'Misleading' Staffordshire welcome signs given a makeover
ROAD signs welcoming drivers to Staffordshire are set to be changed – after residents complained they were too confusing.
The signs were installed at a cost of more than £7,000 by Staffordshire County Council in an attempt to clearly define areas maintained by different councils and "instil a sense of place for the county."
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COMPLAINTS: One of the county council signs in Basford.
Featuring the Staffordshire knot, they were put up in June at boundary points in Stockton Brook, Werrington and Basford.
But many residents complained the signs were misleading because it could seem to people, who don't know the area, that Stoke-on-Trent is not in Staffordshire.
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County councillor Christina Jebb from Endon, went as far as to say the signs "take everything away from the Potteries and the heritage of Stoke-on-Trent."
Now the council has agreed to change the signs to read "Staffordshire County Council" in an attempt to avoid further confusion.
But Penkhull resident Greg Stephens believes the alterations would only be a "further waste of money."
He said: "The only way the county council could save money is by taking all of the signs down.
"At the end of the day the hospital, the courts and the university, which are based in Stoke-on-Trent, all say they are in Staffordshire so what difference do the signs make anyway?
"It is just a waste of thousands and thousands of pounds."
The authority's community infrastructure manager Mary Anne Raffery said the plan to change the signs followed complaints to the county council.
She said: "It is the intention to erect the new 'Welcome to Staffordshire' signs on all major routes into the county on a phased basis.
"This is part of the wider county council drive for prosperity, with the aim to promote pride in the county for residents, visitors and investors.
"With regards to the signs on the boundary of Stoke-on-Trent, we intend to add the wording 'County Council' to the sign assembly, to remove any ambiguity."
It is not yet known when the work to alter the signs will be carried out.
Comments
by camband
Monday, October 01 2012, 11:24PM
“Perhaps a statement from the Lord's Prayor of Stoke-on-Trent is forthcoming.... as to where we are?
Or would John de Van Stone have any idea? Or even 'Our Leader Mohammed' -Pervez.... I wonder if he knows?”
by sloblocks
Monday, October 01 2012, 10:32PM
“nickstoke
That's like saying that Canberra Is not in Australia - of course Stoke-on-Trent is in Staffordshire. A unitary authority is not a county.”
by nickstoke2011
Monday, October 01 2012, 5:30PM
“Stoke on Trent isn't in Staffordshire, it's a unitary authority (it's own county).
So the signs are quite justified...
If you go to Lancashire you will see a similar thing when going from Blackpool to St. Ann's”
by Robnoxious
Monday, October 01 2012, 4:50PM
“I can't see the problem. M6 Stoke exit road, travelling north down the D-Road, otherwise known as the Drug-Road, past Stoke, Etruria and Porthill . Anything to the left, Newcastle-under-Line, or addiction. Everything to the right Coke-on-Spent. Or if you are of backward mentality. Spent-on-Coke.”
by camband
Monday, October 01 2012, 1:47PM
“by RegenMan1
"It's raining so I've got nothing better to do, but...
The Stoke / Newcastle border goes up the centreline of the OLD route of Etruria Road i.e. in front of the houses pictured on the left and not up the centreline of the current road". unquote.
Well, even that, which is correct, has in fact had a 'part-alteration -re the rest of the said road.
Apparently, at some time in recent years, that 'centreline boundary', which continued up to a point on the A53 just by the Entrance to the Polite Vicar Pub, was moved to the kerb-stone/gutter on the Stoke side of the road (the southern section), but only to its junction with Victoria St. From that point, it moves back into the centreline for the final few hundred yards to the Polite Vicar.
All rather confusing -but that's how it is -according to reliable sources in the City Council Boundaries Dept.
So to be clear, as a motorist, when you leave the A500 MFI roundabout travelling west towards Newcastle, you enter Newcastle immediately, and remain in that Borough until reaching the junction with Victoria St. You then re-enter Stoke-on-Trent -but only for about 300 yards 'til you get to the Entrance to the Polite Vicar.
However, as a pedestrian, depending which pavement you take from the said roundabout -you could be in Stoke-on-Trent all the way to the Polite Vicar -if you stay on the left-hand side of the road of course.
Clear as mud? Thought so.”
by camband
Sunday, September 30 2012, 11:50AM
“That's right. Know your place... 'Stoke Chav' or 'Castle Toff'.
'Which side of the fence are you from?' -is the question being asked. 'We should all be striving to be 'County Set' -is the message.... -as the proud 'County Fifth Columnist' Van de Larschott -based in Stone, and 'working within' -as a 'plant' -supports..... clandestinely you hear.
But then, what do the 'castle blacks' make of it all? They have yet to be consulted over this... after all, many of them are 'honorary' Stokies -Behind the Boothen End. It's all too confusing.
The hierarchy eh! What Berks.”
by focusboy
Saturday, September 29 2012, 12:57PM
“Could someone from the council please remind me why these signs were even necessary?
Oh yes, I remember, they are necessary to "install a sense of place".
You couldn't make it up, could you? What planet are these people from?”
by camband
Friday, September 28 2012, 9:34PM
“Now then. It seems that the 'goal-posts' have been moved again...
Nobody's really sure what's going on; but the man who should be able to tell us gets back off holiday next week.
But what I have discovered re this 'boundary confusion' -(exactly where the boundary runs) -It appears that things have changed slightly.
Until I get to speak to the man sometime next week, this seems to be how things stand at present. The boundary no longer runs down the middle of the A53 from 50 yards above the MFI roundabout to the Polite Vicar.
Apparently, and our man will confirm one way or the other next week, it now runs along the kerb ('gutter' if you prefer) -meaning that all of the A53 is in fact -in Newcastle/Staffordshire... from the roundabout to the Polite Vicar.
What actually happened when the A53 was 're-routed' -slightly to the north of its previous historic path, straightened and elevated to go over the newly constructed A500, making it not quite so steep, the boundary line, which did follow the middle of the old road -remained as such.
In other words -the boundary line is still as it always was -the difference being, that the 'road has moved', leaving the boundary line as it was. Anyone familiar with that area of Basford Bank/Etruria -will know the pub -The Holy Inadequate' -is right on the 'old A53' in the bottom of the dip.
NB the 'Holy Inadequate was previously the Rendezvous; and before that (its original name) 'the Railway'.... or was it 'The Station'? One or the other anyway. The march of time.”
by fiat128
Thursday, September 27 2012, 10:38PM
“It's not the road signs that are confusing, afterall I suppose that we can all read & write. What is confusing is why we should pay some idiot, out of our taxes, to put up these ridiculous signs. Is this someone trying to justify why he or she is actually employed by the local autority?”
by camband
Thursday, September 27 2012, 9:58PM
“'Confusion' is the operative word here.
In the photograph, the houses are in Stoke-on-Trent, the lead car is in Stoke-on-Trent -while the trees and rear car -and of course the 'sign' itself -are in Newcastle, Staffordshire. That's if 'RegenMan1' is correct with his 'archived evidence'.
I've been busy on other matters for the past couple of days -time restricted, but I do intend checking this most feasible of points -made by the above in his post below.
Fascinating Photo.... and 'Sign'. How our administrators occupy their minds.....”