New retro signs for St Albans footpath

Bleary-eyed St Albans commuters were greeted by fresh new signs on the Alban Way this week.

The traditional railway-style designs were printed on the footpath linking St Albans and Hatfield.

St Albans council head of community services, Debbi White, said: “The Alban Way is a fantastic resource for local people, and a wonderful natural habitat for wildlife.

“The on-floor signage has already attracted a lot of favourable comments.

“They are eye catching and help people find their way along the Alban Way.”

Signs have been placed at regular intervals along the route, mostly telling people they are on the Alban Way, with others to tell any lost souls what road a side path leads to.

The scheme was a joint project between St Albans council and the county’s countryside management services.

A Hertfordshire County Council spokesperson said: “The projects undertaken along the Alban Way will help improve the route for all.

“These improvements will help to promote walking, cycling and other forms of sustainable transport.”

The process used to lay the signs, which were printed on the path itself to avoid clutter, is similar to the one used to paint white lines.

The Alban Way logos in the centre of the path have special glass beads added to them which make them reflective and nonslip.

The design of the logos drew inspiration from the old Smallford railway station platform, which the route borders.

Volunteers from the Smallford Station Project were involved in the designing of the logos.

The signs are part of a series of improvements being made along the route, including new signs linking St Albans’ two railway stations, and panels giving passers-by the history of the old railway line.