Candidates asked to be mindful of traffic hazard posters may create

MAYO County Council's road safety office has issued an appeal to those contesting the upcoming election, when erecting election posters and the placement of mobile advertisement boards, to consider if the signs will cause an obstruction or danger.

Candidates have been urged not to hang banners and posters from road overbridges and pedestrian bridges as they could become loose, be interfered with by third parties, and could fall onto fast-moving traffic.

Driver distraction has a negative impact on road safety and so only essential signage should appear.

There is a safety issue connected to the erection and removal of posters, particularly those which are inappropriately sited, and also for personnel erecting the posters to wear hi-viz clothing

A build-up of election material can often have a negative visual impact on the general amenity of roads with possible safety implications for drivers and pedestrians. Traffic and road signs are specifically designed to be clearly read by passing road users, and those erecting posters near junctions should ensure they are not blocking road users’ sightlines.

Election candidates tend to place their posters in areas which are crucial to road users such as on roundabouts, statutory road signs, directional signs, traffic light poles, STOP or Yield signs or other crucial areas.

However, road safety officer Noel Gibbons believes this can be a problem for road users if not erected with road safety in mind.

“We can appreciate that candidates need to get their posters out there and in the best possible areas, but by placing them in these areas, this can lead to problems for road users, such as vision impairment, obstruction or distraction, which could lead to a collision.

“In the interest of road safety I am appealing to candidates to be conscious of where posters are placed and please ensure that they are not placed in hazardous areas.”

He added: “We have received complaints in the past that election posters have obscured road traffic signs. If people cannot see these signs then that is compromising road safety.”

“Nothing should distract the attention of drivers or interfere with their line of sight. This is potentially very dangerous.”