Brown area signs of the Colonies of Benevolence have been displayed along several roads in Drenthe since the beginning of March. This fulfills a long-cherished wish of the province of Drenthe to draw more attention to the Colonies. This morning the arrival of the plates was celebrated with cake.
That happened in Museum De Proefkolonie in Frederiksoord. Mayors Rikus Jager (municipality of Westerveld) and Klaas Smid (Noordenveld) cut the cake, with the area signs of Veenhuizen and Wilhelminaoord/Frederiksoord on it. Deputy Nelleke Vedelaar (PvdA) looked on with a smile. “We have wanted these area signs for a long time, even before joining the UNESCO World Heritage List.”
The brown signs, which are also often seen along the road in countries such as France and Germany, are appealing. “This is also very recognizable for tourists from outside the Netherlands,” says Vedelaar. “When you see a sign like that, you know: something special is going on here.”
With an area of almost 3 by 4 meters, the signs are hard to miss. But much more is needed to make the Colonies of Benevolence visible. “This is a start,” says Vedelaar. “Because you also have to do signage on provincial roads. And that also applies to signs on cycling and walking paths.”
Fokke Koen is a traffic and transport official at the province. He still sees plenty of room for improvement. “These signs that have now been placed are aimed at motorists, but we should certainly not forget cyclists and walkers. If you are going to place signs for cyclists, you have to think about the radius in which you want to do that. Do you do that in 10 kilometers around Frederiksoord or Veenhuizen, or do you do that within a radius of 20 kilometers?”
In addition, Koen notices that Frederiksoord is indicated on the blue signs along the A32, but not from the ‘north side’ of the A28. Veenhuizen is also not signposted at the Assen-West exit, while Smilde and Norg are signposted.
The ANWB has a role to play in this, thinks Marjon Kaper. The director of ‘People & Community’ believes that better signposting is particularly important in the area of recreation. “You want to tell the story of the Colonies to the tourist. Then it must also be done well for the tourist who comes by bike.”
Kaper is happy with the signs that have been placed in Drenthe to give the areas more attention. “Certainly. We think it’s important that people who pass by here get something of the environment. A sign inspires you to discover that environment.”
Willembart Savelkoel is the designer of the board. In fact, he has already made 75 designs for area signs throughout the Netherlands. “It wasn’t difficult to get a good design in this case,” he says. “There was a good team behind it with a clear idea of what it should be.”
Savelkul prefers not to pass judgment on the board himself. “That’s up to the people driving by.” He does call the signs ‘the most expressive signs in the Netherlands’. “They are very specific and recognizable.”
But isn’t a sign obsolete in these times of Google Maps? Deputy Vedelaar thinks not. “When you explore an area, you look at the signs. That’s how you find the details and become enchanted by the beautiful area.”
Much nicer than ‘with your nose in the mobile phone’ is discovering the area by following the signs, says Vedelaar. “And that environment is beautiful. That’s how you discover it.”