Using Road Signs

Those that design roads have in mind users arriving safety and efficiently at their destination. Roads made today are designed to achieve that effect and take into account the speed of travel for the road user. Greater speeds mean bigger, better and clearer signage along the highways and byways upon which we traverse.

Well placed, descriptive, clear road signs contribute to the safety and pleasure one can gain from driving. They are an important feature of safety on the roads. Signs must not only be visible, but clearly communicate the route that a driver may wish to take.

These signs are directional road signs and form one group of signage that are a feature of all modern road systems.

Another group are road warning signs – they communicate the presence of a risk and identify that risk. It could be the need to slow down to navigate a sharp turn in the road, or it could be the presence of animals which pose a risk of collision. Thos animals could be domesticated or wild.

Yet another group are those that specify necessary compliance with a speed limit that applies in this zone. These are legally enforceable and are based upon a clear link between the speed of travel and the presence of say a village, a school or emergency services vehicles. They are often enforced by police and the speed applicable is based on what is understood to be the safe speed that sees vehicles and that activity juxtaposed to each other.

The final category of these signs could be covered by anyone of the three categories above and are temporary road signs that are erected because of roadworks, special community events and the like. Here the direction being given is not a permanent feature of the road streetscape and in fact will cease to apply once the activity has finished.

The more complex the road system and the greater the speed used to traverse the network, the greater the need for effective, easily seen road signs. Every day road signs allow road users to arrive at their destinations in greater safety and with less stress than would otherwise be the case. They are without doubt; the silent sentinels of safety on our roads twenty four hours a day, seven days a week - hence their ubiquitous presence, throughout our road systems - in all parts of the planet.