Jump to content

Bilingual Signage Causes Accidents!


Guest birdog

Recommended Posts

Guest birdog

Transport minister Stewart Stevenson said previous research had shown that drivers spent longer reading bilingual signs than those in one language. He said there was anecdotal evidence of motorists unfamiliar with an area stopping on the main carriageway of trunk roads to read the signs, performing u-turns after misreading the directions and driving past hotels because they were concentrating on a bilingual sign. He added, ?We do not know if these and similar incidents are having a negative impact on road safety over time and this can only be determined from detailed accident studies. Clearly it could be considered irresponsible not to evaluate the current policy.?

Is the push to enforce a near death language going to cause the death of some motorists? I am against gaelic signage mainly due to the financial aspect but this is more worrying, no doubt the Gaels will want to push ahead with their enforcing of their culture and society on us but I think that the safety of human life should be taken into consideration before any more signs are put up.

STORY HERE

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 96
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Absolutely right. These signs and all that other Gaelic nonsense is just ridiculous especially in economic times like this. It doesn't take a genius to work that the longer time you spend looking at the garbage on a roadsign, the less time you keep your eyes on theroad. I'm sure though that the Gaelic gang will come on here as they have done time and again going on and on about how "special" and "wonderful" their old Irish language is and how everyone Scottish person dearly loves it so much and would hate for it die. I suspect that most people, like myself couldn't give two hairy hoots if it dies or not. All in all, all of this Gaelic spending is just pure stupidity.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For the life of me i cant see the real need for the signs, its a long time since a gaelic speaker could not read/speak english anyway.

Seems to me its all about cuteness for the tourists, and lots of cost to the tax payer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Huge waste of resources which definately causes confusion,i've seen myself many times having to do double takes on bi-lingual signs. Gaelics gone,no amount of road signs,Gaelic medium schools, absurd notions of building villages where gaelic is the only language allowed,etc wont revive it,its gone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I trust that all of you with this problem of Bilingual signage do not hire cars when holidaying in the tourist areas of Spain.

The thought of all the accidents you will cause trying to read the English translation of the Spanish signage, has me out in a cold sweat! (To think they even make you drive on the 'wrong' side of the road too!)

Perhaps another question in the car hire insurance form could be 'Do you have difficulty in reading bilingual signs due to age/eyesight/lack of concentration/too many words for your reading ability?' No doubt your answer will be 'No' unless there is Gaelic on the sign.

Anyway, how very much, dare they, in Lewis, Harris or Skye, or elsewhere, use Gaelic words on signage - do they not realise that some folk from non-Gaelic speaking backgrounds could visit!

Furthermore, to hint to visitors that Gaelic was ever spoken in the Highlands is unfair as we all spoke English prior to the garrison being established in Inverness, didn't we?

History, who cares about history?

.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Absolutely right. These signs and all that other Gaelic nonsense is just ridiculous especially in economic times like this. It doesn't take a genius to work that the longer time you spend looking at the garbage on a roadsign, the less time you keep your eyes on theroad. I'm sure though that the Gaelic gang will come on here as they have done time and again going on and on about how "special" and "wonderful" their old Irish language is and how everyone Scottish person dearly loves it so much and would hate for it die. I suspect that most people, like myself couldn't give two hairy hoots if it dies or not. All in all, all of this Gaelic spending is just pure stupidity.

My point, dear sir, is a reply to your very own, as highlighted above.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest birdog

absent mind, are you supporting the endangerment of motorists through the action of putting up signs which are not needed? If so would you not rather wait for the safety studies (which will hopefully be paid for by the Gaelic community) before putting the lives of innocent people at risk? There are plenty of Gaelic books in the library to keep you going while you wait for the precious road signs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

absent mind, are you supporting the endangerment of motorists through the action of putting up signs which are not needed? If so would you not rather wait for the safety studies (which will hopefully be paid for by the Gaelic community) before putting the lives of innocent people at risk? There are plenty of Gaelic books in the library to keep you going while you wait for the precious road signs.

Now birdbrain, my point is simple, even to you, when abroad you have to cope with bilingual signs even when driving on the 'wrong' side of the road but in the Highlands bilingual signs put the lives of innocent people at risk, in your opinion!

Your logic is difficult to understand or is the Gaelic content that upsets!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest birdog

absent mind, are you supporting the endangerment of motorists through the action of putting up signs which are not needed? If so would you not rather wait for the safety studies (which will hopefully be paid for by the Gaelic community) before putting the lives of innocent people at risk? There are plenty of Gaelic books in the library to keep you going while you wait for the precious road signs.

Now birdbrain, my point is simple, even to you, when abroad you have to cope with bilingual signs even when driving on the 'wrong' side of the road but in the Highlands bilingual signs put the lives of innocent people at risk, in your opinion!

Your logic is difficult to understand or is the Gaelic content that upsets!

Not my opinion, it is the opinion of transport minister Stewart Stevenson after being alerted to some anecdotal evidence. Calling my logic into question is a little illogical even for you, given that I am merely reporting a story I read on the Secret Scotland website.

Has your view of a dying language made your outlook on life so blinkered that human life is second to having a few words on a sign?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

when abroad you have to cope with bilingual signs even when driving on the 'wrong' side of the road but in the Highlands bilingual signs put the lives of innocent people at risk, in your opinion!

