Street 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 introduced, for example the fingerposts in the United Kingdom and their wooden counterparts in Saxony.

With traffic volumes increasing since the 1930s, many countries have adopted pictorial signs or otherwise simplified and standardized their signs to overcome language barriers, and enhance traffic safety. Such pictorial signs use symbols (often silhouettes) in place of words and are usually based on international protocols. Such signs were first developed in Europe, and have been adopted by most countries to varying degrees.

International conventions

Various international conventions have helped to achieve a degree of uniformity in Traffic Signing in various countries.

Categories

Traffic signs can be grouped into several types. For example, Annexe 1 of the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals (1968), which on 30 June 2004 had 52 signatory countries, defines eight categories of signs:

* A. Danger warning signs
* B. Priority signs
* C. Prohibitory or restrictive signs
* D. Mandatory signs
* E. Special regulation signs
* F. Information, facilities, or service signs
* G. Direction, position, or indication signs
* H. Additional panels

In the United States, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand signs are categorized as follows:
* Regulatory signs
* Warning signs
* Guide signs
** Street name signs
** Route marker signs
** Expressway signs
** Freeway signs
** Welcome signs
** Informational signs
** Recreation and cultural interest signs
* Emergency management (civil defense) signs
* Temporary traffic control (construction or work zone) signs
* School signs
* Railroad and light rail signs
* Bicycle signs

In the United States, the categories, placement, and graphic standards for traffic signs and pavement markings are legally defined in the Federal Highway Administration's ''Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices'' as the standard.

A rather informal distinction among the directional signs is the one between advance directional signs, interchange directional signs, and reassurance signs. Advance directional signs appear at a certain distance from the interchange, giving information for each direction. A number of countries do not give information for the road ahead (so-called "pull-through" signs), and only for the directions left and right. Advance directional signs enable drivers to take precautions for the exit (e.g., switch lanes, double check whether this is the correct exit, slow down).
They often do not appear on lesser roads, but are normally posted on expressways and motorways, as drivers would be missing exits without them. While each nation has its own system, the first approach sign for a motorway exit is mostly placed at least from the actual interchange. After that sign, one or two additional advance directional signs typically follow before the actual interchange itself.

History

The earliest road signs were milestones, giving distance or direction; for example, the Romans erected stone columns throughout their empire giving the distance to Rome. According to Strabo, Mauryas erected signboards at distance of 10 stades to mark their roads. In the Middle Ages, multidirectional signs at intersections became common, giving directions to cities and towns.

In 1686, the first known Traffic Regulation Act in Europe was established by King Peter II of Portugal. This act foresaw the placement of priority signs in the narrowest streets of Lisbon, stating which traffic should back up to give way. One of these signs still exists at Salvador street, in the neighborhood of Alfama.

The first modern road signs erected on a wide scale were designed for riders of high or "ordinary" bicycles in the late 1870s and early 1880s. These machines were fast, silent and their nature made them difficult to control, moreover their riders travelled considerable distances and often preferred to tour on unfamiliar roads. For such riders, cycling organizations began to erect signs that warned of potential hazards ahead (particularly steep hills), rather than merely giving distance or directions to places, thereby contributing the sign type that defines "modern" traffic signs.

The development of automobiles encouraged more complex signage systems using more than just text-based notices. One of the first modern-day road sign systems was devised by the Italian Touring Club in 1895. By 1900, a Congress of the International League of Touring Organizations in Paris was considering proposals for standardization of road signage. In 1903 the British government introduced four "national" signs based on shape, but the basic patterns of most traffic signs were set at the 1908 International Road Congress in Paris. In 1909, nine European governments agreed on the use of four pictorial symbols, indicating "bump", "curve", "intersection", and "grade-level railroad crossing". The intensive work on international road signs that took place between 1926 and 1949 eventually led to the development of the European road sign system. Both Britain and the United States developed their own road signage systems, both of which were adopted or modified by many other nations in their respective spheres of influence. The UK adopted a version of the European road signs in 1964 and, over past decades, North American signage began using some symbols and graphics mixed in with English.

In the U.S., the first road signs were erected by the American Automobile Association (AAA). Starting in 1906, regional AAA clubs began paying for and installing wooden signs to help motorists find their way. In 1914, AAA started a cohesive transcontinental signage project, installing more than 4,000 signs in one stretch between Los Angeles and Kansas City alone.

Over the years, change was gradual. Pre-industrial signs were stone or wood, but with the development of Darby's method of smelting iron using coke-painted cast iron became favoured in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Cast iron continued to be used until the mid-20th century, but it was gradually displaced by aluminium or other materials and processes, such as vitreous enamelled and/or pressed malleable iron, or (later) steel. Since 1945 most signs have been made from sheet aluminium with adhesive plastic coatings; these are normally retroreflective for nighttime and low-light visibility. Before the development of reflective plastics, reflectivity was provided by glass reflectors set into the lettering and symbols.

