Mayo County Council's road safety officer has issued an appeal to those contesting the upcoming election when erecting election posters. Noel Gibbons said this week: "With high winds forecast over the next few days we have urged candidates not to hang banners and posters from road bridges 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 etc. particularly those which are inappropriately sited, also for personnel erecting the posters to wear Hi Viz." He continued: "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,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, 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, so 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."
