Officials given week to change signs

Dublin's controversial new signposts are to be redesigned

Dublin's controversial new signposts are to be redesigned. The City Council was forced into an embarrassing climbdown by the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan.

Council officials have now been given a week to address the concerns raised by Mr Brennan and others over the complexity and legality of the signs.

They have also agreed not to erect any more until these issues have been ironed out. The council says it has spent over €200,000 on the project, although only 10 per cent of the signposts have so far been erected.

Following a two-hour meeting yesterday, both sides agreed that council officials should consult more with the Department before any further traffic initiatives.

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Department officials had complained they were not consulted in advance about the signs, introduced as part of a new management plan which aims to reduce traffic through the city centre.

Mr Brennan welcomed the outcome of yesterday's meeting, saying: "My understanding is that the signs will now be redesigned, in particular to make them less confusing."

A number of legal issues have also to be addressed, such as the use on the signs of the colours black and yellow, which are normally reserved for danger signs, and the fact that the signs for "An Lár" are not bilingual.

Both the council and the Department said they were anxious to resolve their differences "as quickly as possible, with a view to full support being given to the traffic management plan".

Council officials say the traffic management plan has been a success, with a 50 per cent reduction in traffic in O'Connell Street in the mornings.

Paul Cullen

Paul Cullen

Paul Cullen is a former heath editor of The Irish Times.