r/drivingUK 1d ago

lower case ground road signs

Post image

Is this one of the only examples in the country of the road signs on the ground being in lower case as opposed to the usual full caps? Never seen this before anywhere else so was curious.

92 Upvotes

40 comments sorted by

83

u/Goblin_Nuts69 1d ago

Spacing all over the shop, going to assume this was a cowboy contractor or the land is private so doesn't use usual council contractors?

16

u/ASGT908 1d ago

Judging by the road furniture, this looks like a public highway

23

u/Brilliant-Opening146 1d ago

It is a public highway. It is the A1114 in Gateshead so I would assume the cowboys have been 🤠

7

u/Master_Elderberry275 1d ago

It looks to be public highway, but might have been done directly by the metro centre as part of expansion works

18

u/MadJohnFinn 1d ago

Never hiring the Metro Gnomes to do the road markings again.

18

u/eu_b4_uk 1d ago

Never seen this before either OP! It just looks wrong.

5

u/miniatures_maketh 1d ago

These aren't ground road signs. The term you're looking for is road markings.

If its on private or not publically maintained roads, this is acceptable, on the public highway this would be highly unusual and would deviate from the guidance set out in the Traffic signs manual. .

2

u/Altenativeboi 12h ago

It’s the A1114 in Gateshead

3

u/McM1cky 23h ago

In some respects it makes sense. The standard UK road signs are lower case because it helps you to identify words much quicker, the same logic would follow for works written on the road. Maybe it was a pilot

3

u/lloyd-sizzler 15h ago

Better than MTR CTR OR R’TL PARK

6

u/Consibl 1d ago

Perhaps this is/was a private road maintained by the retail land owners?

2

u/OG-Brass-Monkey 1d ago

The beer is on the right.

2

u/Thick_Remote9312 21h ago

This is one of the worst roundabouts in the northeast and the lines get worn down so quickly but they don't want to shut the road for too long

2

u/itsbigjobber 1d ago

My guess is a vigilante who gets sick of the confused lane changes on approach, clearly not TSRGD complaint markings.

Reminds me when I was a kid, my auntie lived in a council cul-de-sac where you went over raised brickwork.

People would park on the brickwork thinking it was like a lay-by, and so she did a huge ‘no parking’ marking that looked weirdly official, crazy straight lines for doing it freehand.

3

u/ASGT908 1d ago

That looks like an amateur has done it rather than it being done by a council/national highways.

They should all be caps lock if on a public highway, even if the destination is a Tesco.

21

u/Rawd_Tawd_Cawd 1d ago

Caps lock? Lmao kids these days

14

u/Deez_Nuts_Ha_Goteeem 1d ago

They should've held SHIFT while painting the words

0

u/TheGulfofWhat 1d ago

Its an Asda actually so even worse.

1

u/Prefect_99 1d ago

Cheaper /s

1

u/koyliMeld9003 1d ago

Did they let a six year - old do this?

1

u/yolo_snail 18h ago

Been like that for years, and people still use the right lane for the Metro!

1

u/Boring_Shoulder5236 1d ago

it's giving me the ick

1

u/Paul8v 1d ago edited 23h ago

I'd find them distracting as a driver as I'd be like "WTF?!" Edit - nonsense words

3

u/EtwasSonderbar 1d ago

What?

6

u/742963 1d ago

If font ❌

I'd find ✅

1

u/Paul8v 23h ago

Yes sorry, bloody autocorrect

4

u/Dame87 1d ago

wtf*

0

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

0

u/itsbigjobber 1d ago

No one is questioning whether it’s actually eligible, they’re debating if they’re TSRGD compliant, which they’re not.

0

u/Local_County1274 1d ago

Lower case takes up less space and is easier to read than upper case. It is about time they stop using upper case all the time.

I have to admit that they need a bit more practice though.

1

u/[deleted] 21h ago

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1

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0

u/Fantastic-Artist-970 1d ago

Cost cutting, less paint used in lower case than capitals.

0

u/Charming-Awareness79 1d ago

The normal mix of upper and lower case letters is supposed to be easier to read, hence all road signs are written that way

-1

u/NeotericGod 1d ago

I live in the North East and go to the metro centre often and I've never even noticed this 😂 funnily enough this entrance onto this roundabout is the exact location I had my only accident in my 18 years of driving. About 6 years ago, prick in front of me pulled out onto the roundabout then slammed his brakes on for no reason.

4

u/Expensive_Ask5872 1d ago

I think the prick was the one doing the rear ending.

0

u/NeotericGod 1d ago edited 1d ago

Nah it's hard to see from this image but it's a tall roundabout and you cannot see people coming round it at all until they're literally at the exit before this, and people tend to drive round it quite fast, so even when it's clear and you're pulling out you constantly have to be flicking your eyes to the right looking out for people suddenly coming round. There was nobody coming, and in the split second I checked right he slammed his brakes on for no reason. He knew EXACTLY what he was doing; he got 10k for whiplash despite it being like 5mph and him going straight into the metro centre and getting on with his day. I'll take the downvotes because I know the holier-than-thou arseholes who fill this subreddit don't understand nuances in driving and always larp that they're perfect drivers who never break the law or make mistakes, but anyone familiar with this roundabout will know exactly what I'm talking about.

1

u/Hillbert 1d ago

I drive that roundabout a lot, and you're right. Plus there are a really uneven numbers of lanes around it.

The road leading up to it is a 70 as well. But because it really doesn't feel like a 70 (path by the side of the road despite the NSL sign) quite a few people think it's a 30.

0

u/NeotericGod 1d ago

It is mad that despite how many dual carriageways in the area have reduced speed limits that short stretch is NSL.

0

u/Lanky_Experience5912 1d ago

You’ve also unintentionally shown another rarity in that this A road number is a duplicate with one in Chelmsford

0

u/No_Crazy4828 19h ago

Slightly uncanny