A delegation from Lincoln is to meet with the Under-Secretary of
State for Transport Mike Penning, on Monday October 17, to make the
case for brown tourist signs for Lincoln to be installed alongside
the A1.
The delegation is being led by Lincoln MP Karl McCartney and it
will also include representatives from Lincolnshire County Council,
Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln BIG and the Lincolnshire Local
Enterprise Partnership.
Previous applications for brown signs have failed to get past
Department of Transport officials based in Birmingham
Mr McCartney said it is great that the Minister is willing to
hear the city's case, in person.
"We hope to tell him about how important Lincoln is a tourist
destination and the new investment that is planned. We really hope
that the Transport Minister will listen to us. Lincoln is a great
historic city and deserves to be properly signed for the thousands
of visitors which it receives each year," he said.
Lincolnshire County Council Highways Chief Paul Coathup believes
that the current signage is confusing and unhelpful to the
travelling public.
"Our research suggests that other historic cities of a
comparable size, have proper brown signs and it is not unreasonable
for Lincoln to expect the same treatment," said Mr
Coathup.
Lincoln BIG has sponsored the current signage application.
Chief Executive Matt Corrigan pointed out: "York has four large
signs visible as you travel along the A1, yet when you drive in the
direction of Lincoln, there is just one small sign saying "air
museum."
"Quite frankly, this is an affront to what Lincoln has to
offer and the efforts we have been making to get the city on the
map. It is no wonder that people say that they don't know
where Lincoln is!"
Lincoln Cathedral Chief Executive Phil Hamlyn Williams feels
that, at the very least, the Cathedral should be
signposted.
"What we are talking about is the finest Gothic building in the
world. We get thousands of visitors each year, the majority of
which travel by car, and we think that the lack of signage
adds to Lincoln's sense of isolation. Many people still have no
idea where Lincoln is and not having signs compounds this problem,"
he said.
Lincolnshire LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership) chairman Ursula
Lidbetter said: "This is such a small thing, but it is
immensely important for Lincoln and for the growth of the visitor
economy locally. Tourism is such a vital industry and to offer the
same information and signage as other comparable locations is not
unreasonable."
Miss Lidbetter pointed out that Lincolnshire County
Council, with the support of English Heritage, is poised to invest
over £18 million in developing Lincoln Castle as a
major new tourist attraction to drive up visitor numbers
The delegation is due to meet Mike Penning at the House of
Commons on Monday October 17.