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Highway Code

Highway Code, Traffic signs (part 4)

Traffic signs. Advisory guidance you are expected to follow.

  • Traffic signs
  • Advisory rule
  • OGL v3.0

What the rule says

Advisory

Information signs

All rectangular

Entrance to controlled parking zone Entrance to congestion charging zone End of controlled parking zone Advance warning of restriction or prohibition ahead Parking place for solo motorcycles With-flow bus lane ahead which pedal cycles and taxis may also use Lane designated for use by high occupancy vehicles (HOV) - see rule 142 Vehicles permitted to use an HOV lane ahead End of motorway Start of motorway and point from which motorway regulations apply Appropriate traffic lanes at junction ahead Traffic on the main carriageway coming from right has priority over joining traffic Additional traffic joining from left ahead. Traffic on main carriageway has priority over joining traffic from right hand lane of slip road Traffic in right hand lane of slip road joining the main carriageway has priority over left hand lane Variable speed limit with camera enforcement sign. ‘Countdown’ markers at exit from motorway (each bar represents 100 yards to the exit). Green-backed markers may be used on primary routes and white-backed markers with black bars on other routes. At approaches to concealed level crossings white-backed markers with red bars may be used. Although these will be erected at equal distances the bars do not represent 100 yard intervals. Motorway service area sign showing the operator’s name Traffic has priority over oncoming vehicles Hospital ahead with Accident and Emergency facilities Tourist information point No through road for vehicles Recommended route for pedal cycles Home Zone Entry Area in which cameras are used to enforce traffic regulations Bus lane on road at junction ahead

Road work signs

Road works Loose chippings Temporary hazard at road works Temporary lane closure (the number and position of arrows and red bars may be varied according to lanes open and closed) Slow-moving or stationary works vehicle blocking a traffic lane. Pass in the direction shown by the arrow. Mandatory speed limit ahead Road works 1 mile ahead End of road works and any temporary restrictions including speed limits Signs used on the back of slow-moving or stationary vehicles warning of a lane closed ahead by a works vehicle. There are no cones on the road. Signs used on the back of slow-moving or stationary vehicles warning of a lane closed ahead by a works vehicle. There are no cones on the road. Lane restrictions at road works ahead One lane crossover at contraflow road works

Rule text reproduced verbatim from the official Highway Code (Crown copyright) under the Open Government Licence v3.0, see the attribution at the foot of this page.

In plain English

Stripped of the formal wording, this guidance comes down to one idea: entrance to controlled parking zone Entrance to congestion charging zone End of controlled parking zone Advance warning of restriction or prohibition ahead Parking place for solo motorcycles With-flo… It is advice rather than law, but examiners and the courts still treat it as the expected standard of safe driving.

It belongs to the traffic signs part of the Code, the habits a confident, considerate driver builds until they are automatic. The aim is not to memorise the sentence word for word, but to understand the hazard it protects you from, so you apply it without having to think when it counts.

If you are learning, treat this rule as one piece of a connected set rather than an isolated fact. The related rules below sit in the same section and reinforce each other, reading them together is how the traffic signs part of the Code starts to feel like common sense rather than a list to revise.

Because this is advisory rather than legal, no one will fine you for the rule alone, but ignoring it can still count against you in a careless-driving case, and it will cost you faults on the test. Either way, the safe move is to build the habit early, while a driving instructor can correct it, rather than relearning it under test pressure. That is exactly what the practice routes and coaching in the DriveRoutes app are designed to help with, turning the rules below into the way you naturally drive.

Why this rule matters on the road

Signs, signals and markings are the shared language of the road. Reading them accurately and signalling clearly is how drivers coordinate without ever speaking, miss the message and the coordination breaks down.

Common faults examiners record

In the traffic signs part of the Code, the faults most often written on the marking sheet tend to be the same handful. Knowing them in advance is the quickest way to drive them out of your own habits:

  • Signalling too late, too early, or when no signal is needed.
  • Missing a sign or road marking and acting on the wrong information.
  • Failing to cancel a signal after a manoeuvre.

On the day

Imagine a sign appearing on the approach to a junction. Applying Highway Code, Traffic signs (part 4) means reading it early, acting on it in good time, lane, speed, signal, and cancelling any signal once the manoeuvre is complete. The examiner notes whether you respond to the information or miss it.

Quick checklist

  • Read signs and markings early and act in good time.
  • Signal clearly, only when it helps someone.
  • Cancel the signal once the manoeuvre is done.

More from Traffic signs

Related Highway Code rules

Highway Code, Traffic signs (part 4), your questions

Entrance to controlled parking zone Entrance to congestion charging zone End of controlled parking zone Advance warning of restriction or prohibition ahead Parking place for solo motorcycles With-flo… It is advisory guidance rather than law, but you are still expected to follow it and an examiner can mark a fault if you do not.

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