Road signs in India

Road signs in India can vary in design, depending on the location. For most part, they tend to closely follow European practices, usually identical with the United Kingdom or the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, although yellow rectangular signs that do carry such messages like "Be gentle on my curves" and "Danger creeps when safety sleeps" are present nationwide.[1] Road signs in India are metric.

A signboard in Kerala
A sign in Bengaluru
Gurgaon Expressway
Sion Panvel Highway
Traffic sign in Kannur
Road sign at a village in West Bengal

There is no official typeface for road signs in India. Typically, road signs may use hand-painted fonts, but some road signs in India use Arial, Highway Gothic or Transport.

Most urban roads and state highways have signs in the state language and English. National highways have signs in the state language, Hindi and English.

In 2012, the Tourism department of Kerala announced plans to upgrade road signs in the state to include maps of nearby hospitals.[2] The Noida Authority announced plans to replace older signboards with new fluorescent signage.[3]

A circle with a slash shows prohibited activities and circles without slashes show rules. Triangles indicate warnings and show risks. Blue circles indicate mandatory instructions and are there for a particular classes of vehicles. Otherwise, the regular colour of sign boards is red and white.

Mandatory/Regulatory signs
  • Give way
  • Stop
    Stop
  • Stop (in major Indian languages)
    Stop (in major Indian languages)
  • No entry
    No entry
  • Straight ahead prohibited
    Straight ahead prohibited
  • Priority for oncoming vehicles
    Priority for oncoming vehicles
  • One-way traffic
    One-way traffic
  • One-way traffic
    One-way traffic
  • No vehicles in both directions
    No vehicles in both directions
  • Cycle prohibited
    Cycle prohibited
  • Truck prohibited
    Truck prohibited
  • Pedestrians prohibited
    Pedestrians prohibited
  • Tongas prohibited
    Tongas prohibited
  • Bullock cart prohibited
    Bullock cart prohibited
  • Hand cart prohibited
    Hand cart prohibited
  • Bullock cart and hand cart prohibited
    Bullock cart and hand cart prohibited
  • All motor vehicles prohibited
    All motor vehicles prohibited
  • Height limit
    Height limit
  • Width limit
    Width limit
  • Load limit
    Load limit
  • Axle load limit
    Axle load limit
  • Length limit
    Length limit
  • Left turn prohibited
    Left turn prohibited
  • Right turn prohibited
    Right turn prohibited
  • Overtaking prohibited
    Overtaking prohibited
  • Speed limit (50 km/h)
    Speed limit (50 km/h)
  • Horn prohibited
    Horn prohibited
  • Restriction ends
    Restriction ends
  • No parking
    No parking
  • No stopping or standing
    No stopping or standing
  • Compulsory ahead
    Compulsory ahead
  • Compulsory turn left
    Compulsory turn left
  • Compulsory turn right
    Compulsory turn right
  • Compulsory turn left ahead
    Compulsory turn left ahead
  • Compulsory turn right ahead
    Compulsory turn right ahead
  • Compulsory ahead or turn left
    Compulsory ahead or turn left
  • Compulsory ahead or turn right
    Compulsory ahead or turn right
  • Compulsory keep left
    Compulsory keep left
  • Compulsory cycle track
    Compulsory cycle track
  • Compulsory sound horn
    Compulsory sound horn
  • Compulsory minimum speed
    Compulsory minimum speed

