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by Lib Dem team on 26 January, 2011
We discussed a report into the legal situation around A-boards and signs attached to lamp-posts, railings and traffic lights at Cheadle Area Committee.
There’s a lot to it (you can read the four-page report starting on page 35 of the committee agenda here). The discussion covered all sorts of obstructions to the highway.
On A-boards, the Council has the power to ban them completely, but currently works to a compromise (since shop owners want to attract customers and not all A boards cause a problem). Under a policy inherited from the old Greater Manchester Council , A boards are permitted if they’re hard up against the shop (i.e. not out in the middle of the pavement) and there’s a gap of at least two metres (six feet) from the A board to the kerb.
My other annoyance is the advertising signs attached to street furniture, especially at busy junctions (for obvious reasons, I guess). These are illegal and can simply be removed (as I did on the way home last night with some at the Kingsway junction). Should the Council take legal action, the penalty for putting a single sign on a lamppost or traffic lights is a fine of up to £2500 (whereas the fine for obstructing the highway is up to £1000 – figure that one out).
6 Comments
There are often tiewraps left when notices are removed from posts. A cycling tip pointed out that if one is needed for emergency repairs when on the road, a visit to the nearest junction and one or two can usually be harvested from a post.
THere are far too many A boards in Cheadle Village , they should all be banned, a decent shop on the high street should not need them , what are shop display windows for?
Actually in a conservation area, I suspect that A boards are actually illegal, but maybe Iain knows the correct stance on that one?
PS Iain, your captcha checks are becoming more like an eye sight test!!
The Council could choose to make A-boards illegal, but currently they aren’t. There is a balance to be achieved between the reasonable desire of shops, pubs etc. to promote themselves and the need to have safe and clear pavements.
I notice that most people who have A boards in Gatley are not currently following the rules (and may well not be aware of them) so Pam and I will be looking at sorting that out.
Alan – sorry about the Captchas – not something I’ve any direct say over, but I’ll mention it to the technical people.
Most of the shops in Cheadle high street are also not following the rules.
The siting of A-boards is now getting out of hand in Cheadle. At busy times I often fold them and prop them up against the shop front. The situation is particularly bad where the pavement is narrow near St. Mary’s Church. The A-boards here can block almost half the footpath. There is a lack of consideration here by shop owners, and as usual the absence of common sense and good manners means that the law will have to step in to resolve the issue.