Traffic Mirrors
Ceredigion County Council only considers requests for mirrors at road junctions, and cannot authorise or install mirrors at private accesses. Junctions must meet stringent criteria including severely reduced visibility and a history of collisions involving personal injury which were attributed to a lack of visibility. Part of the reason for this is that it is believed that traffic mirrors pose their own safety threats, some of which include:
- the potential for a driver’s attention to be taken away from passing cyclists and pedestrians;
- difficulty in judging the speed and distance of approaching traffic due to the convex shape of the mirror;
- dazzling caused by reflections from car headlights and the sun;
- weather conditions (e.g. rain, snow or fog) affecting the effectiveness of a mirror that drivers may have come to rely upon.
Mirrors can be installed on private land with permission of the landowner; however, they may also require planning permission, and could be removed if they are deemed to be a hazard to highway users. Mirrors that have been installed within highway limits without authorisation from the Welsh Government are liable to be removed and the cost of this charged to those responsible. It is also possible that those responsible for an unauthorised installation may be considered liable for any damage and/or injury for which the presence of the mirror may be cited as a contributory factor.