Car and truck drivers are wide-eyed: A new traffic sign advises: “Navigation off!”. That’s behind it.
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Traffic jams are always unpopular
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In all seriousness, there is a traffic sign on the L692 between the Lüdenscheid-Nord motorway exit and Heedfelder Straße with the following text: “Navi out! Follow the U16”. This traffic sign, which is unique in Germany, asks drivers to switch off their navigation devices or to read their driving instructions Ignore it, reports the regional news portal come-on.de.
The reason for the strange traffic sign: The A45 motorway is closed here (due to the complete closure of the Rahmede Viaduct, which is to be replaced by a new building), but the navigation devices suggest detours to the car and truck drivers via secondary roads and through residential areas, which do not correspond to the required diversion U16 actually proposed by the authorities – but which is often overloaded. As a result, the navigation systems guide many vehicles over roads that are not intended for this purpose, for example because they are in residential areas. This in turn can not only annoy local residents, it can also pose a risk to children playing, for example. However, the navigation devices do not take this into account because they simply determine and display the quickest route based on the current traffic situation. In addition, the navigation devices do not yet seem to be aware of the current HGV bans.
That’s why the state road construction company in North Rhine-Westphalia developed this “Navi off” traffic sign. According to come-on, the unusual traffic sign was set up in coordination with the city of Lüdenscheid and the police. Whether car or truck drivers adhere to the recommendation is not checked. The traffic sign only gives a recommendation.
Of course we wanted to show you a photo of this unusual traffic sign. But the press office of the “Landesbetrieb Straßenbau North Rhine-Westphalia” does not have a photo of its own traffic sign… But you can see a photo of this “Navigation out!” sign in this report.
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