems for the future. Ultimately, it seems a more complex issue that might increase the chances of accidents, litigation and reputational damage, simply in the name of 'greater clarity'.
Andrew Jepp is head of local government at Zurich Municipal
