Sign of the times as Shrewsbury eyes tourism boost

A time for holidaying. A week or two away from work. A week or two to leave your cares and worries behind. Unless, of course, you're going on holiday with children, in which case it's a week or two taking your worries to somewhere where the view out of the window is different.

I've just returned from my two week break. You noticed, didn't you? Missed me even? No. I thought not.

I've returned from my break to find that holidays are at the forefront of other people's minds. Not least, Shropshire Council and its partners, like the town council and Destination Shrewsbury.

They're thinking of spending up to £300,000 of our money to improving signs in an attempt to encourage tourism in the town.

Now, I don't know about you, but that's one of the first things I think about when I pick somewhere for a weekend break or a day trip.

York? I'm not going there. Its signposts are rubbish.

Some of the language used in the report - by consultants Fran Raybould Associates - is hilarious.

Under the heading of "Signage Toolkit" (which isn't just a screwdriver to make sure the signs don't fall down and bonk someone on the head) it talks of a "co-ordinated sign family". (They're a bit dysfunctional, the Sign family. Always going off in different directions. Hasn't anyone ever told them it's rude to point?)

Apparently a co-ordinated sign family can "form the backbone of an integrated approach to a wayfinding strategy". I think that means it can help people work out where stuff is and how to get to it.

I'm all for anything that brings the tourist buck to Shrewsbury. It is a great town and of course we should sell it to the rest of the UK and, indeed, the world, but you can over-think things.

The review says the current town maps have a "poor quality design" and are "too cluttered and busy".

But when was the last time you saw anyone gazing up at the finger-posts trying to work out where they were? Come to that, when was the last time you were in a strange town and did something similar? People, by and large, don't do it. Or is that just us men? You know we hate to ask for directions.

Councillor Peter Nutting neatly cut through the fog when he declared: "If you want people to come to Shrewsbury, knock £1 off car parking. If you are not careful you are going to make it complicated."

Well, quite.