28 Aug 2007

Council highways chiefs plagued by traffic chaos caused by faulty sat-nav directions have put up signs warning lorry drivers to ignore the technology.

Vale of Glamorgan Council in South Wales is the first in the UK to use visual signs telling lorry drivers not to believe sat-nav advice.

The move has been sparked by a rise in sat-nav gridlock caused by foreign lorry drivers with little understanding of English.

Their juggernauts have been reducing once peaceful areas to bedlam by getting stuck in tiny country lanes.

Now a new series of signs aimed largely at foreign drivers have been put up on the outskirts of the village of St Hilary.

"The proliferation of satellite navigation aids used in heavy goods vehicles, and their over-reliance, especially by overseas drivers, has presented itself as a problem within the Vale of Glamorgan," a spokesman for the council's highways department said.

"A number of these drivers are using routes that are clearly signed as unsuitable for heavy goods vehicles.

"They are continuing with their journey only to find, after travelling some distance, they cannot proceed any further.

"Manoeuvring becomes difficult and the vehicle eventually blocks the road for a significant period of time."

In a bid to overcome the problem, county engineer Mark Simpson designed a pictorial sign aimed at foreign lorry drivers.

The sign was later approved by the Welsh Assembly and has now been put up outside the village for a trial period.

"The signs have been erected on the A48 at the junction to St Hilary and will remain in place for a period of 12 months," the council spokesman added.

"There have been numerous situations where HGVs have become lost and stuck in the village of St Hilary, even though there are signs at the junction of the A48 informing such drivers that the route is unsuitable.

"If the signs prove successful following the trial period, then they will be used at other locations throughout Wales."

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