New generations of traffic signs based on electronic displays can also change their text (or, in some countries, symbols) to provide for "intelligent control" linked to automated traffic sensors or remote manual input. In over 20 countries, real-time Traffic Message Channel incident warnings are conveyed directly to vehicle navigation systems using inaudible signals carried via FM radio, 3G cellular data and satellite broadcasts. Finally, cars can pay tolls and trucks pass safety screening checks using video numberplate scanning, or RFID transponders in windshields linked to antennae over the road, in support of on-board signalling, toll collection, and travel time monitoring.

Yet another "medium" for transferring information ordinarily associated with visible signs is RIAS (Remote Infrared Audible Signage), e.g., "talking signs" for print-handicapped (including blind/low-vision/illiterate) people. These are infra-red transmitters serving the same purpose as the usual graphic signs when received by an appropriate device such as a hand-held receiver or one built into a cell phone.

Then, finally, in 1914, the world's first electric traffic signal is put into place on the corner of Euclid Avenue and East 105th Street in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 5.

File:Campidoglio - il miliarium.JPG, Roman milestone
File:SinalTransitoSalvador.JPG, 17th century traffic sign in Salvador street, Lisbon, Portugal stating which traffic should back up to give way:
''Year of 1686. His Majesty commands all coaches, carriages and litters coming from Salvador's entrance to back up to the same part''
File:Traffic Camera.svg, Speed camera sign used in Canada, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Hong Kong, Iceland, Iran, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom

Africa

Angola

Road signs in Angola are particularly modelled on the Portuguese road signs since Angola is a former Portuguese colony.

Botswana

Mauritius

Road signs in Mauritius are regulated by the Traffic Signs Regulations 1990. They are particularly modelled on the British road signs since Mauritius is a former British colony. Mauritius has left-hand traffic.

Sierra Leone

Road signs in Sierra Leone are standardized road signs and closely follow those used in Italy with certain distinctions. They are written in English.

Asia

Road signs in Asia differ by country. Typically, Asian countries closely follow Europe in terms of road sign design, which means they are influenced by both the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals and road signage standards of the European Union. In Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, road signs closely follow those used in Latin America, being influenced by both the Vienna Convention and the MUTCD, the only difference being the use of blue circle instead of the letter ''E'' or ''P''.

Asian Highway signs are marked using white letters on a dark blue background. In Turkey and Russia, European route numbers are indicated using white characters on a green rectangle and are signposted, this is not the case in many other Asian countries.

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Bangladesh

Brunei

Cambodia

In Cambodia, road signs are prescribed by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, of Cambodia. Cambodian road signage practice closely follows those used in Europe, with the exception of warning signs which follow the American MUTCD, matching the designs used in neighbouring Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Road signs in Cambodia use Helvetica for English language text.

China

A variety of road signs are used in mainland China, specified in the Guobiao standard GB 5678-2009. Most road signs in China, like warning signs, appear to adopt the practices of the ISO standards not intended for use in traffic signage, which are ISO 3864 and ISO 7010.
* Warning signs in China are triangular with a black border, yellow background and black symbol.
* Mandatory signs generally follow European conventions (circular with red border/blue circle) with some local variations.
Direction signs have these colours:
* Green for expressways
* Brown for tourist attractions
* Blue for other roads
* Occasionally, black on white is used for directions to local facilities.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong's traffic signs follow the British road sign conventions and are bi-lingual in English and Chinese (English on top, and Traditional Chinese characters at the bottom).

Macau

Road signs in Macau are inherited from pre-1994/1998 reform Portuguese road signages. They are written in Chinese and Portuguese.

Taiwan

Road signs in Taiwan are reminiscent of the early 1940s Japanese road signage, which was used in Japan itself until 1950, this means that Taiwan is lenient towards European road signs in terms of road sign design, but with some influences from road signs used in Japan and China.

Georgia

India

Road signs in the Republic of India are similar to those used in some parts of the United Kingdom, except that they are multilingual. Most urban roads and state highways have signs in the state language and English. National highways have signs in the state language and English.

Indonesia

Iran

Road signs in Iran mainly follow the Vienna Convention. Signs are in Persian and English.

Israel

Road signs in Israel mainly follow the Vienna Convention, but have some variants.

Japan

Road signs in Japan are either controlled by local police authorities under or by other road-controlling entities including Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, local municipalities, NEXCO (companies controlling expressways), under . Most of the design of the road signs in Japan are similar to the signs on the Vienna Convention, except for some significant variances, such as stop sign with a red downward triangle. The main signs are categorized into four meaning types:
* Guidance (white characters on blue in general – on green in expressways),
* Warning (black characters and symbols on yellow diamond),
* Regulation (red or blue circle, depending on prohibition or regulation),
* And instruction (mostly white characters or symbols on blue square).

Kazakhstan

Korea

Both North Korea and South Korea developed their own road signage systems.

Road signs in South Korea are standardised and regulated by the Korean Road Traffic Authority. South Korean road signage closely follows those used in Europe, but with some influences from road signs in Japan. Similar to road signs of Poland and Greece, road signs are triangular, have a yellow background and a red border. Like other countries, the signs use pictograms to display their meaning.

Road signs in North Korea differ by locale. Most of the time, they tend to closely follow China in design (but identically), and some road signs are unique to North Korea (such as an exclamation mark drawn on another sign to indicate other dangers), so they never appear elsewhere.

