Sponsor bid for city roundabouts

This roundabout on Swansea's Kingsway could be sponsored

Sponsors will be sought to spruce-up 37 roundabouts in and around Swansea.

The council has been promised at least £40,000-a-year to make the sites available for advertising which would pay for roadside plants and flowers.

On Thursday the cabinet agreed to sign a deal with a specialist company to market the roundabouts.

Other parts of the UK have already gone down that road but some people have safety concerns while others say it can affect natural wildlife habitats.

The council will use specialist company Immediate Solutions on a no-cost basis.

It has guaranteed the authority an income of at least £40,000 a year.

Some people say it detracts from the natural beauty of an island Clive Greenaway, Roundabout Appreciation Society

Councillor Gerald Clement said: "This is a scheme which has been successful elsewhere.

"It means firms and businesses in the city can have their name associated with bright and attractive roundabouts, making our city more welcoming."

Virgin, BUPA and ICI are companies that have sponsored roundabouts in other parts of the UK.

But opinion on whether sponsorship is a good thing is divided.

The Roundabout Appreciation Society is based in Poole in Dorset and meets to discuss roundabout architecture, design, safety features and wildlife.

Driving instructor Clive Greenaway said: "Sponsorship is a controversial point. Some people say it detracts from the natural beauty of an island.

Safety study

"There's a whole world going on in some of these larger roundabouts with the wildlife that is there and some say they should be not be disturbed.

"My own view is as long as the money raised goes to (improving the look of) the roundabout then there is nothing wrong."

He believed safety was not a major an issue as planning permission was needed for signs, which were usually a standard size designed not to distract motorists.

But Aberdeen City Council was concerned enough to commission a study to determine whether sponsorship caused an increase in accidents.

Its first sponsored roundabout was created in 2002 and within two years it had 45.

The study proved inconclusive, stating accidents on roads with a 30mph speed limit had not increased but there had been a marked rise in incidents on one 40mph carriageway, although sponsorship might not have been the cause.

A £250,000 price tag has been placed on the naming rights for Swansea's new £27m sports stadium but to date a deal has not been struck.