Welsh Road Signs (1 Viewer)

[gus-lopez]

The thing is they are not there to confuse innocent travellers they are there because it's Wales and when you travel into other countries I know it's inconvienent but France / Germany/ Spain don't change there road signs to English and I believe we pay Taxes to the EU as well.

No they are in German, French ,Spanish .So they should be in Welsh only.

P.S. You cannot really include Spain as we double up in Cataluña, Valencia & the Basque region with multiple signage, & it is a shining example of how not to run a
" country". It isn't one country ,except in name only. It is 17 autonomous provinces. All with complete sets of elected government. Then more with complete local councils; all with there fingers in the pie & in 99,9% of cases a self importance that defies belief. More devolution just creates more self importance & huge wastage & viewing from the outside the UK has been moving towards it for many years.
If they have any sense it would be sensible to stop the momentum before it ends up like this place; for which basically there is no hope.Certainly not down in the southern part.

 

[Jim]

While the majority in Wales speak English, Wales is officially a bi-lingual country. All bi-lingual countries have a duty to have road signs in both languages. (Fact; where I live there are plenty who don't speak English at all) Then I have Friends who speak Welsh first but given the choice of reading in Welsh or English would choose English every time. They too sometimes wonder if all the bi-lingual stuff is a waste of time and money.

I'm English, I think keeping the language alive is a waste of time and money even though my kids speak Welsh fluently and enjoy it. However if I were a Welsh Welsh speaker, I'm sure I'd be a proper language nazi, fighting to keep it alive and used; so I don't resent those who do the same. It's theirs and they are proud of it. We should appreciate that and if it costs a few quid so what, there are plenty of other cuts I'd make before I got to bilingual signs.

As for the signs being dangerous, with all the distractions on the road today, if a sign in a foreign language distracts you enough to be dangerous then maybe it's time to hand the license in And unless you speak French, please don't cross the channel.

 

[Mousy]

I'm English and have lived in Wales for 12 years, my Grandmother is welsh.

I don't notice the signs now and am not bothered by them but when we first arrived I thought there was a massive hotel chain called Gwesty as I could see loads of signs for Gwesty Hotel, I kept trying to meet friends at the hotel Gwesty.

(Gwesty is the welsh word for hotel)

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[Roryboys Dad]

Man with forked tongue speaks ........

 

[Roryboys Dad]

And in Brittany .......

 

[Wyaye wires]

No, we can't actually because a tiny coterie of PC warriors decide that millions of taxpayers money should be wasted on bilingualism.

So it's all the fault of these 'Cunning linguists' then Bertie?

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[Bobndebs McKay]

If I could put my twopenneth in, I dont have an issue with Welsh on signs, it Wales and they are entitled to be proud of their language, I dont agree with wasting money however (Yorkshire man crossed with a Scot)
My gripe is the waste of time in teaching French in schools in England!! Nice to have a bit if you visit I suppose, but would Spanish not be a more Universally useful second language to have? as a compulsory subject that is, then if you choose to learn another language as you grow older then it is down to you. Just my thoughts!!

 

[laneside]

The road signs in Welsh and English do not bother me at all but to walk in any of our public buildings, especially up north, and see signs duplicated in Urdu or whatever it is makes my blood boil. Even our polling papers come with a translation.

 

[rebellious 1]

I have no problem with the dual language road signs,but I get worried when I look in the rear view mirror and see a vehicle with Heddlu on the bonnet. I believe it's a parcel delivery company from Wales,and try to get out of the way,you know what these white van men are like,dashing everywhere

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[Bobndebs McKay]

Its like the mythical town of Gwasanaethau, (forgive the spelling) I have never actually found it, I usually drive around looking for it and then end up in the Services having a cup of tea while I figure out where it can have got to!!

 

[magicsurfbus]

Welsh is the original British language - English is largely a mish-mash continental import

I wonder what Saint Nigel Farage (peace and blessings be upon him) would have to say on that subject?

Anyone who can't pick out the English half of a simple bi-lingual road sign shouldn't be driving - road safety my arse.

