SCOTTISH transport chiefs are struggling to spell the names of well-known towns on road signs.
Several signs have had to be scrapped and redone as a result of spelling blunders, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.
In other cases, the numbers of roads were mixed up and two signs had to be redone to add gaelic names.
Quango Transport Scotland, which is responsible for road signs, admitted that a sign on the A9, north of Bruar, had to be changed because Dalwhinnie had been mis-spelled.
The community, famous for its whisky distillery, was spelled “Dalwinnie” on the sign.
The Scottish Borders community of Hawick, a well-known mill town which recently hit the headlines after it turned up in video game hit, GTA 5, was at the centre of another blunder.
Transport Scotland’s recent attempt at a new sign post on the A7 added an “r”, making it “Harwick”.
Also on the A9, two signs risked sending drivers on a wild goose chase because they had the A923 as the A922.
Thankfully, the mistakes were spotted and new road signs ordered before drivers took a 15-mile tour to Perth rather than Dunkeld.
The Scottish government’s policy of bilingual road signs meant two signs on the had to be done again.
The A82 Spean Bridge and A835 Braemore were scrapped to make way for new versions including gaelic.
Transport Scotland refused to reveal the cost of the sign changes.
Eben Wilson of Taxpayer Scotland, said: “Wasting money through bad spelling is incredibly silly, but it could be stamped out if some of the Transport Scotland managers got their road atlases out, that doesn’t seem like too much to ask.
“It sounds like somebody has to go back to school.”
Several Scottish councils have been caught out by spelling errors on their road signs in the past.
Glasgow City Council were forced to replace a sign for the Crowne Plaza hotel, after they spelled it “Crown.”
Dundee City Council blamed a “typing error” after they had to replace a sign which displayed Drumlanrig Drive, instead of the correct Drumlanrig Place.
