Marc Allinson: Signs of the times

However I do think that there is an information sign overload in this country. You cannot walk into any commercial premises without being faced with a myriad of signs telling you that you cant smoke in here, mind the step, caution wet floor, specifying the age limit for drinking, the age limit for smoking, the size of measures, the hours of opening, etc etc.

Some of them are useful, such as opening times, some of them are there to cover the manager's back, and some are there just to pay lip service to compliance with the authorities.

The majority of these signs seem to be put there to tell people things that in the real world anyone with an ounce of common sense should know without a notice to tell them, such as a wet floor can be slippy, and given that liquid is the major commodity dispensed in this establishment, surely they can put two and two together and be a little careful. There are usually steps at a door, so why do you need to be told about them every time.

There are also a huge number of signs there to tell people how to behave.

A little note on the door telling people to be quiet as they leave, more often makes people aware that they could make a noise to annoy people who have chosen to live next to a pub, and so they do. Far funnier to those who have had a drink than to the staff or neighbours, also I have never seen anybody change their behaviour after reading the "please drink responsibly" note at the bottom of each and every poster.

I have yet to meet anyone who reads all of these signs, and even if they did try. Who would be responsible if somebody was busy reading about the spirit measure signs and was too distracted to "mind the step", even if that was the next sign?

And how long do the government expect us to keep the no smoking signs up. They are on the door of every business in the country; surely the message has gotten to the general populace enough to no longer need to remind people wherever they go.

At one time in our history, smoking opium used to be acceptable, yet we don't need signs everywhere telling us that it is now illegal.

I think it is now time to reduce the number of notices and signs that bombard us whenever we leave home. Let people know what we need to know, anything else they can ask. All of these signs cost us money, maybe if the authorities had to pay for them, I'm sure they wouldn't make us put so many up.

What are the best pub signs you have seen?