Your logic is difficult to understand or is the Gaelic content that upsets!

The difference is AF,european signs are bi or multilingual for a reason so tourists and foreign visitors can be informed,Gaelic signing serves no useful purpose other than to kid on the tourists their is some thriving mythical community still useing Gaelic as their only language.Other than small pockets in the western isles where it could possibly be justified the dual signing is in my and most tax payers opinion, a waste of resources.

I'm all for preserving history but not for funding the futility of resurecting a lost cause.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The bottomless pit of money always readily available for bilingual signage annoys me a lot.

How come there's never any money for anything else - such as general improvements for our roads?

I'd say these signs are downright bl0ody dangerous - even more dangerous than talking on a mobile phone as you drive.

I imagine CTO represents a fair cross section of our community. It might be interesting if someone could set up a poll to see how much support or interest there is for the promoting this "dead" language in our local area.

Let's see democracy in action!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The bottomless pit of money always readily available for bilingual signage annoys me a lot.

How come there's never any money for anything else - such as general improvements for our roads?

I'd say these signs are downright bl0ody dangerous - even more dangerous than talking on a mobile phone as you drive.

I imagine CTO represents a fair cross section of our community. It might be interesting if someone could set up a poll to see how much support or interest there is for the promoting this "dead" language in our local area.

Let's see democracy in action!!

Well I certainly don't class them as "bloody dangerous". I concentrate on reading the English words and not the Gaelic words and can't understand what the problem is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest birdog

Well I certainly don't class them as "bloody dangerous". I concentrate on reading the English words and not the Gaelic words and can't understand what the problem is.

I think that one of the problems is tourists who cannot speak either Gaelic nor English and are struggling to understand the signs in English only and then have to cope with the confusion of Gaelic on top.

This is only my guess, I would hate for Absent Minded to accuse me of being racist against Gaels or anything.

Edited by birdog
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I certainly don't class them as "bloody dangerous". I concentrate on reading the English words and not the Gaelic words and can't understand what the problem is.

Are you, by any chance a gaelic speaker Dam?

I haven't a clue what the Gaelic names mean.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seems to me that road signs, which should be a purely utilitarian item for directing drivers in the right direction, are the wrong medium to be used for promoting the Gaelic.

I'm not convinced they're dangerous, but they are bloody annoying and hard to read.

If the politicians think they have got all that money to burn, couldn't they chuck it at business premises to get them to erect bilingual signs/literature etc. instead of cluttering up the signposts.

pogue mahone

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I dont intend getting into the defend or ridicule gaelic arguement but to all those who are getting on there high horse about the spin of some politician I ask this. How come, after many years of bi-lingual and multi-lingual signage in Wales, Ireland, parts of Canada, most of Europe and probably most of the world, is it only in parts of the Highlands of Scotland where they have become a danger. The whole Stevenson arguement is nothing more than trying to justify his very hagh salary and expense account with what amounts to no more than a load of garbage.

Lets start with his use of the term 'anecdotal evidence'. What does that mean?

example: Person 1...John had a bump with his car cos he missed the sign warning of the hazard. Person 2... John had a bump with his car cos he misread the sign warning of the hazard.. Person 3...John had a bump with his car cos he couldn't read the sign warning of the hazard.. Person 4...John had a bump with his car cos he's near blind and didn't see the sign warning of the hazard.

The fact is John wasn't paying attention. The anecdotal evidence is blind people shouldn't be driving.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alex....

Dangerous or not...

Do you think a significant percentage of the population in the greater Sneckie area, or even visitors to this area, derives any benefit from these signs?

Do you think the cost of erecting them, after paying a huge salary to someone who has gone to the trouble of translating the place names around here which we are all familiar with, is justified and worthwhile?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We really have nobody to blame for the millions of pounds wasted by HRC (gaelic signs are the tip of the iceberg, how much did they spend defacing the town centre with 'streetscape'? or how about all of the 'culturural' celerbations? I could go on) because we elected these chimps.

If that's how you feel, why don't you run?

I am not a fan of these signs either but IMO, if you question them you are often classed as being anti gaelic, which is not the case.

We could have repaired lots of holes in the roads instead?

Absolutely right. There's far better things to do with the money on the roads than install some dead language on the roadsigns. I'm not racist towards Gaelic in nay way, I just believe that all this funding is an utter, utter waste.

And here's another thing. Is it just me, or have the Gaelic gang become far more arrogant in recent years. It seems to me that their attitude to anyone with an opposing view is "We're right, your wrong, no matter what". They also seem to play the sympathy card quite often too with the "We were banned for so long and this is all coming in to make up for it" nonsense. Of course all of this stuff happened a couple centuries before they were born, which makes it almost laughable. This almost apartheid-like of which they pretty much speak of is almost as if they are trying to compare themselves to black South Africans or Palistinians. Another usual thing they do is "We're thriving, give up cash" or "We're dying, give us cash". I couldn't give too hoots whether Gaelic died or not. The thing is though that if they really do want to keep it alive, things like the Gaelic schools and other stuff should be privately funded, so if they pay for it, and them alone, it be far would justifiable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. : Terms of Use : Guidelines : Privacy Policy