Editing Traffic sign

{{Short description|Signboard displaying information for road users}}
{{Redirect|Signpost|the English Wikipedia's newspaper|The Signpost|other uses|Signpost (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|Street sign|signs to identify named roads|Street name sign}}

[[File:A2Warrego.png|thumb|right|A "[[Mileage sign|route confirmation]]" sign on the [[Warrego Highway]] in [[Queensland]], Australia, informing motorists of their distance (in [[kilometer|kilometres]]) from the places listed]]
[[File:Sturminster Marshall, new signage on the A350 - geograph.org.uk - 1741455.jpg|thumb|right|[[Fingerpost]]s and other road signage in the English village of [[Sturminster Marshall]], near [[Poole]]]]'''Traffic signs''' or '''road signs''' are [[signage|signs]] erected at the side of or above [[road]]s to give instructions or provide information to road users. The earliest signs were simple wooden or stone [[Milestone|milestones]]. Later, signs with directional arms were introduced, for example the [[fingerpost]]s in the United Kingdom and their [[Saxon post milestone|wooden counterparts in Saxony]].
[[File:Traffic sign in London.png|alt=Traffic sign in London|thumb|Traffic sign in London]]
With traffic volumes increasing since the 1930s, many countries have adopted [[Pictogram|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.
[[File:Road sign in Åland.jpg|thumb|right|Road sign for [[roundabout]] leading to highways [[Åland Islands Highway 1|1]], [[Åland Islands Highway 2|2]] and [[Åland Islands Highway 3|3]] in [[Mariehamn]], Åland]]
[[File:Remote areas ahead.jpg|thumb|right|Sign in Australia reminding drivers to carry adequate supplies before entering [[Deserts of Australia|remote areas]]]]

==International conventions==
International conventions such as [[Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals]] and [[Geneva Convention on Road Traffic]] have helped to achieve a degree of uniformity in traffic signing in various countries.<ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/203662/traffic-signs-manual-chapter-01.pdf Traffic Signs Manual Introduction 1982]</ref> Countries have also unilaterally (to some extent) followed other countries in order to avoid confusion.

==Categories==
[[File:Kuh-Warnung.jpg|thumb|Sign warning of cattle crossing in a rural road of [[Madeira|Madeira Island]], Portugal]]

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 sign]]s
* B. [[Priority signs]]
* C. [[Prohibitory traffic sign|Prohibitory]] or restrictive signs
* D. [[Mandatory sign]]s
* E. [[Special regulation sign]]s
* F. Information, facilities, or service signs
* G. [[Direction, position, or indication sign]]s
* H. Additional panels

[[Image:Saskatchewan highway 663 ends.JPG|thumb|Five or more signs may be displayed on one post. Here a [[Canada|Canadian]] end-of-road marker appears together with a rural airport sign.]][[File:Traffic sign in jordan2.jpg|thumb|Speed limit traffic sign in [[Jordan]]|293x293px]]

In the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand signs are categorized as follows:
* [[Regulatory sign]]s
* [[Warning sign]]s
* Guide signs
** [[Street name sign]]s
** [[Highway shield|Route marker]] signs
** [[Limited-access road|Expressway]] signs
** [[Freeway]] signs
** [[Welcome sign]]s
** Informational signs
** [[Recreation]] and [[culture|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 marker (roads)|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 {{convert|1000|m}} from the actual interchange. After that sign, one or two additional advance directional signs typically follow before the actual interchange itself.

==History==
[[File:20140822 kuninkaantien-mailimerkki ore-e-ref c q xxx e-1-a hevoslinja pho.jpg|thumb|An old road sign of the [[King's Road (Finland)|King's Road]] between [[Perniö]] and [[Ekenäs, Finland|Ekenäs]] in [[Finland]]]]
The earliest road signs were [[milestone]]s, giving distance or direction; for example, the [[Roman Empire|Romans]] erected stone columns throughout their empire giving the distance to Rome. According to Strabo, [[Maurya Empire|Mauryas]] erected signboards at distance of 10 [[Stadion (unit)|stades]] to mark their roads.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Prasad|first=Prakash Charan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RSW8az3Q_dEC|title=Foreign Trade and Commerce in Ancient India|date=1977|publisher=Abhinav Publications|isbn=978-81-7017-053-2|pages=117|language=en}}</ref> 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 sign]]s 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 [[Alfama|the neighborhood of Alfama]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Antanho) |first=J. E. Fraga Aurélio (lisboa De |date=2016-02-21 |title=Lisboa de Antigamente: Rua do Salvador |url=https://lisboadeantigamente.blogspot.com/2016/02/rua-do-salvador.html |access-date=2025-02-22 |website=Lisboa de Antigamente}}</ref>

