Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals

The Convention on Road Signs and Signals, commonly known as the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, is a multilateral treaty designed to increase road safety and aid international road traffic by standardising the signing system for road traffic (road signs, traffic lights and road markings) in use internationally.

Convention on Road Signs
Signatories and ratifications as of March 2020
  Signed
  Ratified
  Uses the SADC Convention
  Uses the SIECA Convention
Signed8 November 1968
LocationVienna
Effective6 June 1978
ConditionRatification by 15 states
Signatories37
Parties68
DepositaryUN Secretary-General
LanguagesChinese, English, French, Russian, Arabic and Spanish

This convention was agreed upon by the United Nations Economic and Social Council at its Conference on Road Traffic in Vienna 7 October to 8 November 1968, was concluded in Vienna on 8 November 1968, and entered into force on 6 June 1978. This conference also produced the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which complements this legislation by standardising international traffic laws.

The convention revised and substantially extended the earlier 1949 Geneva Protocol on Road Signs and Signals,[1] itself based in turn on the 1931 Geneva Convention concerning the Unification of Road Signals.

Amendments, including new provisions regarding the legibility of signs, priority at roundabouts, and new signs to improve safety in tunnels were adopted in 2003.

Both the Vienna Convention and the Geneva Protocol were formed according to consensus on road traffic signs that evolved primarily in 20th century continental Western Europe. In order to make it as universal as possible, the convention allows some variations, for example danger warning signs can be triangular or square diamond in shape and road markings can be white or yellow.

Though most UN members have not ratified the full treaty, the signs and legal principles enshrined in it form the basis of traffic law in a majority of places.

An alternative convention called the SADC-RTSM, provided by the Southern African Development Community, is used by ten countries in southern Africa. Many of the rules and principles of the SADC-RTSM are similar to those of the Vienna Convention.

In the United States, signs are based on the US Federal Highway Administration's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Signs in the MUTCD are often more text-oriented, though some signs do use pictograms as well. Canada and Australia have road signs based substantially on the MUTCD. In South America, road signage is influenced by both the Vienna Convention and MUTCD.

Rules

Road signs

In article 2 the convention classes all road signs into a number of categories (A – H):

The convention then lays out precise colours, sizes, and shapes for each of these classes of sign:

Class of signShapeGroundBorderSizeSymbolExamples
Danger warning signEquilateral triangleWhite or yellowRed0.9 m (large), 0.6 m (small)Varies; Black or dark blue
DiamondYellowBlack0.6 m (large), 0.4 m (small)Varies; Black or dark blue
Priority signs
Give Way signInverted equilateral triangleWhite or yellowRed0.9 m (large), 0.6 m (small)None
Stop signOctagonRedWhite0.9 m (large), 0.6 m (small)Stop written in white
CircularWhite or yellowRed0.9 m (large), 0.6 m (small)Stop written in black or dark blue inside red inverted triangle
Priority roadDiamondWhiteBlack0.5 m (large), 0.35 m (small)Yellow or orange square
End of priority roadDiamondWhiteBlack0.5 m (large), 0.35 m (small)Yellow or orange square with black or grey diagonal lines crossing the sign
Priority for oncoming trafficCircularWhite or yellowRedUnspecifiedBlack arrow indicating direction with priority, red arrow indicating direction without
Priority over oncoming trafficRectangleBlueNoneUnspecifiedWhite arrow indicating direction with priority, red arrow indicating direction without
Prohibitory signs
Standard prohibitoryCircularWhite or yellowRed0.6 m (large), 0.4 m (small)Varies; black or dark blue
Parking prohibitedCircularBlueRed0.6 m (large), 0.2 m (small)None
CircularWhite or yellowRed0.6 m (large), 0.2 m (small)Initial letter or ideogram to denote parking; black or dark blue
Stopping prohibitedCircularBlueRed0.6 m (large), 0.4 m (small)None
End of prohibitionCircularWhite or yellowNone0.6 m (large), 0.4 m (small)Black or grey diagonal line
Mandatory signs
Standard mandatoryCircularBlueNone, white0.6 m (large), 0.4 m (small), 0.3 m (very small)Varies, white
CircularWhite or yellowRed0.6 m (large), 0.4 m (small), 0.3 m (very small)Varies, black or dark blue
Special regulation signs
All signsRectangularBlueUnspecifiedUnspecifiedVaries, white
LightUnspecifiedUnspecifiedVaries, Black
Information, facilities or service signs
All signsUnspecifiedBlue or greenUnspecifiedUnspecifiedVaries, on white or yellow rectangle
Direction, position or indication signs
Informative signsRectangular, sometimes with arrowheadLightUnspecifiedUnspecifiedVaries, dark
DarkUnspecifiedUnspecifiedVaries, light
MotorwaysRectangularBlue or greenUnspecifiedUnspecifiedVaries, white
TemporaryRectangularYellow or orangeUnspecifiedUnspecifiedVaries, black
Additional panels
All panelsUnspecifiedWhite, blue or yellowBlack, blue or redUnspecifiedVaries, black or dark blue
Black, red or dark blueWhite, blue or yellowUnspecifiedVaries, white, blue or yellow
Class of signShapeGroundBorderSizeSymbolExamples

