Editing Route number (section)

====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 Though the National Highway system has been superseded in subsequent legislation, National Highway route markers are still used on many of the routes.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" />