When helping local governments with their tourist signage, we notice that many are not clear on the guidelines surrounding the blue signs. These are signs with a blue background and white lettering. 

These signs are used for two different categories.

1. Blue Services Signs

2. Community Facilities Signs

Blue services advance warning sign incorporating Australian Standard services symbols

Blue Services Signs

These signs are typically located on the approaches to towns, service stops and rest area’s. Service signs direct motorists to essential services that may benefit them, these include such things as:

• accommodation facilities
• caravan and camping parks/areas
• visitor information centres
• tourist information boards/bays
• visitor radio services
• service stations
• public toilets
• rest areas
• parking areas

Blue Service signs usually contain the Australian Standard symbols and are controlled by Australian Standard – AS 1742.6-2014 Manual of uniform traffic control devices – Tourist and services signs which can be purchased and downloaded from SAI Global/Australian Standards.

Australian Standard Symbols cover most things a tourist would be looking for. One glaring omission I think is that there is no recognised symbol for WIFI, yet there is one for electric cars?

Close, but no cigar – “Fake” Blue services sign erected by a private operator. Sign made from the wrong material, wrong blue, non standard symbols too small to read at 130Kph. These fake service signs are usually the result of frustrated operators either not knowing how to apply for signage or have been catagorised as ineligible. We have found in many cases that the council application process is very unclear, or undocumented.

So that’s the easy part, now let’s look at Community Facility Signs

Signs, signs and more signs

Community Facilities Signs – generally denote facilities of a non-commercial nature that are likely to be sought by a significant number of strangers to the area. These facilities may attract visitors in their own right (eg: sports fields and swimming pools). In general these signs are only required if the facility is on a side street as it will be harder to find than a facility on a main road.

They include:

• Town halls, civic centres and municipal offices
• Municipal depots/tips
• Sporting and recreational grounds/facilities
• Hospitals
• Railway and bus stations
• Post Offices
• Tertiary education institutions
• Churches and religious institutions
• Airports
• Shopping centres

Commercial businesses like dentists and denture clinics do not warrant a community facility sign 

Why do problems arise with these blue signs? 

There is a mismatch between the state and national signage guidelines, which always emphasise limiting the number of signs on the road networks. This is for motorist safety and to avoid signage clutter and distractions.

Businesses and community organisations, however, often want a lot of signs to ensure that people can find them. Often, they are trying to use signs in place of ensuring that they can be found easily in other ways – for example, an online search or in a local directory. We have seen signs for shops and businesses that don’t qualify as community facilities (eg: podiatrist, doctors surgery, thrift store). Generally, this is ineffective as these are not the type of businesses that visitors or residents will divert to on the spur of the moment, just because they see a sign.

We have also seen signs that do not comply with signage standards and have been erected without the approval of the road authority. They should be removed. Some local governments lack clear policies and processes for application and approval processes. This is something that should be addressed.

Blue Community signs are controlled by Australian Standard – AS 1742.5-2017 Manual of uniform traffic control devices – Street name and community facility name signs  which can be purchased and downloaded from SAI Global/Australian Standards.

Everyone wants a sign, with the end result being visual clutter where no one benefits

Some local governments lack clear policies and processes for application and approval processes

… and sometimes it’s just all wrong.