Collection 100

20 facts.

The eight categories of the different road signs:

Priority
Danger warnings
Anything mandatory
Prohibition or restriction
Information, facilities or services
Direction, position or indication
Information of construction of additional features
Special regulations

There are Seven types when it comes to traffic signs, these are:

Directional signs, these are created for the purpose to show you where to go such as signs which are green in colour and are placed on a road side to show which turn off you should take to get to the direction which you desire to continue your journey. 

Warning signs, these are red in colour and are normally triangular these have a big red border around the outside and then this makes you see how important this is.

Regulatory signs, these signs have circular red borders which means they are prohibitive, whether or not they also have a diagonal red line. Circular blue signs mainly give a positive (mandatory) instruction. Such circular signs may be accompanied by, a rectangular plate (information) that provides details of the prohibition or instruction; for example, waiting and loading plates and zone entry signs giving extra details about the loading times.  

Stop signs (octagonal) and Give Way signs (inverted triangle) are the two notable exceptions, the distinctive shapes being recognizable even if the face is obscured by dirt or snow. These are very important signs hence the shape because even if they are obscured from dirt you can still understand what they mean.

Informational signs, these normally have blue text on a white background this makes it easy to read. Examples include "lane gain" and "lane drop" signs on grade-separated roads, and "IN" and "OUT" indications for accesses to private premises from the highway.

Road Work signs, these are normally signaled with a triangular, red-bordered warning format is used to indicate that there are works ahead. The graphic is of a man digging. Within the roadworks, diversions and other instructions to drivers are normally given on yellow signs with black script

Street Name signs, Legally these are not defined as traffic signs in the UK. This gives authorities flexibility on the design and placement of them. They can be fixed to a signpost, wall, lamp column, or building. The text is usually in the Transport typeface used on road signs. It is also common for street nameplates to use the serif font designed by David Kindersley.

Location Identifier signs, these are created for the use of Numbered route markers of one type or another are used to identify specific locations along a road. Historically, milestones were used, but since the early 20th century they fell into disuse. now they are placed on the side of the telephone markers which are along the road and these are used to call encase of emergency break down.

Two typefaces are specified for current British road signs: Transport and Motorway...

Transport is a mixed-case font and is used for all text on fixed permanent signs except route numbers on motorway signs. There are also two weights in this font for different purposes.

Motorway has a limited character set consisting of just numbers and a few letters and symbols needed to show route numbers; it has elongated characters and is designed to add emphasis to route numbers on motorways.

Road signs have rounded corners. This is partly for aesthetic reasons. It is also safer for anyone coming into contact with a sign, and it makes the sign more durable, as rain is less likely to corrode the corners.

Having told us of the introduction of tarmacadam etc, it seems to miss out asphalt, which was introduced around 1916 in St Albans. 

 
Letchworth Garden City was recognized as having the first roundabout on a public road in the United Kingdom, dating from circa 1909 (there are two signs on the roundabout saying "UK's First Roundabout Built circa 1909".

These are not the only signs which you can find, there are many more styles from simple shop signs and then car park signs and also bus stops. these are just some of the ways in which you can create signs to tell anything. there could be a strong design progress you can work with here. 

A road sign doesn't have to be just image or just text it can be a mix of both to clearly describe the message which is needed. 

Partially aggravated by street racing, the teenage accident rate is four times that of adults. this could be down to the lack of knowledge of the street signs or them just ignoring them but this shows how important they play when it comes to driving and navigating your way around a place/city.

On December 10, 1868, the first traffic lights were installed outside the British Houses of Parliament in London, by the railway engineer J. P. Knight. They resembled railway signals of the time, with semaphore arms and red and green gas lamps for night use. The gas lantern was turned with a lever at its base so that the appropriate light faced traffic. Unfortunately, it exploded on 2 January 1869, injuring the policeman who was operating it.

20 opinions.

Road signs use colour as an effective way to convey safety and danger in a manner that negates the need to understand the language.

Road signs are useful and informative, there simple to understand and they speak a universal language.

