[Daily Mail mode]
The North Yorks Moors. Mile after mile of heather and sheep and pretty well much nothing else.

So what do they do? Put an illuminated sign up telling you there are sheep there.
[/Daily Mail mode]

I wonder how much it costs the taxpayer to clean up after over 200 dead sheep?
About 30 years ago my parents ran into a sheep one night near the Wrekin whilst driving at about 60 mph, it effectively wrote their car off.

carrion feeders will deal with the dead sheep, just drag it on to the verge.

As for the mess of the car, that's insurance's job to make good your parents mistake aP.

at an average of £60 per lamb/hoggett/ewe that's about £15k a year in agricultural losses. Insured probably.

I bet each sign probably costs about £15k.

cant see the value myself, nor indeed the economic trail – who pays for the signs? – local council tax payers: who benefits from the signs? – insurers? local farmers?

Knowing that road pretty well, I think it's a good idea. Some cars absolutely zap along, and the sheep are s-tup-id.

Wether (!)or not it will have an effect, I don't know. At least they intend to monitor that instead of leaving it there,

My point is really – why put a sign up telling you there are sheep when all you can **** see for mile after mile is **** sheep. If seeing a real sheep doesn't register in the idiot driver's head, why do they think a flashing sign with a picture of a sheep on it will?

Bl00dy daft.

My point is really – why put a sign up telling you there are sheep when all you can **** see for mile after mile is **** sheep. If seeing a real sheep doesn't register in the idiot driver's head, why do they think a flashing sign with a picture of a sheep on it will?

It's likely because they need to be seen to be doing something. The Authority will have been given a target of reducing accidents and installing a sign is cheap. They can then say that they are working on reducing accidents. Unfortunately you have a bit of common sense and have realised that it wont make much (any?) difference to drivers.

[Quote]Last year, 239 sheep and lambs died on open moor roads in the park after being hit by vehicles.

[/quote]

Clearly someone needs to be warned. Same reason we need flashing speed limit signs.

If seeing a real sheep doesn't register in the idiot driver's head, why do they think a flashing sign with a picture of a sheep on it will?

Because it might be dark? Because people might be under the mistaken impression that sheep have some awareness of traffic? Because the costs of clearing up a dead sheep actually extend beyond the basic cost of replacing the luckless side of mutton? Because insurance is expensive enough without having to rely on it?

In any event, even if this is a waste of cash, I'm all for pointless expenditures of taxpayer's money if it means amusing pun-based newspaper headlines. I've already come up with "SHEAR LUNACY", "THEY CAN RAM IT" and "***KED TUP". Anyone got any more? 🙂

I bet each sign probably costs about £15k.

Where are you buying your signs Stoner???? I think you need to shop around a bit!

numptiness the signs need placing a bit lower then at least they'd be easier for the sheep to read – i've never seen a 6ft tall sheep but i guess maybe the big ones don't go near the roads

http://www.trafficsignsandmeanings.co.uk/do-intown-flashing-speed-indicators-work.html

Where are you buying your signs Stoner???? I think you need to shop around a bit!

I bet they cost at least that – illuminated, solar-powered….

[daily mail]
Pah. We don't get illuminated sheep signs round here. it's a postcode lottery.
[/daily mail]

I bet they cost at least that – illuminated, solar-powered….

Well it wouldn't surprise me that a local council or government agency would be stupid enough to pay that much for them, but the actual cost of manufacture is probably in the hundreds.

You can get solar powered shed lights for a tenner. Add some simple speed detection, weather proofing and a pole. Job done.

The article I linked to above says "VAS signs cost between £1,600 and £6,000" and even that seems pretty damn expensive to me.

commercial quality solar pv systems will be around £5k+ before VAT and as soon as public sector prcurement machinations get involved you can double that at least! 🙂

Anyway, let's not get all serious on this – it was only ever meant as a light-hearted post. I just found it amusing that an expanse populated almost entirely by sheep was found to need a flashing sign telling people that there are sheep there.

Maybe its time to experiement with sighs of the verges showing the sheep that there is a road with cars?

Anyway, let's not get all serious on this – it was only ever meant as a light-hearted post. I just found it amusing that an expanse populated almost entirely by sheep was found to need a flashing sign telling people that there are sheep there.

You're forgetting just how stupid and unaware of their environment the average motorist is.

I've already come up with "SHEAR LUNACY", "THEY CAN RAM IT" and "***KED TUP". Anyone got any more?

"TOTALLY BAAAAARMY"?

😛

I just found it amusing that an expanse populated almost entirely by sheep was found to need a flashing sign telling people that there are sheep there.

Surely it says more about the stupidity of drivers that drive along that road. Slow down ffs…

If we had GPS controlled speed limiters in cars, then we wouldn't need signs telling people to slow down!! 😉

Surely it says more about the stupidity of drivers that drive along that road. Slow down ffs…

You're forgetting just how stupid and unaware of their environment the average motorist is.

No I am not…

If seeing a real sheep doesn't register in the idiot driver's head, why do they think a flashing sign with a picture of a sheep on it will?

🙂

If we had GPS controlled speed limiters in cars, then we wouldn't need signs telling people to slow down!!

Yer you would. I nearly hit several young sheep on the A68 approaching Carter Bar (Scottish/English border).

I was well under the speed limit (it's all hills and corners as you approach) and had to do a full emergency stop because they were just standing in the middle of the road on the brow of the hill.

I backed up, put my hazards on and contemplated whether to risk getting out and attempting to chase them back into the field.

Fortunately several ewes started shouting at them in motherly-sounding bleats and they all scurried back under the fence, looking very.. er.. "sheepish".

"WOOLY THINKING"
"EWE COULDN'T MAKE IT UP"
"SCRAPIE-ING THE BARREL"

They just write themselves, really…

"EWE COULDN'T MAKE IT UP" is the winner I think.