In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, emergency diversion routes, or formally off-network tactical diversion routes are planned road traffic routes that bypass the main trunk road network. Emergency diversion routes provide the public, where possible, with a planned, checked and agreed junction to junction diversion route that circumnavigates an incident which has resulted in the closure of the main carriageway. In some other locations suitable diversion routes are not possible; this then requires

National Highways National Highways, formerly the Highways Agency and later Highways England, is a government-owned company charged with operating, maintaining and improving motorways and major A roads in England. It also sets highways standards used by all f ...

and its partners to implement alternative tactics such as strategic signs and signals. These are managed by the National Traffic Control Centre (NTCC). Emergency diversion routes are marked with

road sign Traffic signs or road signs are signs erected at the side of or above roads to give instructions or provide information to road users. The earliest signs were simple wooden or stone milestones. Later, signs with directional arms were introduce ...

s in the form of simple geometric shapes – open and filled circles, squares, and diamonds. Normally, these additions to roadsigns will be ignored by drivers. When an incident closes a motorway or trunk road, police and

National Highways traffic officer National Highways traffic officers, previously Highways Agency traffic officer (HATO), are a part of National Highways. In April 2004, Highways Agency traffic officers began working alongside police on motorways in the West Midlands. The n ...

s can activate 'trigger signs' at junctions before a closure advising traffic as to which symbol to follow around the incident along an alternative road and bring road users back onto the motorway or main road at a later junction beyond the closure. The signs used for these routes can be found in the publication ''Know your Traffic Signs''.

Emergency diversion route symbols

Solid versions

EDR Symbol - Solid Circle.svg, Solid circle EDR Symbol - Solid Square.svg, Solid square EDR Symbol - Solid Triangle.svg, Solid triangle EDR Symbol - Solid Diamond.svg, Solid diamond

Hollow versions

EDR Symbol - Hollow Circle.svg, Hollow circle EDR Symbol - Hollow Square.svg, Hollow square EDR Symbol - Hollow Triangle.svg, Hollow triangle EDR Symbol - Hollow Diamond.svg, Hollow diamond

Related signs

UK traffic sign 2716.svg, Diversion trigger sign – the

M1 Motorway The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the country was the Preston By-pass, which ...

is closed ahead, follow the 'hollow diamond' diversion to arrive at back the M1 after the closure.

Emergency diversion route symbols

Solid versions

Hollow versions

Related signs

References

See also