Signage Guidance for Outdoor Access • a Guide to Good Practice Chapter 1 Signage Principles
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Signage Guidance for Outdoor Access A Guide to Good Practice Signage Guidance for Outdoor Access Contents Introduction 1 Chapter 1 Signage Principles 2 1.1 The role of signage in outdoor access 2 promotion and management 1.2 Legal context 3 1.3 Communication essentials 7 1.4 General principles of signage 10 1.5 Sign types 11 Chapter 2 Planning for Signage 12 2.1 Know your audience 12 2.2 Management requirements for signage 13 2.3 How many signs and where to put them 14 2.4 Making a plan: signage strategy and local 16 signage plans 2.5 Consultation: who should you talk to 18 2.6 What should signs look like: fonts, colours 21 and language 2.7 Different signs for different places 25 2.8 Installing signs 33 2.9 Maintenance 37 Chapter 3 Advisory Signage 40 (including Warning and Information Signs) 3.1 Assisting responsible access 40 3.2 Managing shared use through signage 42 3.3 Is signage for single use management 44 appropriate 3.4 Signage for accessibility 45 3.5 Supporting land management operations 47 3.6 Hazard warning signage 52 3.7 Advisory signage for water users 55 3.8 Protecting nature conservation interests 57 3.9 Cultural heritage sites 60 Produced by Paths for All with support from Scottish Natural Heritage • Signage Guidance for Outdoor Access contents Chapter 4 Directional Signage 61 4.1 Finger posts 62 4.2 Waymarking 65 4.3 Orientation panels 69 4.4 Location of directional signage 71 4.5 Directional signage for water users 74 Chapter 5 Further Information 75 5.1 Contacts 75 5.2 Sign manufacturers & suppliers 77 5.3 Image and graphic acknowledgments 78 Chapter 6 Information sheets 79 6.1 Basic timber waymarker post 79 6.2 Timber directional waymarker post 80 6.3 Timber finger post 81 6.4 Standard steel finger post 82 6.5 Timber map panel frame 83 6.6 Timber map panel frame with roof 84 6.7 Angled timber map panel frame 85 6.8 Steel map panel frame 86 6.9 Angled steel map panel frame 87 6.10 Standard hazard warning signs 88 6.11 Standard generic hazard warning sign 89 6.12 Comparisons of sign materials 90 6.13 Hazard management (worked example) 94 Glossary 96 contents Signage Guidance for Outdoor Access • Produced by Paths for All with support from Scottish Natural Heritage Introduction Signage is one of the most important everyday functional purposes such as tools for the management of responsible getting to work, school or for health access. It is first and foremost a simple walks. The new approach promoted by and effective method of communication this guidance asks land and access between the people who own or manage managers to think afresh about what land and water and those who take information users need to make informed access on it. Signs offer an obvious choices, and how best to communicate welcome and have a significant role to this through signs and other means. It play in promoting paths and encouraging is the quality of the communication that and supporting people in their use. This will be a key factor in the successful will help everyone to take access management of outdoor access, and in responsibly and allow land and access realising the benefits of the access managers to carry out operations safely arrangements brought into effect by and provide opportunities for everyone to the Act. enjoy the outdoors. This guidance covers all aspects of Outdoor access signage falls into two outdoor access signage and is aimed at categories: advisory and directional access staff, countryside rangers, land and this publication will look at both managers, community groups (including categories. Advisory signage is about health walk co-ordinators) and anybody letting people know what to expect, involved in path or site management. It providing information about factors supersedes and greatly expands on the affecting access or guidance on advice given in the Advisory Signage responsible behaviour. Directional Guide published by Paths for All and signage is about route finding and covers Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) in any sign which helps people find their June 2007. way to, or along, a path or route. The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 This guide is divided into sections (the Act) has fundamentally altered the covering the different aspects of signage legal basis for outdoor access in as follows: Scotland. Everyone now has access Chapter 1 – general principles of signage rights to most land and inland water, and setting the legislative context to subject to their responsible behaviour. which signage should apply Land managers also have a duty under Chapter 2 – when to use signage and the Act to use and manage land how to plan and ensure signs are fit responsibly in relation to access rights. for purpose To reflect and support these new Chapter 3 – advisory signage for hazard arrangements, important, but