
A direction sign, more fully defined as a direction, position, or indication sign by the
Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals
The Convention on Road Signs and Signals, commonly known as the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, is a multilateral treaty to standardize the signing system for road traffic (road signs, traffic lights and road markings) in use inte ...
, is any
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 introduc ...
used primarily to give information about the location of either the driver or possible destinations, and are considered a subset of the
informative signs group. Direction signs are far more varied internationally than other classes of sign, as the Vienna Convention does not specify sizes, colours, symbols or positions of such signs.
Direction signs are the oldest type of road sign;
Plutarch
Plutarch (; , ''Ploútarchos'', ; – 120s) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''Parallel Lives'', ...
writes about milestones being placed in the 3rd century BC,
while some
fingerpost
A fingerpost (or guidepost) is a type of sign post consisting of a post with one or more arms, known as fingers, pointing in the direction of travel to places named on the fingers, often including distance information.
United Kingdom
Finge ...
s 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
date back to at least the 1690s.
However, it was not until the invention of the
motor car
A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one bil ...
at the turn of the 20th century that modern direction signs evolved, with fewer words and clear design allowing them to be read at speed.
History
Pre-automobile

The first direction signs were
milestone
A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway, railway line, canal or border, boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks like Mileage sign, mileage signs; or they c ...
s on the
Roman road
Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...
network; finding one's location on the long, straight roads was difficult, and hence, large stones were placed at intervals along the roads, giving the distance in
Roman mile
The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...
s to nearby major cities, and usually to the capitals of major provinces. As most Roman roads diverged from
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, one of the numbers was usually the distance to the
Milliarium Aureum
The ''Milliarium Aureum'' (; ), or the "Golden Milestone," was a monument, probably of marble or gilded bronze, erected by the Emperor Augustus near the Temple of Saturn in the central Forum of Ancient Rome. All roads were considered to begin ...
, a large golden milestone in the centre of Rome, although sometimes other stones, such as the
London Stone
London Stone is a historic landmark housed at 111 Cannon Street in the City of London. It is an irregular block of oolitic limestone measuring 53 × 43 × 30 cm (21 × 17 × 12"), the remnant of a once much larger object that had st ...
, were used in places where measuring distances from Rome was impossible or not useful.
The use of milestones continued following the decline of the Roman Empire. However, as trading between towns and regions increased, milestones were found to be inconvenient for giving directions at
crossroads. As a result, the fingerpost developed.
Erected by local
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
es, fingerposts were easier to read from
horseback
Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the u ...
and were cheaper to make. With the development of the
turnpike and the
stagecoach
A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...
, the
Turnpike Roads Act 1773 was passed, making signposting compulsory to allow the riders to judge their speed and prevent them from becoming lost. Similar signs were developed in other countries and remained in use until the early-20th century, when development of the motor car made the small and often wordy signs impractical.
Modernisation