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 organization]]s 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 World Road Congress in [[Paris]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2015}} 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://magazine.northeast.aaa.com/daily/life/aaa/where-did-the-first-road-signs-come-from/|title=Where Did the First Road Signs Come From?|date=2019-12-18|website=Your AAA Network|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-21}}</ref>

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 [[Retroreflector|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.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

<gallery widths="200" heights="200" class="center">
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:<br>''Year of 1686. [[Peter II of Portugal|His Majesty]] commands all [[coach (vehicle)|coach]]es, [[carriage]]s and [[litter (vehicle)|litter]]s coming from Salvador's entrance to back up to the same part''
</gallery>

== Typefaces ==
{{see also|Public signage typefaces|Traffic signs by country#Typefaces}}
[[Typeface]]s used on traffic signs vary by location, with some typefaces being designed specifically for the purpose of being used on traffic signs and based on attributes that aid viewing from a distance. A typeface chosen for a traffic sign is selected based on its readability, which is essential for conveying information to drivers quickly and accurately at high speeds and long distances.

Factors such as clear letterforms, lines of copy, appropriate spacing, and simplicity contribute to readability. Increased [[X-height]] and [[Counter (typography)|counters]] specifically help with letter distinction and reduced [[halation]], which especially affects aging drivers. In cases of halation, certain letters can blur and look like others, such as a lowercase "e" appearing as an "a", "c", or "o".<ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-08-30 |title=The Road to Clarity - The New York Times |work=The New York Times |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/magazine/12fonts-t.html?pagewanted=all |access-date=2024-04-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830013920/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/magazine/12fonts-t.html?pagewanted=all |archive-date=2017-08-30 |last1=Yaffa |first1=Joshua }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Technical Report Documentation |vauthors=((Texas A&M Transportation Institute )) |year=2014 |url=https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/research-innovation-system-information/documents/f0017175-final-report-task-2289.pdf |access-date=11 April 2024 |publisher=State of California Department of Transportation}}</ref>

===Dispute of standard typefaces for North American traffic signs===

In 1997, a design team at T.D. Larson Transportation Institute began testing [[Clearview (typeface)|Clearview]], a typeface designed to improve readability and halation issues with the FHWA Standard Alphabet, also known as [[Highway Gothic]], which is the standard typeface for highway signs in the U.S.<ref>{{Citation |title=Highway Gothic vs Clearview: Battle of the U.S. Road Sign Fonts |vauthors=((Pund, D.)) |year=2019 |url=https://www.caranddriver.com/features/columns/a28903239/us-highway-sign-fonts/}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Research |vauthors=((ClearviewHWY)) |url=https://www.clearviewhwy.com/home/research/}}</ref>

The adoption of Clearview for traffic signs over Highway Gothic has been slow since its initial proposal. Country-wide adoption faced resistance from both local governments and the [[Federal Highway Administration]] (FHWA), citing concerns about consistency and cost, along with doubts of the studies done on Clearview’s improved readability. As stated by the FHWA, "This process (of designing Clearview) did not result in a necessarily better set of letter styles for highway signing, but rather a different set of letter styles with increased letter height and different letter spacing that was not comparable to the Standard Alphabets."<ref name=":0">{{Citation |title=Report on Highway Guide Sign Fonts |vauthors=((U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Transportation Operations)) |year=2018 |url=https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/interim_approval/ia5rptcongress/ia5rptcongress.pdf}}</ref>

The FHWA allowed use of Clearview to be approved on an interim basis as opposed to national change, where local governments could decide to submit a request to the FHWA for approval to update their signs with Clearview, but in 2016 they rescinded this approval, wanting to limit confusion and inconsistency that could come from a mix of two typefaces being used. In 2018, they again allowed interim approval of Clearview, with Highway Gothic remaining the standard.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Citation |title=Design and Use Policy for Clearview Alphabet |vauthors=((FHWA)) |year=2018 |url=https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/clearviewdesignfaqs/index.htm}}</ref>

