MGP had complained last year that the cement concrete road signs which had been installed all over Mysore had faded or had been defaced. Also, they are a hindrance to pedestrians. MGP had suggested that painted metal plate signs positioned several feet above the ground are a better option. We are happy to note that Mysore City Corporation is installing such metal street sign boards. Presumably the concrete boards will be removed.
But there are several problems with the new boards:
1. Too much information is on the boards. The boards carry the legend MCC, the name of the locality, ward number and in some cases, the name of the corporator as well. This is too much information to pack on a road sign. Further, some of the words are left to right and some of them top to bottom, making quick reading of the signs difficult. We believe that the names of the street written left to right are enough. Since Mysore is being promoted as a tourist attraction, it would be better if the names of the streets are also in English for the benefit of the tourists.
2. The boards should be standardized. For example, in the USA, the street signs are made of aluminium, are at least 6 inches in height and the letters are at least 4 inches in height (MUTCD Code for traffic signs). The paint should be fade-resistant so that the boards are long-lasting.
3. As far as possible, separate poles should not be put up to display the road signs. Such poles are an additional impediment to pedestrians. The signs should be mounted at a height of at least 7 feet on a street light pole at a traffic intersection. This will not only minimize obstruction to pedestrians, it will also help readability at night because of the street light.
4. It will be beneficial to the public if door numbers can be indicated. One way to do it would be to display the door number immediately next to the sign and indicate if the numbers increase as one moves away from the sign in the direction it is pointing. To make this suggestion truly useful, a scientific system for house numbers must be implemented.
R Chandra Prakash, MGP