Road warning sign

[Angie]

Our driveway is now obscured by a neighbours new brick wall (we don't have a problem with this as he has made a lovely job of it) but because it is obviously more dense than the hedge it replaced (and right on the road), it is very difficult for us to see oncoming traffic approaching our drive - which is on a sharp bend - (they do travel pretty fast) and obviously they can't see us either.  Local people know our access is here but because it is a tourist village it can get very busy indeed in the summer months. There have been a couple of near misses.

Would it be appropriate for us to ask for a warning sign to be installed further back along the lane or failing that one of those mirrors opposite our driveway?  Do you think we would we have to pay for this? 

[Quillan]

The people to ask are the DDE which you can find in the 'Yellow Pages'. They are normally helpful. The mirror will be down to you but you may well need permission to put it up from them else one day it will disappear as they will simply remove it if it is within a certain distance from the road. So all in all the DDE is the best place to go. You could also 'cc' your mayor mainly out of courtesy although at the end of the day it is down to the DDE.

[YCCMB]

There's a house like yours not far from us. They've made their own, hand painted, speed restriction sign and nailed it to a post about 50 metres from their property. It's been there for a good five years or more, and hasn't ever been replaced by a "proper" one, nor has anyone removed it. There's also a mirror opposite their entrance.

[Quillan]

There are regulations about all this and there is a minimum distance from the the 'curb' or edge of road. If memory serves it is 1.5m but you need to check with the DDE. It may be that the sign and mirror are the correct distance from the road or on private land. I know this from years ago when the DDE removed two of our B&B signs because they were too near the road and I had did not have permission from them. The signs are now on private land close to the road and not a problem. You also have to be careful what you attach them to as well as I also discovered when the Gendarmes came a calling, attaching your own sign to the pole of an official existing road sign is definitely a no, no even though in my case it had been there for five years.

[YCCMB]

Praps we've just got lazier Gendarmes, or maybe there's a different view of advertising as opposed to something intended to improve road safety?

[Quillan]

You might be right given that one sign at the top of our road was attached to the 'Stop' sign pole for five years before they said anything even though the Gendarme concerned was billeted at Quillan, based at Axat and drove past it every day or five years. [8-)]

[Angie]

Really appreciate your replies, thank you.  I'm going to contact the DDE about a warning sign (copied to the Maire as advised!) as they have always been pretty helpful we've found.  I don't think the mirror is going to be an option based on your replies as we have no pavements and the land adjacent is private and the mirror could not be sited a min of 1.5 metres from the road. 

[PaulT]

Think I would explore the mirror option by talking to the person who owns the lad opposite. A sign that there is a concealed exit may not have the effect of causing drivers to slow down from driving at the speed limit of the road (let alone above it). The mirror will enable you to see what is coming.

[YCCMB]

It's possible that Quillan's advice is confusing the installation of advertising signs and the rules pertaining to road safety. I found this discussion on another forum, where two people who are "in the business" are among the contributors and they both seem adamant that the installation of mirrors is, in fact, the sole responsibility of the Mairie and nothing to do with the DDE at all.

[url]http://www.forum-auto.com/automobile-pratique/securite/sujet382293.htm[/url]

[nomoss]

Something like this might be effective

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPZK2tC13IA

 

 

[Quillan]

It will depend on the road. If the road is designated i.e. has a number like D123 then it is a departmental road and the sole responsibility of the DDE. If you go to the mayor he will then go to the DDE, bit like planning permission. He can say no or advise the DDE not to allow the sign because of local 'conditions' but the DDE can override him if they want. It may be possible to have the mirror within the 1.5m edge but that will be down to the DDE. The reason for this rule is the lability of the DDE in the case of accidents etc. If you supply and mount the mirror yourself then you will need to get a form from the DDE and have it approved by them. The DDE either through the mayor or directly will supply and mount the sign. If on the other hand the road is not designated as a departmental road then it belongs to the commune and the mayor is totally responsible for the road, its maintenance and any signage.

In a way the sign for my B&B is a red herring because as Betty says in some ways publicity signs are different from road signs but the basic system of talking to the DDE and getting their permission for the mirror is the same. If you put your case in a logical way and explain that the wall has now created a hassard with regards to you leaving your property in your car they may well come and have a look then supply and mount both the sign and the mirror for free. One also has to assume that the wall stops 1.5m from the road as well? If not the DDE could, in certain situations, ask the wall owner to demolish part of his wall although thats not very likely.

Whatever the circumstances at the end of the day the DDE will put you right.

[YCCMB]

Clearly, the experts on the other forum are all wrong then.

[Quillan]

[quote user="You can call me Betty"]Clearly, the experts on the other forum are all wrong then.
[/quote]

No they are not experts for a start, one bloke is just trying to sell mirrors and the others are just forum members with an opinion just like the rest of us but that is by the by.

The reason I said what I said was because the OP asked "Would it be appropriate for us to ask for a warning sign to be installed further back along the lane or failing that one of those mirrors opposite our driveway? Do you think we would we have to pay for this?"

The warning sign is the DDE (and therefore free) and the mirror may be the mayor if it is communal land adjacent to the 1.5m limit. Also technical, as I know from experience, you are not allowed to go round attaching signs, mirrors etc to existing public sign posts, electricity pylons or telegraph poles as they belong to somebody. Of course the country is littered with signs attached to such things but technically it is against the law, they can be removed and you can be prosecuted. Mine had my phone number and address on it so easy to discover who it belongs to but in many cases where there are is no such information ownership must be proved before a prosecution so nobody bothers, too much like hard work for the Gendarmes I suspect. That’s why I said to visit the DDE because they will tell the OP exactly what’s what and who is responsible for what. Also it might make the mayor more 'agreeable' to help with the mirror if he/she knows the OP has sought DDE advice.

 

[Jo]

[quote user="PaulT"]Think I would explore the mirror option by talking to the person who owns the lad opposite. [/quote]

What if the lad moves........?