subtle, management and promotion of changes are required in how access and responsible access land managers communicate with users. The introduction of the Scottish Outdoor Chapter 4 – directional finger posts, Access Code (the Code) sets out waymarking and orientation panels guidance which provides advice on Chapter 5 – further information including responsible behaviour by both users and organisational contacts access and land managers. Chapter 6 – information sheets which People may exercise their access rights outline text format and layout, use of in parks, greenspaces and the wider materials, standard sign designs and countryside, for recreational or for examples of hazard warning signs. Produced by Paths for All with support from Scottish Natural Heritage • Signage Guidance for Outdoor Access 1 Chapter 1 Signage Principles 1 1.1 The role of signage in outdoor access promotion and management 1.2 Legal context 1.3 Communication essentials 1.4 General principles of signage 1.5 Sign types Signage Guidance for Outdoor Access • A Guide to Good Practice Chapter 1 Signage Principles This chapter introduces general principles which apply to all aspects of outdoor access signage and describes the influence of key legislation. It is a good starting point for anybody who is considering the use of signs whether in an urban or rural environment. 1.1 The role of signage in outdoor access promotion and management Signage has a pivotal role in promoting presenting them in a positive and the benefits of path use and encouraging welcoming light and encouraging access participation in the outdoors as well as to be taken on these routes. It is one of enabling land and access managers to the most effective ways of giving people positively manage access. The Scottish the confidence to enjoy their local area. Government’s strategic objectives Positive and welcoming signage is also (www.scotland.gov.uk/About/ a valuable tool for land and access purposestratobjs) of increasing health management. Directional and advisory and wellbeing, promoting active travel signage encourages access users to use and encouraging greater awareness of paths and routes preferred by land and our environment require new and access managers, for example, guiding innovative ways of promotion in order access users away from sensitive areas, to reach all sectors of society. Signage or from places where there is concern for has a major role to play in achieving their safety; although people will not be these objectives. obliged to use them in most cases. Good signage is an important tool that Signs usually offer limited space for helps people to behave in a responsible conveying information and it is important manner. Irresponsible behaviour often to recognise their constraints when used results from a lack of knowledge or alone, particularly as promotional tools. because information about preferred Advisory signage can require skilled routes or behaviour is not readily writing, design and careful onsite available. The key challenges are to be placement to make it effective. It should able to communicate successfully with a be seen as one of the tools in the toolkit wide and diverse range of audiences, to of communication methods (for example educate and to change behaviour. In the leaflets, events, information boards) for past, attempts have been made to simply successful access promotion and exclude unwanted audiences, often with management. This needs careful limited impact on the people concerned planning and the time required to do this whilst unnecessarily restricting many should not be underestimated. The legitimate and responsible users. Under Paths for All and SNH publication the Act we are asked to find more ‘Promoting Paths for People - a successful and less restrictive solutions Marketing Guide and Toolkit’ covers and signage has a substantial role to play. outdoor access promotion in more detail: Signage is one of the most obvious ways www.pathsforall.org.uk/resources of promoting opportunities for outdoor access. It can raise awareness of the existence of individual paths or networks within urban and rural environments, Produced by Paths for All with support from Scottish Natural Heritage • Signage Guidance for Outdoor Access 2 1.2 Legal context When considering signage, relevant legislation must be taken into account. The most relevant legislation is briefly outlined below. For a fuller guide refer to the SNH document ‘A Brief Guide to Laws relevant to Outdoor Access in Scotland’: www.snh.org.uk Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 and the Scottish Outdoor Access Code Under the Act land covered by access rights, including paths, is available to all responsible non-motorised use including a vehicle or vessel which has been constructed or adapted for use by a person who has a disability. The most important change since the Act is the removal of any segregation between different user groups.