Introduction
1.1 Warwickshire County Council’s Tourism signing procedure reflects the requirements of The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 (TSRGD) [1] that distinguish Tourist Destinations and Leisure Facilities.
‘Tourist Destination’ is defined in TSRGD [1] and means:
(a) a Tourist Information Centre or Point;
(b) a permanently established attraction or facility (other than a leisure facility) which:
- (i) attracts or is used by visitors to an area;
- (ii) is open to the public without prior booking during its normal opening hours;
and - (iii) is recognised as a tourist attraction or facility by the appropriate national promoter of tourism;
(c) a village, town or city that is of particular interest to tourists; or
(d) a route that is of particular interest to tourists.
‘Leisure Facility’ is defined in TSRGD and means:
(a) the facilities listed as ‘(Leisure facility)’ in Parts 14, 15, 16 and 18 of Schedule 12 of TSRGD; and
(b) a tourist hostel.
1.2 The purpose of tourist and leisure signs is to guide visitors to their intended Tourist Destination or Leisure Facility along the most appropriate route during the latter stage of their journey. This is predominately for traffic management reasons e.g. where safety or capacity considerations mean that the highway authority wishes to direct traffic along particular routes in order to minimise any negative effects on the network and/or on nearby residents, or where satellite navigation systems and/or online mapping suggest inappropriate routes.
There is a need to ensure that only facilities that are genuinely used by tourists are signed. Excessive signing is detrimental to the environment. A balance must be struck between the needs of individual tourism businesses, the environment and road safety.
As there is only a limited quantity of information that can be safely read by road users, priority for tourist and leisure signing on the local authorities road network is given to Tourist Destinations and Leisure Facilities with the greatest traffic management and/or safety needs.
Applications for the provision or alteration of tourist and leisure signs on the motorway and all-purpose trunk road network may be made at any time by the owners, operators or agents of tourist or leisure businesses. All new applications and any resulting works to design, install or alter tourist or leisure signs on motorways and all-purpose trunks roads shall be funded by the applicants pursuant to section 278 of the Highways Act 1980 (as amended) [14] subject to paragraph 7.3.
We will not modify existing signs by adding the name of an attraction and in all cases a completely new sign will be provided incorporating the attraction name. The cost to the attraction operator will be based on the size of the new sign.