The ABC Puts Forward an Idea To The Chancellor 'Spreadsheet' Phil Hammond MP

Today the ABC has put an idea to Chancellor 'Spreadsheet' Phillip Hammond MP. What do you think of the idea?

Cleaning Road Signs – while delivering training and work experience to young offenders and/or unemployed young people.

The ABC are exploring a project idea of getting unemployed people or young offenders cleaning road signs. With massive cuts to public spending in the UK - road signs, hazard signs, bollards and place, and street names have been left filthy dirty. My project idea will give young people something to put on their CV and an award certificate after four weeks of work and training.  We can then take on another group and then use our ‘alumni’ as team leaders, thereby promoting responsibility and pride in achievement. This is a conceptual idea only right now, but this week I have approached Suffolk County Council and Essex Highways and my local MP Will Quince who has just been appointed a junior Department of Work and Pensions minister.

We have consulted window cleaning experts who are doing small scale road sign cleaning but do not have the trucks or the kit to clean a lot of the signage. Where you might need a hazard warning team with flags and signs to avoid accidents for example. 

We do not believe in forcing people to work at the ABC, but organizing delicious packed lunches, fresh air and an award presented by the mayor [we hope] will be more attractive than sitting in a cell.  The judiciary might assist offering offenders who participate in a ‘discount’ on their tariff. Motorway signs need to be cleaned at night and would need specialized equipment and may be out of our scope initially, but the smaller roads, lanes, and byways would be ideal cleaning material under the supervision of a team leader. Health and Safety would be at the forefront of all operations.

Cleaning road signs create a huge psychological difference to the electorate and impresses visitors. It creates a sense of order and promotes a ‘nudge’ effect on society and promotes good environmental behaviour. We are not competing with existing commercial companies and there would be a large benefit to society without a large cost to the public purse. If it helps get people into work who are a cost center currently, then that’s another benefit. The longer people are unemployed the harder it is to get them back into work.

Some hazard signs are so dirty that they are a threat to road safety and the local government could face the increasing risk of legal action. Faults and damaged signs could be reported also potholes.

Around the country, window cleaners are engaged in small local voluntary initiatives. Our idea is to do this activity in a more systematic, organized and structured way, where the initiative could benefit those taking part by demonstrating to potential employers our volunteer’s willingness to work, take instruction and graft. It would create a sense of civic pride in those doing the cleaning and litter picking. Our ‘roadrunner’ teams I (as I want to brand them) would be visible to the public and local employers looking for new hires and we hope they would be grateful we are improving their business environment. They would be encouraged to contact us when looking for new hires. We would teach those cleaning to interact positively with the public, and to represent the organization well.  

We would need some Council funding but they  would get the job done at a fraction of the true cost. Health and safety is one thing to think about and insurance, but parishes and local window cleaners are cleaning local street signs on a voluntary basis, but you need a team to do signs like this as you need a man with a flag and someone to move the ‘beware’ hazard sign. Washing is done with a motorized backpack and a pole, ideally from a flat bed truck or scissor lift. While your sign guys are doing the main signs other can be doing the smaller street signs and picking up litter. We would not tackle motorways initially. But the road signs on the highways and byways of Essex and Suffolk could use some loving care!

Image: Road signs badly need some TLC says the ABC

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