Bi-lingual Signs Confusion

By Tracy Kilsby

17th March 2005

"This is a gimmick and a danger on the road," said Councillor Ron Lyon, who claimed the new signs could cause confusion. He added that tourists to the Scottish region would be especially vulnerable, as the roads will be unfamiliar.

Across the UK, Wales leads the way with bi-lingual signs on most routes. London has street names in Chinese and Punjabi in some ethnic community areas, while signs around the dual-language Cornwall towns of Seaton and Camborne are in English and Cornish.

Dr Alison Smiley, an expert on the subject from the University of Toronto, thinks bi-lingual signs should be avoided unless there is a compelling reason for them. "Drivers in moderate traffic will spend only 2.5 seconds reading a sign to follow a route they don't know," she said. "But in heavy traffic, that time is reduced to as little as one second."

It means that with less time to read, but more words to see, there's a risk the driver will pass the sign before they know whether to turn or not, and panic. However, a report by Leeds University's Institute of Transport Studies suggests that while bi-lingual signs take longer to read, they aren't dangerous.

The university's Dr Samantha Jamson said: "Research for the Welsh Assembly found they distracted motorists a little longer than conventional road signs, but not enough to cause concern."

Road safety charity Brake is cautious, though. "We would question the wisdom of putting up signs in two languages, which might take longer to read," said a spokeswoman. "Even a second at speed can mean the difference between life and death. If there's a chance that this might lead to crashes, then the signs shouldn't be put up."