A LINE between Welsh and English on road signs could help avoid “confusion” for drivers, it has been suggested. 

The idea was raised by Conservative councillor Jane Lucas who is a driving examiner and who says she can have difficulty reading information on road signs as she has dyslexia. 

She asked: “Could we put a vertical line between the English and Welsh?” 

Cllr Lucas, who raised the question as Monmouthshire County Council’s scrutiny committee considered the authority’s annual Welsh language standards monitoring report, added: “It would help people get less confused, it would certainly help me.” 

The Osbaston councillor said she often passes aroad signs before she has picked up the English wording but said a line would help her identify it: “A small thing like a line, your eye would go there, whether is above or below I’m not saying one is right or wrong.” 

Welsh language officer Nia Roberts said it was a general Welsh language standard that Welsh text has to be “higher” – so that it is read before English – on signs. 

She said knowing which language appears first should aid drivers in reading signs but any suggested change to signs would have to be looked at further. 

Pennie Walker, the council’s recently appointed equalities and Welsh language manager, said “with my equalities head on” she could raise the issue in relation to dyslexia with the department responsible for signs. 

Committee chairman, Conservative councillor for Gobion Fawr Alistair Neill said: “It wouldn’t be an unreasonable point with 83 per cent, of Monmouthshire residents, having no Welsh are they paying insufficient attention to the English?” 

He joked: “I guess we are all driving at 20 miles an hour now so have a bit longer to read them.” 

Usk independent councillor Meirion Howells said as he is bilingual it isn’t an issue for him but said others had also suggested a line on signs or “having little flags attached to them, to catch the eye.”