May be written in English or the national language

It also specifies the symbols and pictograms which may be used, and the orientations in which they may be used. When more than one is available, the same one must be used nationally. All signs, except for those that do not apply at night, must be reflective enough to be seen in darkness with headlights from a distance.

Road markings

The convention also specifies road markings. All such markings must be less than 6 mm high, with cat's eye reflectors no more than 15 mm above the road surface. The road markings shall be white or yellow.[2]

The length and width of markings varies according to purpose, although no exact figures for size are stated; roads in built up areas should use a broken line for lane division, while continuous lines must only be used in special cases, such as reduced visibility or narrowed carriage ways.

All words painted on the road surface should be either of place names, or of words recognisable in most languages, such as "Stop" or "Taxi".

Traffic lights

The Convention specifies the colours for traffic lights and their meanings, and places and purposes lights may be used for, like so:

TypeShapeColourPositionMeaning
Non-flashingPlain GreenAt intersectionProceed
AmberAt intersection, level crossing, swing bridge, airport, fire station or ferry terminalStop if possible
RedAt intersectionStop
Red and amberAt intersectionSignal is about to change (usually to green)
Arrow pointing leftGreenAt intersectionOnly traffic turning left may proceed
Arrow pointing rightGreenAt intersectionOnly traffic turning right may proceed
Arrow pointing upwardsGreenAt intersectionOnly traffic travelling straight ahead may proceed
Arrow pointing downwardsGreenAbove laneTraffic may continue in lane
Cross (×)RedAbove laneTraffic may not enter lane (lane closed)
Arrow pointing diagonally downwardsAmber or whiteAbove laneLane closes shortly ahead, change lane in the direction of the arrow
FlashingPlain Double Red (alternating)At level crossing, swing bridge, airport, fire station or ferry terminalStop
Lunar whiteAt crossingProceed
Amber (flashing)Anywhere except intersectionProceed with caution
Amber (flashing)At intersectionThe priority is determined by Priority Route or Yield signs or if none of the above regular right of way rule.

Red flashing lights may only be used at the locations specified above; any other use of the lights is in breach of the convention. Red lights must be placed on top when lights are stacked vertically, or on the side closest to oncoming traffic if stacked horizontally.

Contracting parties

The convention has 68 state parties as of August 2016: Albania, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Central African Republic, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

The only countries in Europe that are not parties to the convention are Ireland, Andorra, Malta, the United Kingdom and Liechtenstein. Iceland, Spain, and the Holy See are all signatories but have yet to ratify the convention.

The only countries in Asia that are not parties to the convention are Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia, Republic of China (Taiwan), People's Republic of China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Japan, Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Armenia, Yemen, Oman, North Korea, and Afghanistan. Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, South Korea, and Thailand are all signatories, but have yet to ratify the convention.

Other countries have not signed the convention, however they have voluntarily adopted some of these Vienna convention signs.

See also

References

  1. "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. 26 October 2009. Archived from the original on 26 October 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  2. Chapter 29 in the convention.
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