Traffic signals

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Signal of "Stop" (Europe).

Signal of "Alto" (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama).

Sign of "Pare" (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Venezuela).

Signature of Peathons in Mexico

The traffic signs or transit signs are the signs used on public roads to impart the necessary information to users who travel along a path or highway, in especially vehicle drivers and pedestrians.

History

Traffic signs date back to the year 1900, when automobile clubs began to form in the United States. These groups created the first signs to mark their local sections of road to signal and direct drivers to these clubs. This caused a wide variety of designs and messages to be found along the roads, leading to confusion among drivers. There was no uniformity in traffic signals.

1920s

In 1924 there was a uniformity in the signs by the Office of Public Roads. They used color and shape to guide drivers, since the majority of the population was illiterate. As colors, the use of bright yellow and white as background colors, and black for the letters, stood out. Bright yellow was chosen for warning signs, and white for all other signs. The choice of these colors was intended to provide contrast between the light colors and the black lettering, so that drivers could see the signs at night. Later, glass elements were used to create a retroreflective effect in the dark.

1930s

In 1939 the first one emerged, which was located in Minneapolis.

During the 1930s, the 3M company developed retroreflective sheeting made up of reflective elements (such as glass beads) that were placed on or under a plastic sheet. However, its reflective effects were diminished over time due to humidity and the accumulation of dirt on the surface. The first reflective sheeting traffic sign emerged in 1939 and was located in Minneapolis.

Later on, “flat-top sheets” emerged, now known as engineering grade sheets. These were covered by a closed lens system that covered the sheet with spheres by a transparent film. In this way, the surface of the sign maintained its retroreflective qualities.

1960s

In the late 1960s, encapsulated lens sheets were developed. They had a retinal base and a reflective shield behind the glass spheres. These sheets were four times brighter and with a greater conservation of their reflective effect. It is currently the most widely used type of sheets.

1980s

In 1989 there was another innovation centered on the replacement of glass spheres by microscopic prismatic reflectors, which are three times brighter and are also more durable.

The Future: Electric and Holographic Traffic Signals

With the advancement of technology, other options have been suggested that can improve or even replace traffic signals in order to make them more visible to drivers.

One example is internally illuminated signs, which are in use in some urban areas of Nevada and California (USA). These electric signs, made up of internal bulbs, illuminate the text of the sign itself and make it more visible, especially in urban areas of large cities, which have great lighting at night that makes it difficult to read the signs. retroreflective.

Another innovation is holographic signals, in use in the tunnels of the city of Sydney, Australia, the first country to use them. These signals work through a laser that projects a large holographic image (in this case, a traffic sign) as a barrier. This system is more visible and effective when it comes to controlling circulation, since they are not affected by the weather (rain, snow, darkness, etc.)

Types of signals

They are the following according to their priority:

Auckland CBD-3713

Signals and orders of movement agents
Circumstantial signaling that modifies the normal use of the road and signals of fixed beacon
Semaphores
Vertical signs of circulation
Roadmarks

If there are several contradictory signals, the highest priority will prevail and, if they are from the same group, the most restrictive.

Since language differences can create barriers, international samples use symbols instead of words. They have been developed mainly in Europe and have been adopted in most countries.

Europe

In 1968 European countries signed the Vienna Convention on Road Signs to standardize the traffic regulations of the participating countries, facilitate international traffic and increase road safety. Consequently, in Western Europe traffic signs became well standardized, although there are still some exceptions in certain countries. Annex 1 of the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals of November 8, 1968 defines eight categories of signs:

A: Signs of danger
B: Priority signs
C: Ban signs
D: Signs of obligation
E: Special signs
F: Information signs
G: Indication signs
H: Additional panels

However, countries and areas categorize road signs in different ways. In the United States, the type, placement, and graphic standards of traffic signs and pavement markings are regulated by law. Other countries, such as the rest of the Americas and Australia, usually follow the American standard system, which is different from the European one (which most African and Middle Eastern countries generally follow).

The principle of the European standard for traffic signs is that shapes and colors should be used to indicate the same purposes. Triangular shapes (with a white or yellow background) are used in danger signs. In addition, the Vienna convention allows an alternative shape for danger signs: a diamond shape that is rarely used in Europe. Prohibition signs in Europe are circular and surrounded by a red border. Secondary informative and other signs are rectangular. Animals featured on danger signs include moose, frogs, deer, ducks, cows, sheep, horses, polar bears (in Svalbard) and monkeys (in Gibraltar). Additionally, the convention allows the image of any animal to be used.

Directional signs have not been harmonized under convention, at least not on ordinary roads. For this reason there are substantial differences in the directional signs of the different countries of Europe. The differences affect the typography, the type of arrows and, most notably, the color scheme. The convention, however, specifies a difference between motorways and ordinary roads: white letters on a green background are used on motorways (Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Slovenia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Cyprus, Slovakia) or white letters on a blue background (Germany, Ireland, France, United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania). The differences are greater for non-motorways: white letters on a blue background in Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Slovakia, Romania, Finland and the Netherlands (in this case the same as motorways); white letters on a green background in France, the United Kingdom, Poland and Portugal; black letters on a yellow background in Germany, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovenia and Croatia; red letters on a white background in Denmark (however white letters on a blue background at motorway exits) and black letters on a white background in Spain.