 

[Gaston aires]

I spent a month is the Gower and Pembrokeshire last June, found the people very nice. Dual lingo road signs not a problem to me.
Did see a grazing sheep over which a sign was placed saying " Leisure centre" A bit worrying I thought.
Phil

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[teddybard]

I went to a Solicitors in Tottenham to do a Safety Job just before I retired and the reception sign was in about 54 languages.
but post it notes were popular.

 

[bernardfeay]

Road signs are visible for a brief period as you pass them by. The more complex and detailed the signs are the more difficult it is to extract the information you need in the time available.

Having said that I am sure the Welsh are proud of their language and heritage and it won't be me that says they ought to change.

I would suggest that two different colours would help me spot which words I should focus my attention on.

And, I do now know that ARAF means SLOW.

 

[Goshawk]

agree with a lot of the above, bills etc all in Welsh/English, but as i live in West Wales this is predominately Welsh speaking, i don't speak any
and all of the children going to school have to learn it, there are some that don't like it, but the Welsh Government insist on Welsh language being taught, maybe at the expense of something else, having said that i am in favour of any country keeping their language and customs alive

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[GJH]

Born in England, lived in England all my life and never had a problem with Welsh bilingual road signs. As has been said above, many Welsh people are bilingual so I can't see why signs shouldn't reflect that.

When I was working on DP, FoIA &c for a council in the north east of England it was suggested that the public information I produced should be made available in other languages. I pointed out that I knew, through my experience of schools which had a significant ethnic minority population, that many of said population might speak their ancestral language but only a minority actually read it. The demand was in the mind of a few PC people, not in the population in general.

 

[Barclaybasher]

many Welsh people are bilingual so I can't see why signs shouldn't reflect that.

Roughly 20% speak Welsh...............almost 100% speak English........

Road signs should be about safety...................simple and concise

 

[mikekaren2]

Bearing in mind the number of posts that appear on the forum condemning the erosion of out British/English heritage I see no problem in Wales using bilingual signs, after all they are only doing what a lot of forum posters are advocating ie: fighting to retain our identity & our heritage.
As for the confusion that they cause, I know that when I am traveling in Europe and as a non native language speaker, when I am approaching unfamiliar direction signs I just sloooow down so I can process the information.

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[JJ]

Yr wyf yn meddwl os ydych yn bryderus iawn am y pethau hyn, rhaid i chi gael bywyd hynod o lwcus. Mae llawer o bobl eraill yn cael problemau gwirioneddol i boeni amdano.

(I think if you are really concerned about this stuff you must have a really lucky life. Many other people have real problems to worry about.)


JJ

 

[Caztur]

I live in England - yet all my official stuff - Council Tax, Water Bill, DVLA tax reminders etc - all come in Welsh & English. Total waste of money.

And don't get me started on why friends who live 6 miles away can get free prescriptions but we have to pay for ours - no wonder the Welsh NHS is in crisis.

I too hate the road signs in Welsh first - by the time you've read as far as the English bit you've either gone past or hit whatever it was about. They were never needed 50 years ago and the Welsh speaking drivers coped then.

 

[Wildge]

Reminds me of the cruise we have just returned from...sailed from Southampton, American ship at least 60% passengers English , as for the rest have never heard so much Welsh spoken between passengers .
So much so that I made the same comment when a group joined us in the lift ! "Never heard so much Welsh spoken on board " says I with polite smile.
only to be met with blank stares from the ladies and it was left to the only gentleman with a smattering of English to explain that they came from Patagonia and were en route back home


well I eventually found it funny !

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[maison]

Just returned from a trip from Derby to Bala

The best part of the journey was in Wales, but one thing stood out - as it always has - road signs in duplicate - English and Welsh - confusing, unnecessary and a waste of tax payers money - even village names that were almost the same duplicated - PC gone mad

This trip I noticed that all the business signs - advertising, descriptions were almost all only in English

Why ?

Businesses recognise that English is the common language - to repeat in Welsh would cost more and confuse customers - so they don't use Welsh

So public money is spent on both but business takes the sensible and less costly path

I can understand that place names should be in Welsh but signs giving information in both is just confusing

Simply ....... English is by far the dominant language in Wales, adding Welsh to road signs is potentially dangerous to non speakers - not just the English, but all visitors .........as said ..........PC gone mad

Businesses in Wales have to have signs in Welsh too or the Welsh Language Society pillory them. The cost is enormous. TV Channel 4 Wales, with its totally Welsh Language output regularly has programmes with so few viewers that they fail to register on viewer counts.

