Comparison_of_European_road_signs

Comparison of European road signs

Comparison of European road signs

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European traffic signs present relevant differences between countries despite an apparent uniformity and standardisation. Most European countries refer to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals. The convention has been adopted by the following countries (including acceding states): Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey,[1] Ukraine and the United Kingdom. The convention has not been adopted by Ireland, Iceland or Malta.

Example of a Swiss road sign

Differences between European traffic signs

French sign showing the difference between French and Swiss motorway sign colours, on the A411 near Geneva

The main differences relate to

  • Graphic design details
  • Local regulatory significance
  • The colour-coding of directional signs
  • Local language texts (sometimes bilingual)
  • The meaning and colour-coding of horizontal road surface markings

Graphic differences

  • Warning signs in Ireland are yellow and diamond-shaped (as in the Americas, Australasia, and some east Asian countries), and thus differ from the white or yellow, red-bordered, triangular signs found in the rest of Europe
  • The design of individual pictograms (tunnel, pedestrian, car, etc.), while broadly similar, often varies in detail from country to country
  • Type of arrows may be different
  • Fonts of written words

Differences of directional and informatory signage

The colour, shape, text style (bold, capitals etc.), or even an additional sign (pictogram, route number, etc.) of the signage give information about the road class of the indicated route.

More information Country, Primary routes ...
  1. [c 1]
    Used to indicate locations like regions, city centres, city districts and tourist locations. In reality, there is no clearcut and consistent usage of the white on green signs; for city centres and city districts, black on white signals are often preferred if the roads leading to them are primary roads.
  2. [c 2]
    The directional signs to motorways are white on green, whereas the directional signs on motorways are white on blue. Compare sign F31 of the Belgian Road Code in green (a directional sign to a motorway, but not on a motorway) with the other directional signs in blue (especially F15, F25, F27 and F29, all of which are also used in blue on motorways): "Code de la route - Article 71. Signaux d'indication (F1-F31)". Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  3. [c 3]
    Used for services and objects like stations, hospitals etc. See: Pravilnik o turističkoj i ostaloj signalizaciji na cestama. Retrieved on 2022-08-07.
  4. [c 4]
    Directional signs that are mounted overhead on multi-lane primary roads are white on blue.
  5. [c 5]
    Used to indicate specific directions
  6. [c 6]
    German traffic law does not know the category of "expressways", but there are certain roads commonly referred to as "autobahnähnliche Straßen" ("roads similar to motorways") which, while not being "motorways" in a legal sense, have a very similar profile to motorways. The signs on such roads are not white on blue (like on motorways), but normally black on yellow like on most other primary roads and, in exceptional cases, black on white like on local roads.
  7. [c 7]
    National primary & secondary roads. Route numbers are written in yellow.
  8. [c 8]
    Regional & local roads
  9. [c 9]
    On non-motorways only
  10. [C 10]
    Certain town names may be abbreviated, in this case for Figueira da Foz
  11. [C 11]
    Regional destinations and cardinal directions are written fully in uppercase (e.g. "ALGARVE" or "NORTE"), with the text and background colors being accordingly with the type of road
  12. [C 12]
    Next to AUTOPISTA also used for AUTOVÍA and AUTOBIA
  13. [C 13]
    Vía reservada para automóviles
  14. [C 14]
    vía rápida
  15. [C 15]
    carretera convencional
  16. [C 16]
    There is no expressway class of road in the UK
  17. [C 17]
    Regional destinations consist of upper case cardinal destinations and regions (e.g. "The NORTH" or "The SOUTH WEST") and are only used on motorway and primary road signs

Differences in meanings

Irish rural speed limit sign on a local road
  • Sometimes similar signs have minor differences in meanings, following the local traffic codes. For example, the Irish "rural speed limit" sign for local tertiary roads takes the appearance of that used to denote the end of all previously signed restrictions used elsewhere in Europe. However this sign, which is always accompanied with a "SLOW" supplementary plate, actually indicates a speed limit of 80 km/h.[2]
  • Another example is the United Kingdom's "pass either side" sign, which has a more specific meaning. Unlike many countries, the sign indicates that drivers may pass on either side of an obstacle, such as a traffic island, to reach the same destination.[3]
  • All European countries use the metric system (distances in kilometres or metres; speeds in kilometres per hour; heights, widths and lengths in metres; weights in tonnes) with the exception of the United Kingdom, where distances and speeds are still indicated in imperial measurements (miles or yards and miles per hour). Since 2016, on width and height limit signs both metric and imperial measurements are used (metres and feet & inches), however older signs still show imperial-only measurements [citation needed]. Weight limits have been expressed in metric tonnes since 1981, but signs continued to use an upper case "T" until 2011.

