Road signs in the United Kingdom
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This page is under construction, and perhaps always will be. It is intended to help those mappers in the UK that are new to the project, or those more experienced but encountering something new to them, work out what is probably the best way to tag it.
Please note: This is intended as a guide based on what contributors to the page think is best. There may be other equally acceptable alternatives - if so add them to this page with an "or" separator, or discuss first on the discussion page.
Please also note: Some of the tags here may not appear in Map Features and are suggestions instead to cover a requirement. As a result some validator tools may highlight them as errors to be checked.
Contents |
Warning signs (generally triangular)
Note: Not many warning signs are currently shown here, as there doesn't seem to be much in information on how to tag them. In the longer term many warnings will apply to a section of road between similar warning signs at either end of the section (such as "Wild Animals"), but there doesn't seem to be a wild_animals=yes tag at present. Feel free to add more warning signs with a suggested tagging method.
| Image | Description | Tags/Comments |
|---|---|---|
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Roundabout |
See junction=roundabout on how to tag the roundabout itself. |
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Mini Roundabout | Add highway=mini_roundabout to the intersection node where the mini roundabout is located. Also add direction=clockwise. |
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Steep hill downwards |
Note: in OSM the percentage is +ve or -ve to indicate up or down relative to the direction the way has been drawn. See Key:incline. The tag should be applied between the warning of steep hill downwards at the top and (if present) the warning further down the hill of steep hill upwards for oncoming traffic. |
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Steep hill upwards |
Note: in OSM the percentage is +ve or -ve to indicate up or down relative to the direction the way has been drawn. See Key:incline |
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Height restriction warning |
Where only imperial dimensions are given it is recommended that the tag value be entered exactly as is on the sign, which is likely to always include inches even if they are 0. A conversion to a metric height is unlikely to be the same as the limit imposed if the restriction is later updated to a dual units sign, as there are rules to do with rounding that are used for safety reasons. |
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Traffic Lights |
See highway=traffic_signals on how to tag the traffic lights. |
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Children Crossing / Playing | Using the proposed Hazard scheme something like hazard=children to a way/node. |
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Sheep | Using the proposed Hazard scheme something like hazard=sheep to a way/node. |
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Cattle | Using the proposed Hazard scheme something like hazard=cattle to a way/node. |
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Horse Riders | Using the proposed Hazard scheme something like hazard=horse_riders to a way/node. |
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Cattle Grid | Mark a node on the way where the grid is located and tag it as barrier=cattle_grid |
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Slippery Road | Using the proposed Hazard scheme something like hazard=slippery_road to a way/node. |
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Hump Back Bridge | Mark the bridge with bridge=humpback |
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Falling Rocks | Using the proposed Hazard scheme something like hazard=falling_rocks on a way/node. |
Regulatory signs (generally round)
Speed limit signs
| Image | Description | Tags/Comments |
|---|---|---|
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Maximum speed |
Note: While units are (usually) mentioned as being allowed in Map Features, there is a time when they weren't and some mappers tried tagging with just a number based on the speed converted to km/h (with no units, maxspeed is in km/h) with various different roundings, most of which didn't match those posted on signs at exits of ports. It is therefore better to add the mph suffix to be precise. |
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National speed limit |
The relevant national speed limit applies. For cars this is currently 70 mph on motorways and dual carriageways, 60 mph on other roads, including street light roads - but only when signed with the national speed limit sign. Because the national limit varies by road type and vehicle type, and because parliament could change the limit in future without all signs needing changing, it is suggested that it might be better to use maxspeed=national rather than maxspeed=60 mph (or whatever) in case any future changes then force a resurvey of every way tagged with =60 mph. Another recommendation is to tag the current maximum for all vehicle types using the maxspeed key and then add a source:maxspeed key with country-specific values, such as UK:nsl_single or UK:nsl_dual. This has the benefits of working with simple database parser of the maxspeed key, making the update of country-specific national speed limits non-ambiguous and allowing country-specific, vehicle-specific maximum speed determination by routing agents. |
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Minimum speed |
Vehicles must keep their speed above the stated minimum speed. |
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Entering 20mph zone |
Note: 20 zones tend to be residential areas with traffic calming measures, with a 20 mph maximum speed throughout the zone. At the exits from the zones there is a different sign which indicates both the end of the 20 mph limit and what the new speed limit is beyond the zone. |
Vehicular type restrictions
| Image | Description | Tags/Comments |
|---|---|---|
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No motor vehicles |
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No vehicles except bicycles being pushed |
A bicycle=foot or bicycle=push tag may be useful to show cyclists can still use the way if they push their bicycle. |
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No motor vehicles except solo motorcycles |
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No motorcycles |
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No towed caravans |
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No cycling |
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No pedestrians |
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No vehicles designed to carry more than 8 passengers (excluding driver) or local buses |
Note: It could be argued that not all such vehicles are public service vehicles, so this tag is misleading. Suggest a better one... |
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No ridden or accompanied horses |
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No horse-drawn vehicles |
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No articulated vehicles |
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No goods vehicles exceeding maximum gross weight shown (in tonnes) |
or, to perhaps tag more precisely, as suggested in the proposal here Proposed_features/Extended_conditions_for_access_tags See also Size/weight restrictions below |
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No vehicles carrying explosives |
