I assume that the high cost is due to the lengthy mass of information, so why don't they just state 'X road is to be X speed - deadline X date, and info at X website. That way locals who read the paper get a very basic note and all the official requirements can be located on the website pages. Job done !
Both lots of people are 'happy'.
I don't think that I have ever, looked at a Council website to refer to speed changes. Most Council websites are hard to navigate and they need to be much improved.
Article for reference :
Campaign to protect newspapers’ role in publishing traffic orders
Saturday 21st April 2012, 10:00AM BST.
Campaign to protect newspapers’ role in publishing traffic orders
Almost two-thirds of people are concerned about proposals to remove the requirement for traffic orders to be published in local newspapers, according to a new survey.
The editor of the Shropshire Star, Keith Harrison, and Telford MP David Wright are among those calling on the Government to rethink the controversial plans.
Research found that 64 per cent of adults were worried about potential changes which would mean information on traffic changes would no longer need to be published in papers.
A survey by GfK NOP on behalf of industry body the Newspaper Society also found 81 per cent of drivers expected to be made aware of traffic changes in local papers.
The Department for Transport believes lifting the requirement could help councils across the country to save £20 million a year.
It plans to let authorities use “whatever ways they consider appropriate” such as Facebook, Twitter and their own websites.
The GfK NOP research found eight times as many people had read a newspaper in the past week than had looked at their council website (32 million v 4 million adults).
More than two-thirds of those interviewed (69 per cent) thought it was important they were made aware of planned changes to local raffic routes. Local papers was the most popular way in which most people expect to be informed about traffic changes (39 per cent), with the second most popular method being street signs (26 per cent).
Only 2.6 per cent of interviewees had visited a council website to look for information about planned traffic changes in the last year.
Newspaper Society representatives presented the findings to Transport Minister Norman Baker when they met with him to raise concerns.
The Department of Transport is holding a consultation process on the plans, which closes on Monday.
The Shropshire Star has joined the Newspaper Society in opposing the plans.
In his submission to the consultation process, Star editor Keith Harrison said: “Although the proposals are made as part of a government-wide drive to reduce regulation and unnecessary expenditure, we believe they represent a serious threat to the public’s right to know.
“Local authorities may not want to risk adverse publicity over proposed changes but this information needs to get to the widest possible audience for residents to be fully involved in a transparent process.”
One former Telford estate agent, who asked not to be named, has also joined the opposition and said: “The local newspaper is a vital tool in advising the public of local issues.
“Not everyone has the wish, or is able to access other media sources, which can be time consuming and complicated. The local newspaper is an integral part of a democracy.”
The editors of the Express & Star and Shropshire Star wrote to local MPs to highlight the issue.
As a result, Telford MP David Wright wrote to minister Mr Baker suggesting that the government thinks again about the proposals.