Road surface markings

  • Longitudinal lines (lanes and margins) and symbols on the carriageway are always white (but in Norway a yellow line separates two-way traffic and in Ireland edge lines are yellow). Temporary markings are yellow in Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, but red/orange in Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Russia, and white in the United Kingdom.
  • A stop line is always represented by a white thick traversal continuous line, but a give way line may be represented by a white thick dashed line as rectangles (Germany, France, Spain) or by a double-dashed line (United Kingdom) or by a white line of triangles (Austria, Italy, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland). In Ireland, give way markings are represented by a single dashed line; on one way streets and entrances to roundabouts it is instead represented by a combination of a single solid line and a single dashed line.
  • A disc (time-limited) parking place is identified by white lines in Germany and by blue lines in Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, France, Spain, and Switzerland. A chargeable parking place is identified by white lines in Germany, France, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, and Switzerland and by blue lines in Italy, Spain and Russia. A parking place reserved for disabled people is bordered in white in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom; in yellow in Italy, Liechtenstein and Switzerland; and in blue in France. Other reserved parking places (bus, taxis) are bordered with yellow lines in Italy, Liechtenstein, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, but with white lines in Germany.
  • The prohibition of roadside parking can be indicated by a yellow continuous line (Spain, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom), by a yellow dashed line (Austria,[4] the Netherlands and France), by a yellow dashed line with X's (Liechtenstein and Switzerland), a white continuous line (Italy), or else by black-and-white (the Netherlands) or a black-and-yellow (the Netherlands and Italy) kerb markings. Only in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland does a double yellow line (as well as a white zig-zag line in the vicinity of pedestrian crossings) mean "no parking at any time".
  • The prohibition of stopping / waiting can be indicated by a yellow continuous line (Austria, the Netherlands, France, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Russia), and in (certain cities of) the United Kingdom by a red continuous line (with double red lines extending the meaning to "no stopping at any time). In the United Kingdom, a yellow zig-zag line near hospitals, police stations, and schools means "no stopping".

Different typefaces in texts

A sign with the use of Transport font in Icelandic

In Albania, Andorra, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Monaco, Russia, San Marino, Sweden, and Ukraine, destinations on direction signs are written in capital letters. In Ireland, they are written in all-capital letters in English and in mixed-case letters in Irish. In Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein. Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Switzerland both capital and lowercase are used. In Spain, destinations reached by motorway are written in capital and lowercase, while those reached by other roads are written in capital letters. In the United Kingdom and Portugal, regional destinations names and cardinal directions are written in capital letters, while the remaining destinations names are written in capital and lowercase.

Table of traffic signs comparison

Priority

See also: Priority signs
More information Austria, Belgium ...

Warning

More information Austria, Belgium ...

Prohibitory

More information Austria, Belgium ...

Mandatory

More information Austria, Belgium ...

Special regulations

More information Austria, Belgium ...

Indication

More information Austria, Belgium ...

De-restriction

More information Austria, Belgium ...

Built-up area limits

Under the Vienna Convention the begin and end built-up area signs imply a change between built-up area and rural traffic rules including speed limit. In many European countries the dark background with light coloured text version of the sign is intended for information only.[17] Poland uses white text on a green background (E-17a/E18a) to show the political boundary of a place as information and uses the black on white pictogram version (D-42/D-43) to designate the change of traffic rules.[18]

More information Austria, Belgium ...

