Having a laugh, the man always with one for the road
THEY’VE put a smile on thousands of faces - the quirky, pithy and witty messages on electronic roads signs across the region.
Now the man behind such classics as (when United played Barcleona) Pique Time Will be Messi can be revealed.
Graham Banks is the man with his fingers on the buttons who has injected a bit of humour onto the 60-odd traffic information screens across Greater Manchester.
With the rest of the information team at Transport for Greater Manchester in Piccadilly Place, he thinks of humourous ways to get across more serious messages to commuters. Such as when the Spice Girls landed in Manchester when commuters were entertained with a re-write of
‘Who Do You Think You Are.’ Tram it, bus it, walk it, bike it. Who do you think you are? Train it, ride it, move it, plan it. Show us how good you are!
Graham said: “The concert ones are really good fun because everyone is in a good mood and wants to have a bit of fun,”
Graham’s favourite was a play on words of Beautiful South’s Perfect Ten, when Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott performed in Stockport.
“She’s a perfect 10, but she wears a 12, baby take the 192 with me,” the sign said, in an effort to encourage people to take the bus.
Most importantly for the team, the signs have got people actively engaging with travel advice.
Data shows commuters are adjusting their journeys accordingly. For example, after the Messi sign went up, there was a 20pc reduction in people travelling during rush-hour, meaning the roads were less congested. Graham said: “In the past, they would say ‘football match, expect delays.’
“Or ‘don’t drink and drive on our roads.’ Important messages, but a bit mundane.
“We decided to have a little play with the wording on them and see what got the best response.
“We got some positive feedback so we thought ‘let’s take it to the next level’ - so here we are now.”
Some of the messages, especially when football is involved, have tested the boundaries with fans’ ability to laugh at themselves.
Graham added: “I think it’s very Mancunian, very northern.
“As the old saying goes
‘we like to do things a bit differently here,’ and we are, and it’s working.”