Editing Route number (section)

===Australia=== <!-- linked from template {{Infobox Australian road}} -->
{{Further|Highways in Australia}}
In Australia, road routes are allocated along sections of named roads, often along parts of multiple roads. Unlike many other countries, most highways in Australia tend to be referred to only by their names. State road authorities have separate numbering systems, for internal use only.

<gallery mode="packed" caption="Common route number shields used in Australia">
File:AUS Alphanumeric Route A1.svg|Alphanumeric route (used in NT, QLD, SA, VIC, TAS and partly NSW); may also be coloured orange-on-blue for tollways in VIC and QLD
File:New South Wales alphanumeric route B23.svg|Alphanumeric route (used in ACT and partly NSW; note the white border)
File:Australian national highway M31.svg|National Highway (alphanumeric): remains on old signs used in SA, QLD and Victoria
File:Australian national highway 66.svg|National Highway (numeric): used in WA and partly QLD; remains on old signs in Melbourne
File:Australian national route 80.svg|National Route: used in QLD and partly in WA and VIC; remains on old signs in ACT
File:Australian state route 100.svg|State Route: used in QLD, WA and partly VIC (also known as Metropolitan Route in Melbourne; being slowly phased out)
</gallery>

The first route marking system was introduced to Australia in the 1950s. National Routes were assigned to significant interstate routes – the most important road links in the country. National Route 1 was designated to a circular route around the Australian coastline. A state route marking system was designed to supplement the national system, for inter-regional and urban routes within states.<ref name=NAASRA /> When the National Highway system was introduced, National Routes along it became National Highway routes with the same numbers, but with distinctive green and gold route markers. Alphanumeric routes were introduced in Tasmania in 1979,<ref name=TRRC /> and during the 1990s, planning began for nationally consistent route markings, using the alphanumeric system.<ref name=Austroads97>[[Austroads]] (1997), ''[https://www.onlinepublications.austroads.com.au/items/AP-R224-03 Towards a Nationally Consistent Approach to Route Marking]''</ref> Alphanumeric routes have been introduced in most states and territories in Australia, partially or completely replacing the previous systems.<ref>{{cite web|title=Questions and answers: A better way to navigate NSW roads|url=http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/roadprojects/projects/alpha_numeric/documents/qanda_alpha_numeric.pdf|publisher=Government of New South Wales|access-date=17 November 2013|department=[[Roads & Maritime Services]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131117143727/http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/roadprojects/projects/alpha_numeric/documents/qanda_alpha_numeric.pdf|archive-date=17 November 2013|url-status=live|page=9|date=25 February 2013|quote=Most States and Territories in Australia are moving to an alpha-numeric road numbering system.}}</ref>

====National Routes and Highways====
In 1955, the Australian National Route Numbering System was introduced to simplify navigation across Australia. The National Route Numbers are marked by white shields that are present in directional signs, distance signs or trailblazers. The general rule was that odd-numbered highways travel in north–south directions and even-numbered highways in east–west directions, with only a few exceptions. [[Highway 1 (Australia)|National Route 1]] was assigned to a network of highways and roads, which together linked all capital cities and coastal towns circumnavigating the mainland. The National Route system initially linked the centres of towns and cities and terminated at the junction of other national routes, however many bypasses have been constructed since then. National Routes often terminated at the metropolitan city limits rather than the individual city centres.<ref name=NAASRA>{{Citation | author1=National Association of Australian State Road Authorities | title=Guide to the publication and policies of N.A.A.S.R.A. : current at December 1975 | publication-date=1976 | publisher=Sydney | edition=10th | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/35154905 }}</ref>

In 1974, the federal government assumed responsibility for funding the nations most important road links, with the introduction of the [[National Highway (Australia)|National Highway]].<ref>{{cite web|title=A History of Australian Road and Rail|url=http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/transport/publications/files/history_of_road_and_rail.pdf|publisher=Department of Infrastructure and Transport, Australian Government|access-date=28 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317003455/http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/transport/publications/files/history_of_road_and_rail.pdf|archive-date=17 March 2012}}</ref> These highways were marked with distinctive green and gold route marker shields instead of the plain National Route shield. Though the National Highway system has been superseded in subsequent legislation, National Highway route markers are still used on many of the routes. Additionally, National Highways and National Routes have been phased out, or are in the process of being phased out, in all states and territories except Western Australia, in favour of the alphanumeric system.<ref name=RMS>{{cite web |url=http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadprojects/projects/alpha_numeric/index.html |title=Alpha-numeric route numbers|author=[[Roads & Maritime Services]]|date=26 November 2012 |access-date=17 December 2012}}</ref><ref name=Queensland>{{cite web |url=http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/~/media/busind/techstdpubs/Manual%20of%20Uniform%20Traffic%20Control%20Devices/Compressed/mutcdamend7Part15D.pdf |title=Mutcd 2003 Amend 8 Part 15D |publisher=[[Department of Transport & Main Roads]]|access-date=3 October 2013}}</ref><ref name="MRWA signs" />