I can't find any relevant tags mentioned in the wiki, so have used the access:prefix to suggest that it is access that is prohibited by the carrying of explosives, rather than just have explosives=no (as per discussion here |
Size/Weight restrictions
| Image | Description | Tags/Comments |
|---|---|---|
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Maximum height (metric and imperial) |
Where both metric and imperial dimensions are given it is recommended that the metric version be used, which is the default unit for the tag. The metric height is unlikely to be an exact conversion of the imperial. |
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Maximum height (imperial only) |
Where only imperial dimensions are given it is recommended that the tag value be entered exactly as is on the sign, which is likely to always include inches even if they are 0. A conversion to a metric height is unlikely to be the same as the limit imposed if the restriction is later updated to a dual units sign, as there are rules to do with rounding that are used for safety reasons. |
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Maximum width (metric and imperial) | maxwidth=2.0
Where both metric and imperial dimensions are given it is recommended that the metric version be used, which is the default unit for the tag. The metric width is unlikely to be an exact conversion of the imperial. |
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Maximum width (imperial only) |
Where only imperial dimensions are given it is recommended that the tag value be entered exactly as is on the sign, which is likely to always include inches even if they are 0. A conversion to a metric width is unlikely to be the same as the limit imposed if the restriction is later updated to a dual units sign, as there are rules to do with rounding that are used for safety reasons. |
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Maximum weight |
It is believed maximum weight limit are all signposted in metric, which is the default for this tag. |
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Maximum length (imperial only) |
Where only imperial dimensions are given it is recommended that the tag value be entered exactly as is on the sign. |
Turn restrictions
Note: It should not be necessary to tag restrictions such as no left turn where the destination which is prohibited is oneway in such a way that it would be no entry from that end anyway. Turn restriction relations are more for use in situations such as no right turn onto a busy twoway road from a side road. In other words it isn't necessary to add a turn restriction relation every time there is a sign (though there should be no harm in doing so if correctly tagged and not contradicting other tags).
| Image | Description | Tags/Comments |
|---|---|---|
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No left turn |
See Relation:restriction for details. |
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No right turn |
See Relation:restriction for details. |
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No U turn |
See Relation:restriction for details. |
Other Prohibitory signs
| Image | Description | Tags/Comments |
|---|---|---|
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No entry |
when the direction of the way is the same as the driving direction: when the direction of the way is the opposite of the driving direction: |
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No Stopping | Currently the tag with the most uses is parking:lane:both=no_stopping (or parking:lane:left / parking:lane:right, whichever is applicable, depending on the direction of the way, and on the side for which the restriction applies to).
Previously suggested tags include stopping=no on the way, or traffic_restriction=no_stopping as suggested by Jonathan Bennett on the talk-gb list, the latter being the more common one of these two at the moment. |
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No Overtaking | Use the overtaking tag. See wiki page for details |
Cycle and Pedestrian signs
| Image | Description | Tags/Comments |
|---|---|---|
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Shared route for pedestrians and pedal cycles only |
There is some debate as to whether there is any difference in the UK between using highway=footway, highway=cycleway or highway=path. The highway tag describes the physical way, whereas foot/bicycle=yes describe access permissions. |
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Separated track and path for pedal cycles and pedestrians |
(segregated=yes when tagged on a single way) There is some debate as to whether to draw the two lanes as separate ways and tag one for foot and the other for bicycle or not. There is also debate, if tagged as a single way, as to whether there is any difference in the UK between using highway=footway, highway=cycleway or highway=path. The highway tag describes the physical way, whereas foot/bicycle=yes describe access permissions. |
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Route for pedal cycles only |
Information signs (generally rectangular)
| Image | Description | Tags/Comments |
|---|---|---|
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No through road |
There is an argument that this tag is unnecessary as it should be possible to determine whether a road is a through route or not based on the topology of ways. Some validation tools apparently can use this tag to distinguish between a no through road that ends near another road, and giving a warning for a road which perhaps hasn't been properly joined to a nearby road. |
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Parking |
Note for laybys, some have been tagged as: amenity=parking fee=no parking=surface name=Lay-by such as this one on the A14 near Ipswich. |
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Cycle parking |
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Unsuitable for motor vehicles warning |
This is only a warning, so the access tags currently aren't really suitable for tagging this sign as they currently relate more to whether you can legally use the route rather than whether it is physically suitable to do so. It is probably best to do something like until something better is available. |
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Speed Camera in Operation | See Relation:enforcement#Example_3:_Speed_Camera for marking any actual cameras |
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SOS Point | There is a proposed tag of amenity=emergency_phone - see Proposed_features/emergency_phone |
Exceptions - examples and how to handle them
| Image | Description | Tags/Comments |
|---|---|---|
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No cycling during the hours shown |
Not easily done with the current tagging scheme. Something like: bicycle=no bicycle:day_on=Monday bicycle:day_off=Saturday bicycle:time_on=09:00 bicycle:time_off=18:00 There are occasional proposals to use syntax a bit like Key:opening_hours uses, which would change this to something like: bicycle=Mo-Sa 09:00-18:00 no |
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No motor vehicles except those specified |
motor_vehicle=no goods=yes hgv=yes taxi=yes Note: taxi=yes might not currently be documented on Key:access |
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No motor vehicles at certain times except those specified |
motor_vehicle=no motor_vehicle:time_on=10:00 motor_vehicle:time_off=16:00 psv=yes goods=destination As mentioned above, there are occasional proposals to use syntax a bit like Key:opening_hours uses, which would change this to something like: motor_vehicle=10:00-16:00 no psv=yes goods=destination |