Secondary roads are different from primary roads in France, the United Kingdom, Finland, Ireland, Switzerland and Portugal, always marked with black letters on a white background. In Italy, Romania and Sweden, with black letters on a white background it indicates only urban roads or urban destinations. The numbering of the highways also differs substantially. Only the European route number always appears with white letters and numbers in a green rectangle.

Some signs, such as 'STOP', are recommended to be in English, but local language indication is also permitted. If the language uses characters other than Latin, the names of cities or places must also appear in Latin transcription. European countries use the metric system for road signs (distances in kilometers or meters and heights and widths in meters) with the notable exception of the United Kingdom where distances are still indicated in miles.

For countries that drive on the left, the convention stipulates that road signs must be mirror images of those used in countries that drive on the right. This practice, however, is not consistently followed in the four European countries that drive on the left (Cyprus, Ireland, Malta and the United Kingdom). The convention allows the use of two background colors for warning or prohibition signs: white or yellow. Most of the countries use white with some exceptions like Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Poland.

Traffic signs in Europe are classified into the following groups in order of priority:

Signals and orders of movement agents
Circumstantial signaling that modifies the regime normal use of the track and marking signals fixed
Semaphores
Vertical Signals of Circulation
Roadmarks

If there are several contradictory signals, the highest priority will prevail and, if they are from the same group, the most restrictive.

Machinery for road markings

Spain

In Spain, the Official Catalog of Traffic Signs is made up of the following documents included in the General Traffic Regulations, approved by Royal Decree 1428/2003, 04/12/1990 of November 21 (BOE no. 306, of December 23, 2003): Royal Decree 1428/2003, of November 21, which approves the General Traffic Regulations for the application and development of the articulated text of the Law on traffic, circulation of motor vehicles and road safety, approved by Real Madrid Legislative 339/1990, of March 2.

Road standard 8.1-I.C. Vertical signaling.
Road standard 8.2-I.C. Vial marks.
Road standard 8.3-I.C. Signing of works.
Vertical Signals Circulation Catalog. Tomos I and II.

The indicated documents are part of the basic regulation established by the General Directorate of Highways of the Ministry of Public Works. As it is a basic regulation, it must be applied to all roads in Spain and to all public administrations with jurisdiction over roads, including the autonomous communities.

However, in recent years some autonomous communities and town halls have issued their own regulations on road signage, with typologies and differentiated nojada systematization for their regional road network or their municipal roads illegally^{[citation required]}. Thus, the clarity for circulation has been reduced, altering the unified system of traffic signaling in Spain, by coexisting with different traffic signals depending on the public administration that owns the road^{[cita requierida]}.

Especially serious is the situation regarding the signaling at zebra crossings, which should only be painted white (longitudinal white lines), illegal parking signaling for people with reduced mobility (disabled people, sign S-17 with complementary plate S -860; they have invented a pictogram (symbol) that, although it is more intuitive, is illegal), bumps on the road that, due to their dimensions, are dangerous (and illegal when exceeding the percentage of inclination of the road)^{[< i>citation required]}, speed bumps that make braking difficult and damage tires, steering and suspension^{[citation required]} and warning bands of continuous lines that are confused with the limits of the road or places of obligatory stopping^{[citation required]}. Despite the fact that the road safety prosecutor's office alerted about the possible crime involved in some of these signs and illegal obstacles, no criminal proceedings have yet been filed in this regard despite thousands of non-compliant municipalities^{[citation required ]}.

Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia gallery on Traffic signs in Spain.

America

The American colors normally have these meanings (in most of Latin America the way is almost identical with small variations).

Academias de idiomas en Puerto Rico

Green with white letters for information samples, such as addresses, distances and places.
Brown with white letters for the samples to the parks, to the historical sites, to the ski areas, to the forests, and to the campers.
Blue with white letters for rest areas, food, gasoline, hospitals, and accommodation, in Chile Autopista (following the format of European countries).
White with red letters or black for regulatory samples, such as speed limits or parking.
Yellow with letters and Black symbols for signs of danger, such as curves and areas of the school.
Orange with black letters for temporary transit control zones and diversions.

Signature of domiciliary nomenclatures in the municipality of Pitalito, Huila, Colombia.

Regulatory signs are also sometimes seen with white letters on red or black signs. In Quebec, the use of blue and brown is reversed, and many black-on-yellow signs are red-on-white instead. Many United States states now use fluorescent orange for building signs, and fluorescent yellow-green for school zone, pedestrian, and bicycle warning signs. Fluorescent pink signs are used to times for warning of an incident. In the United States the measure of speed and distance used is generally the mile, although the kilometer is used as the measure of distance on Interstate 19 in Arizona; in Australia, Canada and Latin America, on the other hand, the kilometer is used. In particular, in Latin America, it uses European type signs for the speed limit instead of the American one, with the exception of Panama and Puerto Rico, which use the United States logo.

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