See also

Notes

  1. [N 1]
    For mini-roundabouts
  2. [N 2]
    Plate below danger sign reads one of either: German: Nebel, French: brouillard, Italian: nebbia
  3. [N 3]
    Used with an exceptions supplementary plate.
  4. [N 4]
    Also applies to mopeds with a maximum design speed of 25 km/h.
  5. [N 5]
    Also applies to sets of axles not more than 1 metre apart.
  6. [N 6]
    Mini-roundabouts only.
  7. [N 7]
    Always produced on non-urban roads, in urban settings only, if badly visible; mandatory priority given to pedestrians – always applicable on any pedestrian crossings even without sign.
  8. [N 8]
    The square tunnel sign is used in advance of and at the entrance of the tunnel. The colour of the tunnel sign containing the tunnel name depends on the classification of the route where it is placed.
  9. [N 9]
    Indicates hospital with emergency station open 7/24.
  10. [N 10]
    Means only presence of hospital, rest home, or the like. Is an educated indication to be quiet and to drive carefully.
  11. [N 11]
    The sign may be rectangular or circular, colours can be varied and the names and logos of bus operators may be added.
  12. [N 12]
    The circular sign is used to indicate on-street parking, while the square-shaped sign indicates off-street parking.
  13. [N 13]
    May only be used with an appropriate warning sign.
  14. [N 14]
    Green for national roads and white for regional and local roads.
  15. [N 15]
    The presence of an entry sign of a town or village is often accompanied with a speed limit; normally the generally valid speed limit of 50 km/h. Sign no. 2.30.1
  16. [N 16]
    The name above the horizontal line is the name of the next village or town (not the name of the current place), the name(s) below the line mention the next major settlement(s), and optionally, the distance to them.

Sources

  • European Standard for Traffic Signs - EN 12899-1:2001 Fixed, Vertical Road Traffic Signs – Part 1: Fixed Signs, Requirements

References

  1. [1]
    Erkut Kırmızıoğlu (2010). Analysis of comprehension of traffic signs: a pilot study in Ankara, Turkey (Master of Science thesis). Middle East Technical University. hdl:11511/20158.
  2. [2]
    "The rural speed limit sign" (PDF). Department of Transport.
  3. [3]
    "Traffic Signs Manual Chapter 3 – Regulatory Signs" (PDF). gov.uk. Department for Transport. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  4. [4]
    "Halte- und Parkverbot". Fahrschule Fürböck (in German). Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  5. [5]
    "Межгосударственный стандарт ГОСТ 10807-78 "Знаки дорожные. Общие технические условия" (утв. постановлением Госстандарта СССР 30.08.1978 N 2401) (с изменениями и дополнениями) (не действует) | ГАРАНТ". base.garant.ru. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  6. [6]
    "Скачать ГОСТ 10807-78 Знаки дорожные. Общие технические условия". meganorm.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  7. [7]
    "СТБ 1140-2013 Технические средства организации дорожного движения. Знаки дорожные. Общие технические условия" (PDF). meganorm.ru (in Russian and Belarusian). Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  8. [8]
    "ГОСТ Р 52290-2004 Технические средства организации дорожного движения. Знаки дорожные. Общие технические требования (с Поправками, с Изменениями N 1, 2, 3)". docs.cntd.ru. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  9. [9]
    Bovtko, Sergiy (11 June 2020). "Нові дорожні знаки. Навіщо вони з'явилися і що буде далі?" (in Ukrainian). Auto RIA. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  10. [10]
    "ДСТУ 4100:2021 Безпека дорожнього руху" (PDF). zakon.isu.net.ua (in Ukrainian). 14 September 2022.
  11. [11]
    Österman, Tuomas; Miettinen, Saija; Ronkainen, Kaisa (2005). "Opastusmerkkien luettavuus" [Readability of guidance signs] (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Tiehallinto. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
  12. [12]
    "KÖZÚTI JELZŐTÁBLÁK (Y) A FELIRATOK BETŰI, SZÁMJEGYEI ÉS ÍRÁSJELEI". Magyar Közút (in Hungarian). Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  13. [13]
    Obwieszczenie Ministra Infrastruktury z dnia 9 września 2019 r. w sprawie ogłoszenia jednolitego tekstu rozporządzenia Ministra Infrastruktury w sprawie szczegółowych warunków technicznych dla znaków i sygnałów drogowych oraz urządzeń bezpieczeństwa ruchu drogowego i warunków ich umieszczania na drogach [Announcement of the Minister of Infrastructure of 9 September 2019 on the publication of the uniform text of the Minister of Infrastructure regulation on detailed technical conditions for road signs and signals as well as road safety devices and conditions for their placement on roads], Dz. U. z 2019 r. poz. 2311
  14. [14]
    European motorway numbers are not signaled in the United Kingdom
  15. [15]
    Highways in Denmark, Norway and Sweden either use exclusively the European motorway number or a primary route number
  16. [16]
    There are no motorways in Iceland and Moldova
  17. [17]
    "Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals - unece" (PDF). United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  18. [18]
    "Rozporządzenie Ministrów Infrastruktury oraz Spraw Wewnętrznych i Administracji z dnia 31 lipca 2002 r. w sprawie znaków i sygnałów drogowych". Polish Parliament. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
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