Testing Time For Sign Makers

摘要

The number of road signs being swiped by thieves is soaring as the scrap value of aluminium bursts through the ￡1000 a tonne barrier. Industry experts believe road sign thefts have already cost the Highways Agency more that ￡250,000 this year as organised gangs carry out highways robbery. Luckily a new generation of road signs is available made of Aluminium Composite Material (ALC) which has no scrap value for thieves. But ALC signs are not currently being installed on the country's main routes because of a complicated set of Highways Agency testing standards which stil! need to be complied with by manufacturers. The drawn-out testing regime is proving frustrating for suppliers who have had to content themselves so far with selling their products to local authorities to use on B-roads.