Road signs are simple to read as i have been brought up with them. they stick in your head which each mean and all deliver a simple message. 

There OK. 

Function over Form

Useful but they can become distracting from what you are ment to be doing.

Bus signs are stupid because they make old people act like dicks, due to they thinking they have a higher priority towards the younger generation on the bus. 

Bold.

Road signs are useful but they need to be kept clear as many road signs are kept behind overgrown hedges and trees and this makes them unclear to read and could create more accidents on the road. 

Helpful cause they tell you where to go and what to do.

Good because they give direction but this sometimes aint the best thing cause they dont always show the best route there, but it will get you there in the end. 

The colour hits you.

Helpful/Informative.

Confusing, one sign will say one thing then you will have a conflicting sign a few metres later saying something completely different.

Diversion signs should say where they are diverting towards.

Traffic lights are useful but boring.

Boring, other types of language such as hand gestures and sign language are much stronger than a street sign. 


Street lights may not be the best street sign but it can certainly show the way. 

We are reliant on such systems to inform and instruct and provide order.

Without signs everything would just be a random mix of events

20 words.

Traffic lights
Speed limit
Hand signs

Face gestures
Warning signs

Accidents

Informative

Colourful

Legally important

Expensive

Different shapes 
Highway code

Function

Labeling
Directional

Movie's

Universal

Clear design

Old

Modern

20 statistics.

The first maximum speed limit was the 10 mph (16 km/h) limit introduced in the United Kingdom in 1861.

1.2 million people were killed and 50 million injured on the roads around the world in 2004.


In 1965, the first known experiments with variable speed limit signs took place on a 30 km stretch of German motorway A8 between Munich and the border city of Salzburg,Austria. Mechanically-variable message signs could display speeds of 60, 80 and 100 km/h.

 As of 2008, 52% of the German autobahns have only advisory limits.

Signs often use a blue circles based on the obligatory signs of the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals


A Japanese minimum speed sign has the same design as a maximum speed sign but with a horizontal line below the number. In the United States of America, they are also identical to their respective maximum speed limit signs with the exception of the text "MINIMUM SPEED".

he current sign system, introduced on 1 January 1965, was developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s by the Anderson Committee, which established the motorway signing system.


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


In Great Britain, data collected about road traffic accidents in 1999 to 2002 examined the factors involved in each accident. Excessive speed was the most common contributory factor in fatal accidents, playing a part in 28% of all fatal accidents examined in the trial. Careless, thoughtless or reckless behavior was next, being a contributory factor in 21% of all fatal accidents examined.

In Great Britain, the average value of prevention per fatal accident in 2003 is reported as being £1,492,910.


For accidents that resulted in serious injury, the average value of prevention per accident is £174,520.

Of the £18 billion estimated total cost-benefit value of prevention of road traffic accidents in 2003, £13 billion is attributed to accidents that involved personal injury. The remaining £5 billion is attributed to accidents that led to property or vehicle damage only.



In Greater London in the UK, it's very easy to count several examples of traffic laws being broken in a thirty minute period, and the culprits are almost always young male drivers. Too many drivers treat speed limits as nothing more than a suggestion; cross traffic lights that are red; corner at speed without using indicators beforehand; drive over pedestrian crossings while pedestrians are still on the road; and ignore clear signs that forbid, for example, right turns.

The traffic engineer must employ five basic consideration to ensure that these requirements are met:

Design: the combination of physical features such as size, colors, and shape to command attention and convey a message.

Placement: the installation of devices so that they are within the cone of vision of the user and thus command attention and give time for response.

Operation: the application of devices so that they meet the traffic requirements in a uniform and consistent manner, fulfill a need, command respect and give time for response.

Maintenance: the upkeep of devices in order to retain legibility and visibility; the removal of devices if not needed in order to aid in commanding respect and attention while fulfilling the needs of the users.

Uniformity: the uniform application of similar devices of similar situation so that they fulfill the need and command his respect.




The Highway Code lists more than 160 different individual types of sign.

20 photographs.