Installing and maintaining street signs costs the taxpayer, obviously. But in these days of sat navs and smart phones, are road name signs still necessary? Why not save a little money?
ADDENDUM. We’ve not had a chance to look at this ‘flower bed’ on the corner of Southwell Park Road for the last few days. Has it been attended to by now? Also, since we took our photo we’ve heard complaints that the excessive plantlife nearby is blocking pedestrians’ view of traffic and making it difficult to cross the road safely.
The Camberley Eye 
Street name signs are absolutely essential. How would satnav work without them ?
I’d forgotten that satnavs have built-in OCRs
Though my VW has satnav, I always use the Maps app on my iPhone. Brilliant is every way – it embraces shop names, house names and, even though it’s in my pocket, links automatically to the car when I turn on the ignition. It even (don’t ask me why!) knows I go to Sainsburys every Thursday and immediately shows me the way as soon as I turn on the ignition. (I know I know the way, but anyway….!)
People are just different…. I’ve tried Apple car play for navigation, but the screen display is nowhere near as good as the built-in satnav. So I’ve returned to the latter.
Volkswagen cars can be linked to your iphone, making music, phone calls, text messages (which are read out) and most of all directions very simple and very effective. Once you’ve set it up, the screen automatically links to the phone when you get in the car (the phone can remain in your pocket) – so the maps are full screen, there is a very nice man reading the instructions and the attention to detail is brilliant. I do a lot of driving for Camberley Care which takes me to streets, blocks of flats and places I’ve never visited before. Never mind postcodes or “three words”, just start typing the address (which I do from home before getting into the car,) and away you go!! But…I do need the street signs to be absolutely sure.
Sorry, I meant Car Play. We’re talking about the same thing.
I very much doubt people will rely 100% on their smart devices to understand their location, unless they happen to know the local area. Interpreting information (reading directions) is essential to repeat said information (reading street signs) for one to know where they are going.
But solo drivers in unfamiliar locations ‘have’ to rely on satnavs?