U.K. road signs

There are hundreds of road signs blocking your view on British roads and—more importantly—telling you how to get where you're going

In a stroke of good fortune, most of Europe has become pretty standardized when it comes to signage, so you should have little trouble driving from one country to the next and figuring out what the speed limit is and where you can't park.

Below is a chart showing all the most important common signs you'll see in Britain. I'm leaving out most of the ones that will be patently obvious once you are in the U.K. (though including the most important, like the universal red octagon that says "STOP" in white).

Highway signs

	A (fake) sign showing roundabout directions, including Motorways (white on blue), primary roads (yellow on green), and minor/local roads (black on white). A small number (yellow or white) on black indicates the junction number (exit).
	A sign at the Ring Road around London; your choices are left (north toward the West End), right (south toward The City) or straight ahead (into the Congestion Charge Zone and toward Westminster on local roads).
	A typical junction sign, showing towns and primary route numbers.
	A motorway sign (the white-on-black number is the junction/exit number)
	British road signs sometimes show miles, other times kilometers. (If there is no "km" it is in miles; if there's no "m" it is in mile fractions, yards, or feet.)

"Warning" signs

	"Give way" or "Yield" (sometimes above a small sign warning of a stop sign ahead)
	"Give Way" or "Yield" (this one is more explicit)
	"Give way to oncoming traffic"—They have the right of way (remember: you are the arrow on the left)
	"Priority over oncoming traffic"—You have the right of way (remember: you are the arrow on the left)
	"Two way traffic ahead"
	"Two way traffic ahead" (variant)
	"Curvy road ahead"
	Intersection with a smaller road ahead
	Road narrows
	Roundabout ahead
	Rough road ahead
	Soft verges or dangerous shoulder (no guardrail)
	Unprotected quayside or riverbank
	Dock with no guardrails (one of my favorite European road signs)
	"Speed bump ahead" (though I adore the British name for these traffic-slowers: "Sleeping policemen")
	Not two speed bumps, but rather "rough road ahead"
	Likelihood of traffic ahead
	Stop (this one's pretty universal)
	Level crossing without barriers (I know that you know this means "trains," but the fact that it warns of a railroad crossing with no barriers makes it significant)

"Mandatory" signs

	Speed limit (in this case, 50 mph). Stick to this.
	Speed limit zone (until you see a sign with a new speed on it, stay below 20 mph)
	National speed limits apply: 70 mph on Motorways 50 mph on single lane highways 30 mph in built-up areas
	Minimum speed limit
	End minimum speed limit
	Proceed straight—no turns. (Notice this sign is round)
	One-way street. (Notice this sign is rectangular)
	One-way street (variant)
	Turn right. (Also available in "turn left" flavors)
	Obligatory right turn ahead. (Also available in "left turn")
	Pass to this side
	Pass on either side
	Pass on either side
	Motorway (major highway—usually a "dual carriageway," which is British for "divided highway")
	Parking
	No outlet/dead end street
	Bicycles only

"Prohibited" signs

	Road closed to all vehicles in both directions
	Do no enter
	No cars allowed
	No motor vehicles allowed
	No parking (anywhere in this block on the side of the street where the sign is posted)
	No parking zone
	No stopping
	No right turn. (Similar signs warn you against taking a left.)
	No U-turns
	No overtaking (no passing)
	No bicycles allowed
	No pedestrians allowed
	No vehicles over the proscribed length (useful for motorhome renters)
	No vehicles over the proscribed width (useful for motorhome renters—and many larger RVs are a tad more than 2m)
	No vehicles over the proscribed height (useful for motorhome renters)