A call to local councils by traffic safety organisation Veilig Verkeer Nederland (VVN) to rid the country of superfluous road signs is not being picked up, creating confusion and dangerous situations instead of guidance, the organisation has said.

The VVN says 20% of the country’s three million official road signs can go. Instead of using uniform signs and road markings, local councils invent their own, a spokesman for the VVN told the Telegraaf.

“Incomprehensible road signs, dozens of different road markings and coloured zebra crossing are making it difficult for road users to immediately know what they are expected to do. If you have to think about it, chances are you will make a mistake,” he said.

Another reason to promote uniformity is that according to European guidelines, self-driving cars should be able to recognise road signs by 2025.

“Only legally approved road signs will be read by the cars. That means all well-meaning and invented warnings with Miffy drawings will not be seen and the car will not adjust its behaviour as a result,” director Jaques Goddijn, of sign makers HR Groep Streetcare told the paper.

Some local councils, such as Den Bosch, have made a start removing superfluous signs. It is adapting some 27,000 road signs so the Intelligent Speed Assistant (ISA), which has been a mandatory feature of all new cars since 2022, can read them, while at the same time removing hundreds of “superfluous and fantasy signs”, traffic specialist Alwin Quirijns said.

“We are hoping to create a calmer and safer traffic environment for users,” he said.