South Korea keeps close to the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals as South Korea is an original signatory. On the other hand, North Korea is not a signatory to the convention and instead designs its own signs, creating confusion.

Kyrgyzstan

Laos

Malaysia

Mongolia

Nepal

Pakistan

Philippines

Road signs in the Philippines are standardized in the ''Road Signs and Pavement Markings Manual'', published by the Department of Public Works and Highways. Philippine road signage practice closely follow those used in Europe, but with local adaptations and some minor influences from the US MUTCD and Australian road signs. However, some road signs may differ by locale, and mostly diverge from the national standard. For example, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has used pink and light blue in its signage for which it has been heavily criticised.

Road signs in the Philippines are classified as:
*Regulatory signs
*Warning signs
*Guide signs
*Expressway signs
*Traffic instruction signs

Regulatory road signs – other than the stop and give way signs – are generally circular, with (for prohibitions) a black symbol on a white background within a red border, or (for mandatory instructions) a white symbol on a blue background. In some cases circular regulatory signs are placed on white rectangular panels together with text supplementing their meanings.

Most warning signs display a black symbol on a white background within a red-bordered equilateral triangle. Since 2012, however, a more visibly distinctive design (taken from that used for school signs in the US) has been adopted for pedestrian-related signs: these consist of a fluorescent yellow-green pentagon with black border and symbol. Additional panels may be placed below signs to supplement their meanings.

Guide signs are divided into directional signs, service area signs, route markers, and tourist-related signs, with influence from both American and Australian practice. Directional signs use a green background with white letters and arrows. Service area signs use a blue background with white letters, arrows, and symbols. Tourist-related signs use a brown background with white letters, arrows, and symbols. The route marker sign, excluding the AH26 route marker, is based on the Australian National Route marker, but reserved for future use.

Signs on expressways mostly take elements from Australian motorway/freeway signs. Exit signs, wrong way signs and start/end of expressway signs are very similar to Australian freeway signage. Traffic instruction signs are textual signs used to supplement warning and regulatory signs.

Saudi Arabia

Road signs in Saudi Arabia frequently show their text both in Arabic and English. Road signs also indicate which part of the road is for Muslims, and which part is for non-Muslims, for instance near Mecca.

Singapore

Singapore's traffic signs closely follow British road sign conventions, although the government has introduced some changes to them.

Sri Lanka

Road signs in Sri Lanka are standardized road signs and closely follow those used in Europe with certain distinctions. A number of changes have introduced road signs that suit local roads and systems. Sri Lankan government announced by a gazette that aimed to give signage a face-lift and introduce over 100 new road traffic signs.

Thailand

Road signs in Thailand are standardised and are uniform throughout the country. Since the late twentieth century, Thai road signage practice closely follows the designs used in the United States, Europe and Japan. Road signs are often written in Thai language and display in metric units. In tourist areas, English is also used for important public places such as tourist attractions, airports, railway stations, and immigration checkpoints. Destinations on direction signage is written are written in both Thai and English.

Road signs in Thailand are classified as:

* Priority signs
* Prohibitory signs
* Mandatory signs
* Warning signs
* Direction signs

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Uzbekistan

Vietnam

Road signs in Vietnam are standardized road signs closely follow those used in China with certain distinctions. They are written in Vietnamese.

Europe

The standardization of traffic signs in Europe commenced with the signing of the 1931 Geneva Convention concerning the Unification of Road Signals by several countries. The 1931 Convention rules were developed in the 1949 Geneva Protocol on Road Signs and Signals.

In 1968, the European countries signed the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic treaty, with the aim of standardizing traffic regulations in participating countries in order to facilitate international road traffic and to increase road safety. Part of the treaty was the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, which defined the traffic signs and signals. As a result, in Western Europe the traffic signs are well standardized, although there are still some country-specific exceptions, mostly dating from the pre-1968 era.

The principle of the European traffic sign standard is that certain shapes and colours are to be used with consistent meanings:
* Triangular signs (black symbols on a white or yellow background) warn of dangers. The Vienna Convention additionally allows an alternative shape for such signs, namely a right-angled diamond – although in Europe this shape is regularly used only in the Republic of Ireland.
* Regulatory signs are round: those indicating a prohibition or limit are black on white (or yellow) with a red border; those giving a mandatory order are white on blue.
* Informational and various other secondary signs are of rectangular shape.
* The animals which may be depicted on warning signs include cattle, deer, ducks, elk, frogs, horses, sheep, monkeys (in Gibraltar), and polar bears (on Svalbard). The Convention allows any animal image to be used.

Directional signs ("guide signs" in American parlance) have not been harmonized under the convention, at least not on ordinary roads. As a result, there are substantial differences in directional signage throughout Europe. Differences apply to the choice of typeface, arrows and, most notably, colours. The convention does, however, specify that the type of directional signage used should, for each country, distinguish limited-access roads ("motorways") from ordinary, all-purpose roads.

Directional signage on motorways uses:
* white-on-green in, for example, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Italy, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey
* white-on-blue in, for example, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Ireland