The fun part comes from hiring cars abroad and putting your paper driving licence on the table Welsh side up, then watching the clerk trying to work out what they are looking at. Even that will go with the dropping of the paper licence.

 

[GJH]

Road signs should be about safety

I agree - and have noticed nothing unsafe about Welsh dual language signs.

 

[bungy]

Which signs are we talking about again????...getting really confuzzzzzed, thought it was signs for place names or directions!!

All signs that are safety related be they regulatory or warning are specific shapes and colours with 'pictures' and any such as ARAF/SLOW on the road is accompanied by a sign warning which kind of makes the one on the road pointless - so not sure how they could be a hazard to safety...

how on earth do folks manage over the water if they struggle in Wales (and Scotland, and Cornwall for that matter...and parts of the bigger cities!!) - the signs are more or less they same over there as well!!

Must say though...Place names...they wind me up when crazy arse stuff like trying find a Welsh name for a place which already has a Welsh name albeit spelt with the English alphabet rather than the Welsh...hangiv er from many moons ag...just put the sign to the proper Welsh spelling and be done with it!!

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[magicsurfbus]

It seems a little inconsistent to say you're OK with Welsh/English road signs (which are a concession to Johnny-come-lately English immigrants to these shores) then to bang on about seeing other signs in Polish, Gujarati, etc.

 

[bigfoot]

Road signs in Liverpool's Chinatown are bilingual and as they are in London and Manchester's Chinatown. In Brick Lane i they are also in Urdu and I suspect other towns and cities with a 'ghetto' of immigrants will probably have them in the majority's language.
The only sign seen in Wales in just English is 'Bed and Breakfast Vacancies'.
Its not just confined to the usual suspects http://www.itv.com/news/granada/story/2012-06-15/wirral-village-unveils-new-viking-sign/

 

[buttons]

One minor blip that irritated me was when going through the plethora of options to enable me to gain access to the DVLA help line. I was given an option to listen or have my communication broadcast in welsh. The DVLA is not a Welsh entity and should not be treated as such. The DVLA is a UK wide service that was transferred to Cardiff in a move to share the employment of the state no other reason. More than ninety nine percent of their business is with English speakers who have no interest in welsh. The DVLA is not a Welsh business it is a UK service that could be housed anywhere in the UK. We don’t need welsh as an option.

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[Jaws]

Just to sort of chuck another spanner in..

Canada has been using both french and English on their signs for yonks.. Really cannot remember when it happened but in the words of Judge Dredd 'Its the law'

 

[Carol]

One minor blip that irritated me was when going through the plethora of options to enable me to gain access to the DVLA help line. I was given an option to listen or have my communication broadcast in welsh. The DVLA is not a Welsh entity and should not be treated as such. The DVLA is a UK wide service that was transferred to Cardiff in a move to share the employment of the state no other reason. More than ninety nine percent of their business is with English speakers who have no interest in welsh. The DVLA is not a Welsh business it is a UK service that could be housed anywhere in the UK. We don’t need welsh as an option.

But if it's Nation Wide maybe the Welsh speakers like that option, or should the Welsh speakers not be allowed to access it, or go to even more expense and have two units English and Welsh, or just keep the simple option of which number to choose in the automatic selection choice .

 

[bungy]

One minor blip that irritated me was when going through the plethora of options to enable me to gain access to the DVLA help line. I was given an option to listen or have my communication broadcast in welsh. The DVLA is not a Welsh entity and should not be treated as such. The DVLA is a UK wide service that was transferred to Cardiff in a move to share the employment of the state no other reason. More than ninety nine percent of their business is with English speakers who have no interest in welsh. The DVLA is not a Welsh business it is a UK service that could be housed anywhere in the UK. We don’t need welsh as an option.

whos we?

BTW...DVLA is in Swansea...which is a 40 odd miles from Cardiff

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