I went to see for myself.
Cannock Chase speed limits follow up 676Where are you travelling to & from? That route is one of the least pleasant on the Chase. The cross roads at Penkridge Bank is not the place for the nervous driver. You...
There are some of the advisory repeater signs which have been altered by someone painting a red circle around the white disc. Not every sign has been vandalised in this way but someone has gone to a lot of trouble to choose a convincing shade of red and has painted the signs very neatly. I can see why drivers could be fooled into believing these were mandatory repeaters.
From Brocton on the A34 the official limit changes from 40 to NSL. Turning into Camp Road you pbutt through the welcoming gateway to Cannock Chase. This is made from heavy timbers arranged to form a pair of large wooden signs flanking the road. Both signs are identical. Into the wood several symbols have been deeply carved. Below the Welcome to Cannock Chase message there is white rectangle with a black border containing a carved white circle. Inside the circle are black numerals "40". There is no red border here. Below the circle but inside the white rectangle is the word "Zone" in black. Below the 40 advisory sign (and this is what it is) there is a large white deer carved. I guess the message is keep your speed down because of the deer. The actual limit though is still NSL. These gateway signs were erected in many locations and I have never seen one with a red border. Anyway, as you travel along Camp Road there are miniature repeater signs with the 40 in a white circle and a deer carving below it. It is these miniature signs that have been painted to look like normal repeater signs. I haven't seen this done elsewhere on the Chase so I suspect one of the residents of Camp Road has done the dirty deed. Broadhurst Green hasn't gained any extra red paint so far. The back of the gateway as you leave the Chase thanks you for driving carefully. Even poor drivers get the same thank you message! The limit becomes 30 (genuine this time) as you come into Pye Green itself..
Hopefully this confirms what you already suspected. Staffordshire County Council has responsibility for the highways and signs so if you feel like complaining, they are the ones you should contact. The Chase is partly managed by the Forestry Commission and partly by Staffs County Council.
HTH -- David Kemper