====State Routes====
Important urban and inter-regional routes not covered by the National Highway or National Route systems are marked under the State Route system. They can be recognised by blue shield markers. They were practically adopted in all states by the end of the 1980s, and in some states, some less important National Routes were downgraded to State Routes. Each state has or had its own numbering scheme, but do not duplicate National Route numbers in the same state, or nearby routes in another state.<ref name=NAASRA />
As with the National Routes and National Highways, State Routes are being phased out in most states and territories in favour of alphanumeric routes.<ref name=RMS/><ref name=Queensland/><ref name="MRWA signs" /><ref name="RMS alpha QandA" /> However, despite the fact that Victoria has fully adopted alphanumeric routes in regional areas, state route numbers are still used extensively within the city of Melbourne as a part of its [[List of old road routes in Victoria|Metropolitan Route Numbering Scheme]].<ref name="VicRoads signs" />

====Metroads====
[[File:AUS Metroad 5.svg|thumb|right|100px|Metroad route marker]]
In the 1990s in Sydney and Brisbane, urban route numbering system were streamlined under the [[Metroad]] scheme. Metroad route numbers were assigned to the key navigational corridors, along [[ring road|ring]] and radial routes, and marked by distinctive hexagonal shields.<ref name="RMS alpha QandA" /> Most Metroads have been completely or partially replaced with alphanumeric routes in Brisbane with currently only have 2 routes; Metroad 2 and Metroad 5, and they have been fully replaced by alphanumerics in Sydney.<ref name="RMS alpha QandA" />

====Alphanumeric routes====
Tasmania introduced an alphanumeric route numbering system in 1979, based on the British system from 1963. The new system aimed to upgrade the signing of destinations, including previously unmarked roads, and to simplify navigation by allowing visitors to follow numbered routes. [[Highway 1 (Tasmania)|National Highway&nbsp;1]] was retained as the only route without an alphanumeric designation.<ref name=TRRC>{{cite web |title=Tasmanian Road Route Codes: Route descriptions and focal points |url=http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/Documents/Route%20Descriptions.pdf |publisher=Government of Tasmania |author=Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water & Environment |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714161713/http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/Documents/Route%20Descriptions.pdf |archive-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=live |pages=6, 60–64 |date=January 2014 |version=Version 2.7 |access-date=10 April 2014}}</ref>
In the 1990s [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] and [[South Australia]] also overhauled their systems.{{citation needed|date=January 2014}} While South Australia discarded the National and State Route Numbering Systems, those shield-based schemes were retained in the Melbourne metropolitan area as the [[List of old road routes in Victoria|Metropolitan Route Numbering Scheme]].<ref name="VicRoads signs">{{cite web |title=Direction Signs and Route Numbering (non-Freeway) |url=http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/62F8B797-D2D1-49C9-8B8D-E40DAD6105D6/0/TEM2Ch10.pdf |work=Traffic Engineering Manual, Chapter 2 - Edition 1 |publisher=[[VicRoads]]|access-date=10 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406005845/https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/62F8B797-D2D1-49C9-8B8D-E40DAD6105D6/0/TEM2Ch10.pdf |archive-date=6 April 2016 |url-status=live |pages=21–35 |date=2001}}</ref> The route numbers used in the alphanumeric schemes were generally inherited from the original National Route Numbering System, with only a few exceptions, and prefixed with letters denoting their grade. For example, Western Freeway is M8 until Ballarat and continues beyond as A8 Western Highway. They are not used extensively in the Melbourne metropolitan area where the blue-shield metropolitan route system is retained for most routes. (They were phased out for motorways in the early 2010s. New alphanumeric numbers are appearing for other new roads, and cover plates for signs, possibly pointing to a future phase-out of the metropolitan route system altogether.) The National Highways were retained, but with the route numbers changed to alphanumeric designations (later to be passively phased out since 2014).

