Sign trial to warn sat nav trucks

Sign of the tiimes - the warning to drivers with sat nav

A council has begun trialling a new road sign which is designed to stop lorry drivers with sat nav from getting stuck on country roads.

The signs, which picture a lorry and a satellite with a red line through them, have been erected on the A48 near St Hilary in the Vale of Glamorgan.

The council and residents say several lorries have become stuck there.

The signs will be in place for 12 months and if successful, could be used at other locations in Wales.

On Tuesday, the Polish driver of an articulated lorry was stuck for more than three hours on a tight bend near Tycroes in Carmarthenshire, after taking directions from his sat nav.

Residents in the area called for more signs, saying it was the third time that Cwmferrws Road had been blocked in recent months.

Traffic engineer Mark Simpson, the designer of the new sign, said the over-reliance by overseas drivers on sat nav systems had become a problem in the Vale of Glamorgan area.

I feel very sorry for them because they just don't understand the signs Bill Clay, St Hilary resident

"A number of these drivers are using routes that are clearly signed as unsuitable for heavy goods vehicles but are continuing their journey, only to find, after travelling some distance, they cannot proceed any further," he said.

"Manoeuvring becomes difficult and the vehicle eventually blocks the road for a significant period of time."

Mr Simpson's design was approved by the Welsh Assembly Government for trial in the St Hilary area.

A number of lorries have become stuck there, even though there are signs at the junction of the A48 warning HGV drivers that the road is unsuitable.

Local resident Bill Clay said there had been a lot of problems with lorries coming through and damaging walls and verges.

"There was a Spanish chap who had driven from Poland who was stuck in the lane near our home for over two hours once," he said.

"I feel very sorry for them because they just don't understand the signs and their lorries also seem to have got bigger."