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One of the confusing, contradictory street signs around Westminster snapped by the West End Extra this week |
Bad signs:
more grammar gaffes
Just months after street name farce, City Hall is under fire again over apostrophe confusion
WE ALL come unstuck with those tricky apostrophes, but if anyone should have a firm grasp of what school teachers used to call “commas in the air”, the sign-makers at Westminster Council should.
Following the farce of “Kings Scholars Passage” being spelled three different ways earlier in the year (for the record, the correct spelling is King’s Scholars’ Passage) the West End Extra can now reveal more examples of linguistic Neanderthalism at City Hall.
Among the greengrocers’ apostrophes spotted in the Bayswater area are: “Bishops Bridge Road” and “Bishop’s Bridge Road”, “Lord Hill’s Bridge” and “Lord Hills Bridge”, “Prince’s Square” and “Princes Square”, “Botts Mews” and “Bott’s Mews”, “Queens Gardens” and “Queen’s Gardens” and “Kensington Garden Square” and “Kensington Gardens Square.”
The council has made light of the embarrassing gaffes, but some of the more vocal grammarians are calling for signmakers to be given a drilling in the rudiments of English grammar.
Sharp-eyed John Zammit, chairman of the South East Bayswater Residents’ Association (SEBRA), who claims not to be a “pedant”, spotted some of the blunders.
He said: “They can’t spell. They really ought to check these signs before they order them because it’s annoying for the people who have to walk past them every day. It’s usually about 20 years before they replace them. Some will say you should ban apostrophes altogether, but I don’t agree.
“There’s no reason they can’t get this right. They were given these names for a reason, some of them are named after people, and they all have historic significance. To get them wrong is bad. Perhaps the council can come along with a marker pen and draw them on?”
John Richards, from the Apostrophe Protection Society, said: “It’s pathetic the council can’t get such a simple thing right. They need lessons.
“Some people say ban them, we say get it right. Teachers spend a lot of time helping children learn how to use apostrophes then they go on to the streets and think, ‘what’s the point if the council can’t get it right?’ It’s a terrible example to set.”
Leader of the Labour group in City Hall, Paul Dimoldenberg, has swooped on the mistakes.
He said: “I wonder what the Education Commission would have thought of this?
“With a £20million hole in the council’s budget we know that the Conservatives can’t add up. Now these mistakes prove they can’t spell either.”
Martin Low, city commissioner for transportation, said: “It is disappointing that we are guilty of such inconsistencies as there is no excuse for poor grammar, on our street signs or elsewhere.
“We will replace inaccurate signs as part of our Neat Streets campaign, tidying up local roads ahead of the Olympics in 2012. If anyone spots a mistake I’d urge them to contact us so we can put it right.”
Despite the errors, the council has been putting old roadsigns to good use, by auctioning them on eBay. So far they have collected upwards of £30,000 for iconic signs such as Abbey Road, Leicester Square and Shaftesbury Avenue.
To report inaccurate signs call the Environment Action Line on 020 7641 2000.?Just months after street name farce, City Hall is under fire again over apostrophe confusion
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