Different Road Signage in Australia and Their Uses

Whether you are visiting Australia and driving a hired vehicle or you are in driving school ready to hit the road, understanding the road signs is a must. Road signage in Australia give you important information that you need to make the right decisions on the road, as a driver or pedestrian. Without these signs, vehicles would be getting into accidents every two seconds and hitting pedestrians.

While most traffic signs in Australia are internationally adopted signs, there are specific signs that are particular to Australia. The country also has peculiar signs such as kangaroo crossing sign that you will not find anywhere else in the world.

Without further ado, here is a simple revision on-road signage Australian and their uses.

Regulatory/ Mandatory signs

As the word suggests, regulatory signs let you know the mandatory laws that you must obey to avoid accidents with other vehicles. They are mostly rectangular and written in black with a white background. Some of these signs include Keep Left/Right, Two Way, and Ahead Only. Most of these signs will have a symbol and wording to explain it, so it's easy to understand them.

Priority signs like Stop, Give Way, Roundabout, and Crossroad ahead are included in this category.

Warning signs

Warning signs do just that; warn you of impending danger ahead so you can stop, slow down or turn around and go back. Most of the time, the signs are yellow diamonds with black symbols inside. While there are no wordings in warning traffic signs, the symbols are not hard to understand.

For example, a T sign means the road you are travelling is coming to an end soon. There is also  Y sign that indicates the road divides into two lanes ahead and an inverted Y means divided roads are about to join and become one.

The signs can also have a picture like children or animals crossing the road, rail line ahead, bumps ahead, hospital, steep curve or deep pit. While warning signs are not mandatory, failure to obey them can lead to a tragedy.

Informational/ advisory signs

These are the most used signs in Australia, and they provide general information about road use. The signs include Crossroad Ahead, Lane for Cyclists/buses/taxis, Exit, and Start/ End Freeway. They are green and white, and you will most likely see them towering over the road. They can also give you specific information such as speed limit.

Prohibitory signs

Like regulatory signs, prohibitory signs are also mandatory, and their purpose is to keep order in the city. They include No Parking, Trucks/buses Forbidden, Pedestrians not Permitted, No Entry, and No U-Turn. They are usually square with a red circle inside holding the restriction.

Signs specific to Australia

Besides the kangaroo sign, you may also see a P sign that means you can park there. 2P means you can park for only two hours for free and 2P meter means you have to pay for those two hours so look for a meter.

'No entry buses excepted' is very confusing but it means only buses are allowed to use that lane. S with a cross on it means you can't stop your car there and C means that road has to be clear during a particular time in the day and that time is usually written there as well.