Match Funding Maintenance for Traditional Directional Signs (Fingerposts)
East Sussex County Council agree to offer match funding for two fingerposts per parish per financial year, with applications being dealt with on a first come first served basis until the budget is used up.
As the highways maintenance department, we follow the guidance of our Road Safety team, who follow relevant legislation of safety and risks pertaining to signs on the highway.
Please note, current guidance states that on A and B class roads, once a fingerpost is at end of life it should be replaced with a passively safe sign. End of life is defined when the post is rotten or has come out of the ground.
A passively safe sign is designed to provide less resistance if hit, reducing the severity of any impact for the occupants of the vehicle or they are designed to absorb impact to reduce the risk of secondary crashes. Unfortunately, the oak structure of a traditional fingerpost does not do this. If the post which enters the ground is sound, and just the fingers need replacing that can be undertaken on site.
Please ensure your application meets the following requirements:
- Only fingers of Traditional directional signs can be maintained on A and B class roads. This must be done on site; the post must not be removed from the ground.
- Traditional directional signs which have been involved in a crash cannot be maintained and must be replaced by a passively safe signpost.
- The applicant must be able to fund 50% of the maintenance.
- The whole traditional directional sign can be maintained on C and U class roads and maintenance can be undertaken by removing the post, as long as points 2 and 3 are not contradicted.
Agreement to take on maintenance:
Alternatively, the Parish or Town Council can take over responsibility for all fingerposts in their area through an agreement, please contact us contracts.managementgroup@eastsussex.gov.uk if you would like to take this option forward.
How to apply for Match Funding:
- photographs of the fingerpost in its current state
- a copy of a quote for new materials/post obtained from a Contractor
- details of the exact location of the post
- Completed application form (next page)
Please complete the fingerpost application form and submit to: contracts.managementgroup@eastsussex.gov.uk, where the information will be reviewed, and the Parish’s/Town’s Application will be considered.