==Automatic traffic sign recognition==
Cars are beginning to feature cameras with automatic [[traffic sign recognition]], beginning 2008 with the [[Opel Insignia]]. It mainly recognizes speed limits and no-overtaking areas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/lifestyle/autos/news/article_1415817.php/Opel_Insignia_to_feature_traffic_sign_recognition_system |title=Opel Insignia to feature traffic sign recognition system |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026074935/http://www.monstersandcritics.com/lifestyle/autos/news/article_1415817.php/Opel_Insignia_to_feature_traffic_sign_recognition_system |archive-date=2010-10-26 }}</ref> It also uses GPS and a database over speed limits, which is useful in the many countries which signpost city speed limits with a city name sign, not a speed limit sign.

==Image gallery==
<gallery class="center">
Vienna Convention road sign C3m-V3-1-EA.svg|Road sign in Europe: no vehicles carrying [[explosives]]
Nome Alaska road sign.jpg|Sign north of [[Nome, Alaska]], providing warning of the road, unpopulated area beyond
After Whiskey Driving Risky.jpg|Humorous [[Project Himank#Road signs|Himank sign]] in [[Lahaul]], India
Urbanistic life.jpg|Pedestrian crossing sign in [[Finland]]
Vienna Convention road sign Aa-15b-V1.svg|A sign for wild animals such as [[deer]]. Germany, Poland, Latvia, Spain and Turkey use a very similar sign.
Röttingen an der Romantischen Straße.jpg|''[[Romantic Road]]'' sign in southern Germany 
03874jfPasig City Boundary Buting Bridge School Creek Monument East Rembo Makati Cityfvf 16.jpg|Pedestrian crossing Slow sign in Buting, Pasig, [[Philippines]]
Turkey road sign B-13a 02.svg|A [[Turkey|Turkish]] motorway [[mileage sign]]
On the way to Chicanna - Sign on Highway 186, Campeche, Mexico.jpg|Sign close to Chicana on the [[Mexican Federal Highway 185|Mexican Federal Highway 186]], Campeche, Mexico
Taiwan road sign Art025.3.png|The design specifications for a [[Taiwan]]ese sign warning of double bends ahead. Translated directly, it means that there are winding roads for the next ten kilometres.
Southbound lane on Jianguo Rd Exit of Kaohsuing IC on the Taiwan No2 National Highway.JPG|A group of green-coloured directional signs on the [[National Highway No. 1 (Taiwan)|National Highway No. 1]] in [[Kaohsiung]], Taiwan
STOP sign.jpg|Stop sign in Australia
2015-01-13 13 35 03 Traffic signal ahead sign on South 5th Street (Nevada State Route 227) in Elko, Nevada.JPG|Traffic signal ahead sign in the United States
Señalización ceda el paso.jpg|A [[yield sign]] in [[Mexico]]
Modřanská, smyčka Dvorce.jpg|A sign indicating [[Traffic enforcement camera#Speed limit enforcement|speed limit enforcement]] ahead in the [[Czech Republic]]
BG-road-sign-mistake.jpg|Grammar mistake on a road sign in [[Sofia]], [[Bulgaria]]. The third word should be spelled 'целия'
Signs-1030786, Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry, Ireland.jpg|Three vertical bilingual Irish-English directional fingerposts
</gallery>

==Rail traffic==
Rail traffic has often a lot of differences between countries and often not much similarity with road signs. Rail traffic has professional drivers who have much longer education than what's normal for road driving licenses. Differences between neighboring countries cause problems for cross border traffic and causes need for additional education for drivers.

==See also==
{{Commons category|Road signs}}
{{Wiktionary|signpost}}
{{Wikivoyage|Road signs}}
{{div col|colwidth=23em}}
* [[Button copy]]
* [[Exit number]]
* [[Fingerpost]]
* [[Gantry (transport)]]
* [[Glossary of road transport terms]]
* [[List of public signage typefaces]]
* [[Road surface marking]]
* [[Traffic#Rules of the road|Rules of the road]]
* [[Street sign theft]]
* [[Tourist sign]]
* [[Traffic light]]
* [[Traffic signs by country]]
* [[Traffic sign design]]
* [[Variable-message sign]]
* [[Warning sign]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{Traffic signs}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Traffic signs| ]]
[[Category:Road safety]]
[[Category:Street furniture]]
[[Category:Symbols]]