New South Wales and the [[Australian Capital Territory]]{{efn|The only numbered roads in the Australian Capital Territory are interstate highways from NSW and their interconnecting thoroughfares, as the Australian Capital Territory does not number its other highway or freeway grade roads.}} introduced the alphanumeric system from early 2013.<ref name=RMS/> Before being officially announced, new road signs were fitted with such numbers and then being "coverplated" with the existing route number. However, the new system does not distinguish between the former National Highways and other routes.

Alphanumeric routes have also been introduced for many major highways and urban routes in [[Queensland]], although many other roads retain markers from the National Route, National Highway, State and Metroad numbering systems. According to the New South Wales [[Roads & Maritime Services]], the Northern Territory has similarly begun converting their numbered routes to alphanumeric routes, with a "progressive replacement" scheme that sees alphanumeric route markers introduced only when signs are replaced.<ref name="RMS alpha QandA">{{cite web|title=Questions and answers: A better way to navigate NSW roads|url=http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/roadprojects/projects/alpha_numeric/documents/factsheets/qanda.pdf|publisher=New South Wales Government|access-date=16 May 2014|department=Roads & Maritime Services|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140516123848/http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/roadprojects/projects/alpha_numeric/documents/factsheets/qanda.pdf|archive-date=16 May 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> There are no plans to introduce an alphanumeric route numbering system in [[Western Australia]].<ref name="MRWA signs">{{cite web|title=Route Numbering|url=https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/BuildingRoads/StandardsTechnical/RoadandTrafficEngineering/TrafficManagement/DirectionalSignsGuidelines/Pages/Guidelines_for_Direction_Signs_in_the_Perth_Metropolitan_Area.aspx|work=Guidelines for Direction Signs in the Perth Metropolitan Area|publisher=[[Main Roads Western Australia]]|access-date=17 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021152024/https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/BuildingRoads/StandardsTechnical/RoadandTrafficEngineering/TrafficManagement/DirectionalSignsGuidelines/Pages/Guidelines_for_Direction_Signs_in_the_Perth_Metropolitan_Area.aspx|archive-date=21 October 2013|url-status=live|date=21 September 2011|quote=Main Roads has chosen to retain the shield numbering system}}</ref>

=====Prefix letters=====
In the alphanumeric systems, a letter denoting the route's construction standard and function is prefixed to the route number, creating an alphanumeric route designation. One of six letters may be used:
* "M" routes are primary traffic routes, called motorways in some states. These are typically [[dual carriageway]], [[freeway]]-standard highways, but may also be used for rural roads that are nearly at freeway-standard,<ref name="QLD signs">{{cite web|title=Part 15: Direction signs, information signs and route numbering|url=http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/~/media/busind/techstdpubs/Manual%20of%20Uniform%20Traffic%20Control%20Devices/MutcdPart15Directioninfoandroute.pdf|work=Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices|access-date=18 April 2014|publisher=Department of Transport & Main Roads|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140418113035/http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/~/media/busind/techstdpubs/Manual%20of%20Uniform%20Traffic%20Control%20Devices/MutcdPart15Directioninfoandroute.pdf|archive-date=18 April 2014|url-status=live|pages=55–56|date=14 March 2014}}</ref> or at least are dual carriageways.<ref name="VicRoads signs" />
* "A" routes are other primary highways, including urban arterials<ref name="QLD signs" /> and interstate or interregional single carriageways.<ref name="VicRoads signs" /><ref name="QLD signs" />
* "B" routes are less significant routes, either as an alternative to an "A" or "M" route, or linking smaller population centres to larger regional centres, but without being a major through-route in the region.<ref name="QLD signs" /> These are the major road links in areas without "A" routes.<ref name="VicRoads signs" />
* "C" routes link smaller settlements and towns to the rest of the major road network.<ref name="VicRoads signs" /> They are used for roads without the significance of an "M", "A", or "B" route, but where numbering would assist navigation.<ref name="QLD signs" />
* "D<nowiki>''</nowiki> routes are detour routes for motorways. There are only two of them, D1 and D5
* "R" routes are ring routes in South Australia. There is only one route, R1