Traffic Sign - Europe

Europe

In 1968, the European countries signed the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic treaty, with the aim of standardizing traffic regulations in participating countries in order to facilitate international road traffic and to increase road safety. Part of the treaty was the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, which defined the traffic signs and signals. As a result, in Western Europe the traffic signs are well standardized, although there are still some country-specific exceptions, mostly dating from the pre-1968 era.

The principle of the European traffic sign standard is that shapes and colours are to be used for indicating identical purposes. Triangular shapes (white or yellow background) are used in warning signs. Additionally, the Vienna convention allows an alternative shape for warning signs, a diamond shape, which is rarely used in Europe (see Ireland). The prohibition signs in Europe are round with a red border. Informative and various other secondary signs are of rectangular shape. Animals shown on warning signs include moose, frogs, deer, ducks, cows, sheep, horses, polar bears (on Svalbard), and monkeys (in Gibraltar). The Convention allows any animal image to be used.

Directional signs have not been harmonized under the Convention, at least not on ordinary roads. As a result, there are substantial differences in directional signage throughout Europe. Differences apply in typeface, type of arrows and, most notably, colour scheme. The convention however specifies a difference between motorways and ordinary roads, and that motorways use white-on-green (e.g., Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Slovenia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Serbia, Republic of Macedonia, Albania) or white-on-blue (e.g., Norway, Germany, the Republic of Ireland, France, United Kingdom, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Latvia). Hungary switched from white-on-green to white-on-blue in the early 2000s during the reconstruction of existing and construction of new motorways.

Differences are greater for non-motorways: white-on-blue in Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Greece, Cyprus, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Netherlands (in this case the same as motorways), white-on-green in France, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Poland and Portugal, black-on-yellow in Germany, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovenia, Serbia and Croatia, red-on-white in Denmark (though white-on-blue on motorway exits and all overhead gantries), and black-on-white in Spain.

Secondary roads are different from primary roads in France, United Kingdom, Finland, Republic of Ireland, Switzerland and Portugal, always signposted in black-on-white. In Germany, Italy, Romania and Sweden, black-on-white indicates only urban roads or urban destinations.

Signposting road numbers differs greatly as well. Only the European route number, if signposted, will always be placed in white letters on a green rectangle. European route numbers are not signed at all in the United Kingdom.

Some signs like "STOP", "ZONE" etc. are recommended to be in English, but the local language is also permitted. If the language uses non-Latin characters, the names of cities and places should also be in Latin transcription. Road signs in the Republic of Ireland are bilingual, using Irish and English. Wales is also the same, with bilingual Welsh–English signs; some parts of Scotland also have bilingual Scottish Gaelic–English signs. Finland also uses bilingual signs, in Finnish and Swedish.

European countries use the metric system on road signs (distances in kilometres or metres, heights/widths in metres) with the notable exception of the UK, where distances are indicated in miles, and on remaining finger post signs in the Republic of Ireland erected before 1977, where distances are also indicated in miles (which were formally used for all directional signage in the Republic of Ireland prior to 1977 and on speed limits prior to 2005). For countries driving on the left, the convention stipulates that the traffic signs should be mirror images of those used in countries driving on the right. This practice, however, is not systematically followed in the four European countries driving on the left, Cyprus, the Republic of Ireland, Malta and the United Kingdom. The convention permits the use of two background colours for danger and prohibit signs, white or yellow. Most countries use white with a few exceptions like Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Poland, as yellow tends to be more visible in areas in which snow is prevalent.

The European traffic signs have been designed with the principles of heraldry in mind; i.e., the sign must be clear and able to be resolved at a glance. Most traffic signs conform to heraldic tincture rules, and rather use symbols than written texts for better semiotic clarity.