Most early direction signs were based on the traditional styles in use in area; the United Kingdom used adapted,
cast iron
Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...
fingerposts for signing directions,
while the United States adopted an ad hoc scheme based on traditional trail markings. These proved unwieldy, and modernisation efforts quickly sprang up to change them. However, the changes faced opposition, both from traditionalists who preferred the style or charm of older signs, and from businesses along affected routes, which feared that standardised direction signs would favour the new
highway
A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights of way. In the United States, it is also used as an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or ...
s, causing rural routes to fade into obscurity.
The advent of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
halted sign modernisation efforts across Europe, however, and governments removed direction signs from their road networks – fearing that they would assist enemy spies and/or invading forces. The end of the war, on the other hand, presented itself as an opportunity, seized by many European nations, to set about redeveloping their directional signage systems.
The construction of high-speed
motorway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...
s meant that traditional road signs were no longer practical, and so new, modern signs with bold,
sans serif
In typography and lettering, a sans-serif, sans serif (), gothic, or simply sans letterform is one that does not have extending features called "serifs" at the end of strokes. Sans-serif typefaces tend to have less stroke width variation than ...
typeface
A typeface (or font family) is a design of Letter (alphabet), letters, Numerical digit, numbers and other symbols, to be used in printing or for electronic display. Most typefaces include variations in size (e.g., 24 point), weight (e.g., light, ...
s and diagrams indicating lanes and sliproads ahead were developed. The British
Worboys Committee
The Worboys Committee was formed by the British government to review signage on all British roads. In its July 1963 report ''Traffic signs: report of the committee on traffic signs for all-purpose roads'', it found existing road signs to be ob ...
(established in 1963) went even further, creating signs with detailed diagrams of junction layouts. Such signs have now been in use almost unchanged for over half a century.
Design
The
Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals
The Convention on Road Signs and Signals, commonly known as the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, is a multilateral treaty to standardize the signing system for road traffic (road signs, traffic lights and road markings) in use inte ...
divides the direction, position, or indication sign category into direction signs, which are only those giving distances or directions to a given location; road identification signs (also known as "
reassurance signs"), which repeat the name or number of the road, and place identification signs, which give the name of a landmark, such as a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
,
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
or
border
Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...
. Unlike the other classes of sign, direction signs remain broadly undefined by the convention; the only restrictions given are that direction signs must be either a rectangle or an arrow shaped
pentagon
In geometry, a pentagon () is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple polygon, simple pentagon is 540°.
A pentagon may be simple or list of self-intersecting polygons, self-intersecting. A self-intersecting ...
, and that they may not contain placenames in more than two languages. Additionally, direction signs on motorways must be blue or green, while temporary direction signs are yellow or orange.
As a result, different nations can have wildly different direction signs; the United States uses verbose green gantry signs almost universally in built up areas, with few diagrams beyond basic arrows,
['']Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
The ''Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways'' (usually referred to as the ''Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices'', abbreviated MUTCD) is a document issued by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the Unit ...
'' 2003 edition while the United Kingdom,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
and Iceland use signs with fewer words but detailed maps of the approaching junctions. Most areas use different colours to show different road types, but the implementation varies: the United Kingdom (and Ireland) uses full colour boards, colour-coded to match the type of road they are placed on, with relevant text highlighted within patches of other colours to indicate different road types using the
Guildford Rules.
['']Highway Code
''The Highway Code'' is the official set of information and guidance for road users in the United Kingdom. Its objective is to promote the safe and efficient use of the road network. The Code applies to al ...
'' The United States, Canada, and Australia, as well as New Zealand on the other hand almost universally use the plain green signs, but some signs use different colours to highlight certain types of destination such as
hospital
A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...
s and
rest stop
A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, Limited-access road, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names ...
s, or, in Australia and
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, that the road is a tollway.
Road signs in Israel and the Palestinian territories are of similar design to North American signage, but vary in color depending on whether the sign indicates direction for through traffic, exiting traffic, etc.
Direction signs can also be used in conjunction with other types of sign: for example, in the United Kingdom, if a
warning or
prohibitory sign appears on a direction sign, it means that the route indicated by the sign contains the hazard or prohibition sign posted.
Gallery
Icelandic-Road-Sign.png, An Icelandic road sign, with detailed directions to nearby farmsteads.
Vaajakosken liikenneympyrä.JPG, A Finnish road signs detailing directions at Vaajakoski
Vaajakoski is a district of Jyväskylä, Finland and the centre of Vaajakoski-Jyskä ward. It is located seven kilometres from the city centre on the Northern end of lake Päijänne, where it is bordered by Jyskä to the west, Sulunperä and Kau ...
's roundabout in Jyväskylä, Finland.
Road65-Freeway7.png, The Junction of Freeway 7 (Iran)
Freeway 7 (Persian: آزادراه ۷) (also known as ''Persian Gulf Highway''-آزادراه خلیج فارس) is a freeway in central Iran. It starts from Jahad Square at the south end of Kazemi Expressway and Azadegan Expressway in Tehran. It ...
and Road 65 (Iran)
Road 65 is an important transit road connecting the Northern Iran, North and Southern Iran, South of Iran.
The road travels through the provinces of Tehran province, Tehran, Markazi province, Markazi, Isfahan province, Isfahan, Fars province, Fars ...
.
Zeichen 449 - Vorwegweiser auf Autobahnen (nach RWBA), StVO 1992.svg, A simple German sign on the approach to an off ramp.
KS I-35 ex133.jpg, Signage along Interstate 35
Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican bo ...
in Emporia, Kansas
Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 24,139. Emporia lies between Topeka, Kansas, Topeka and Wichita, Kansas, Wichita ...
, USA.
Hungary road sign G-106.svg, Route confirmation sign with an indirect destination in Hungary.
Prometni znak D04.svg, An intersection in Croatia.
Tablica E-1 przed skrzyżowaniem o ruchu okrężnym.svg, Polish road sign E-1, placed before roundabout.
Reuenthal_2153.JPG, Direction signs for a minor route to a destination (white) and tourist attraction (brown) in Switzerland.
Singapore road sign - Park sign - Type II.svg, A sign indicating to a park in Singapore.
Japanese Road sign 108-3.svg, Interchange advance guide road sign in Japan.
Signs-1050059, Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry, Ireland.jpg, Fingerposts in Ireland with tourist attractions and road names.
ID Rambu petunjuk 1a1.svg, Roundabout directional sign in Indonesia.
Lithuania road sign 602.svg, Lithuanian informatory road sign.
Аттики одос - panoramio.jpg, Interchange advance guide road signs with Greek text in yellow and English text in white.
Signalisation à Rabat.JPG, Bilingual road sign in Morocco with Arabic and French text
Evacuation routes

Some areas have special
evacuation route signs that are to be followed in case of certain
disasters
A disaster is an event that causes serious harm to people, buildings, economies, or the environment, and the affected community cannot handle it alone. ''Natural disasters'' like avalanches, floods, earthquakes, and wildfires are caused by natur ...
. The signs point to routes either to safety or to less danger.
Evacuation signs are common in areas where there is a high risk of dangers such as flash
flooding
A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant concern in agriculture, civi ...
,
volcanic
A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often fo ...
activity and
lahar
A lahar (, from ) is a violent type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of Pyroclastic rock, pyroclastic material, rocky debris and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along a valley, river valley.
Lahars are o ...
,
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...
,
hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...
and
storm surge
A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...
. For example, along the Japanese shorelines, the tsunami warning signs are linked with a network of warning sirens, typically at the top of the cliff of surroundings hills.
See also
*
Bilingual sign
A bilingual sign (or, by extension, a multilingual sign) is the representation on a panel (Signage, sign, usually a traffic sign, a safety sign, an informational sign) of texts in more than one language. The use of bilingual signs is usually rese ...
*
Cairn
A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ).
Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...
*
Driver location signs
*
Exit number
An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit. In some countries, such as the United States and Canada, it is also marked on a sign ...
*
Highway location marker
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Traffic signs