Cautionary/Warning signs
  • Curve to left
    Curve to left
  • Curve to right
    Curve to right
  • Right hair pin bend
    Right hair pin bend
  • Left hair pin bend
    Left hair pin bend
  • Double curve, first to right
    Double curve, first to right
  • Double curve, first to left
    Double curve, first to left
  • Dangerous curves ahead
    Dangerous curves ahead
  • Degree loop
    Degree loop
  • Side road to right
    Side road to right
  • Side road to left
    Side road to left
  • Y-junction to left
    Y-junction to left
  • Y-junction to right
    Y-junction to right
  • Y-junction
    Y-junction
  • Intersection
    Intersection
  • Roundabout
    Roundabout
  • Traffic light
    Traffic light
  • T-junction
    T-junction
  • T-junction major road ahead
    T-junction major road ahead
  • Major road ahead
    Major road ahead
  • Staggered junction
    Staggered junction
  • Merging traffic from right
    Merging traffic from right
  • Merging traffic from left
    Merging traffic from left
  • Road narrows
    Road narrows
  • Road widens
    Road widens
  • Narrow bridge
    Narrow bridge
  • Steep ascent
    Steep ascent
  • Steep descent
    Steep descent
  • Road narrows on left side
    Road narrows on left side
  • Road narrows on right side
    Road narrows on right side
  • Start of dual carriageway
    Start of dual carriageway
  • End of dual carriageway
    End of dual carriageway
  • Gap in median
    Gap in median
  • Pedestrian crossing
    Pedestrian crossing
  • Children
    Children
  • Built-up area
    Built-up area
  • Two-way traffic
    Two-way traffic
  • Two-way traffic on cross road ahead warning
    Two-way traffic on cross road ahead warning
  • Roadworks
    Roadworks
  • Supplementary plate ''END'' at the leaving side of work zone
    Supplementary plate ''END'' at the leaving side of work zone
  • Danger warning
    Danger warning
  • Deaf persons likely on road ahead
    Deaf persons likely on road ahead
  • Blind persons likely on road ahead
    Blind persons likely on road ahead
  • Cycle crossing
    Cycle crossing
  • Cyclists
    Cyclists
  • Dip
    Dip
  • Bump
    Bump
  • Rumble strip
    Rumble strip
  • Rough road
    Rough road
  • Soft verges
    Soft verges
  • Loose gravel
    Loose gravel
  • Slippery road
    Slippery road
  • Ice
    Ice
  • Movable bridge
    Movable bridge
  • Overhead cables
    Overhead cables
  • Quayside or riverbank
    Quayside or riverbank
  • Barrier
    Barrier
  • Crosswind
    Crosswind
  • Tunnel
    Tunnel
  • Ferry
    Ferry
  • Tramway
    Tramway
  • Falling rocks
    Falling rocks
  • Animals
    Animals
  • Wild animals
    Wild animals
  • Traffic queues
    Traffic queues
  • Low-flying aircraft
    Low-flying aircraft
  • Level crossing without barriers ahead
    Level crossing without barriers ahead
  • Level crossing with barriers ahead
    Level crossing with barriers ahead
  • Chevron
    Chevron
  • Double chevron
    Double chevron
  • Triple chevron
    Triple chevron
  • Object hazard to left
    Object hazard to left
  • Object hazard to right
    Object hazard to right
  • Two-way hazard marker
    Two-way hazard marker

Informatory signs
  • Stack-type advance direction sign
    Stack-type advance direction sign
  • Map-type advance direction sign
    Map-type advance direction sign
  • Roundabout
    Roundabout
  • Flag-type direction sign
    Flag-type direction sign
  • Confirmatory sign
    Confirmatory sign
  • Place identification sign
    Place identification sign
  • Truck-lay by
    Truck-lay by
  • Weigh bridge ahead
    Weigh bridge ahead
  • Gantry-mounted advance direction sign ahead of a grade-separated junction
    Gantry-mounted advance direction sign ahead of a grade-separated junction
  • Gantry-mounted advance direction ahead of an at-grade junction
    Gantry-mounted advance direction ahead of an at-grade junction
  • Lane dedicated gantry sign
    Lane dedicated gantry sign
  • Shoulder-mounted sign in advance of grade-separated junction
    Shoulder-mounted sign in advance of grade-separated junction
  • Expressway sign ahead
    Expressway sign ahead
  • Gantry-mounted advance direction sign ahead of a flyover in urban-city roads
    Gantry-mounted advance direction sign ahead of a flyover in urban-city roads
  • Supplementary road sign ''No parking''
    Supplementary road sign ''No parking''
  • Supplementary road sign ''No stopping No standing''
    Supplementary road sign ''No stopping No standing''

Facility informatory signs
  • Restaurant
    Restaurant
  • Caffe
    Caffe
  • Hotel or motel
    Hotel or motel
  • First aid station
    First aid station
  • Toilet
    Toilet
  • Petrol station
    Petrol station
  • Park and ride
    Park and ride
  • Park and ride
    Park and ride
  • Telephone
    Telephone
  • Flood gauge
    Flood gauge

Parking signs

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Road signs in India.
  1. "Unusual road signs in Northern India". www.arrivealive.co.za. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  2. Nair, Sangeetha (2012-07-15). "Tourism dept to update signboards across Kerala". The Times of India. Trivandrum. Times of India. Archived from the original on 2013-02-27. Retrieved 2012-07-21.
  3. Keelor, Vandana (2012-07-18). "Blue road signboards give way to red ones". The Times of India. Times of India. Archived from the original on 2013-01-03. Retrieved 2012-07-21.
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