Road signs

We are responsible for installing and maintaining road signs across the borough.
Signs regulate traffic, provide directions and give other useful information to road users.

All signs placed on the public highway in Bolton must be authorised by us. It's an offence to place a sign on a road that isn't authorised. It can be dangerous for pedestrians and drivers.

Requesting new signs

All road signs and markings that we install must comply with the Traffic Signs Regulations issued by the Department for Transport (DfT). They determine the size and design of the signs, how many we are allowed to put up and where they can be used. They also decide whether they must be lit up at night.

We often receive requests for "more speed limit signs" or additional warning signs near schools for example, but we are often restricted by these DfT regulations, meaning the number and type of signs that are already in place are usually correct and cannot be increased.

You can contact us if you wish to request a new road sign.  
 

Report a damaged or missing sign

To tell us about about a damaged or missing road sign, line or street nameplate, please email us or call 01204 336600
 

Unnecessary road signs

Following government guidelines, we want to remove unnecessary roadside clutter such as signs, bollards and railings. Too many signs can have a detrimental impact on the environment and can dilute more important messages if they result in information overload for drivers.

Many local directional signs are now unnecessary. Regular visitors and people living locally know where facilities including schools, churches and surgeries are. Most other people will have access to online and GPS mapping.

We will no longer authorise these unecessary signs, and once existing signs reach the end of their life or become damaged, we will not replace them.

If you know of any road sign that is no longer needed - eg where a school has closed, but there are still signs in place, please let us know using the contact form below.

 

Contacting us

Our staff are often out of the office and unable to take calls.

The best way to contact us for all Highways enquiries, is to complete this form and we will get back to you as soon as we can.