Regulating Signs

The international traffic signs were adopted by most continental nations in 1934/35 to replace the individual countries' obsolescent and widely varying systems. Since then, the international signs remained essentially unchanged, though many signs were added.

One remaining major difference among countries is the compulsory roundabout, legal only in some countries, like I and GB , and not in others. The traffic circulateing in the compulsory roundabout has the right of way over that entering from a radial direction.

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Discussion of the Signs

• One of the important international traffic engineering concepts is the priority road or street (Vorfahrtstrasse), on which one enjoys right of way, valid to a sign where it gets cancelled again.
    signals it, to remain in force until cancelled by  .
  Following the latter sign, one must be prepared to encounter "yield the right of way", which is either one of the familiar signs,  , or  . As in the US, the effect of the latter two signs is the same, except one also must stop at the STOP or the white line by the sign. Note that in most countries the stop sign is of a different design. See our last page, Signs of other European countries
  
  Though the law does not explicitely require the posting of  before a yield sign or before a stop sign, the cancellation sign is usually posted nevertheless.

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• At the intersection with a Vorfahrtstraße, either the sign "yield the right of way to traffic in der priority street", or STOP, is posted.
• At the intersection of two roads or streets that are not Vorfahrtstraßen, there is
  • either no sign and the traffic from the right has thus the right of way,
  • or the intersection is controlled by the self complementing pair
    "my right of way,"  , and "yield to the cross street's right of way,  . The "my right of way" sign has validity only where posted, whereas the sign "Vorfahrtstraße,"   would have significance beyond this one intersection, in that it would turn the cross street into "Vorfahrtstraße" from there to the cancellation point. There may be a STOP instead of the YIELD the right of way.
• Safety for the travelers towards the intersection with a curved street calls for additional clarification. It is provided by a Zusatzschild depicting the situation schematically. Without further ado, we show three examples of the combination of a sign and and its Zusatzschild
  

  1.)	2.)	3.)
  Traffic straight ahead		Traffic straight ahead
  (up on picture)has also right of way		to yield to traffic from right (Vorfahrtstraße!)

  
  Turn signals required on the priority street (Vorfahrtstraße), but their use by others must not be relied upon!
  

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• The law specifically states where regulatory signs shall be placed with respect to a junction or intersection. Within town limits, this is along the right side, somewhere at the intersection. Outside town limits, signs are approximately 100 .... 250 m ahead of the intersection. Where less than 100 m, a Zusatzzeichen is to state the distance to the intersection.

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• A stop sign outside town limits must be announced by the combination:

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•  Where 2-way traffic on 2-way roads is tight, e.g. on steep or narrow roads, or in narrow places, one direction must be ordered to yield to the other. That is regardless of the possible presence of a traffic light. (Following a fundamental concept , traffic signs shall always be present at places sufficiently important to be normally regulated by light signals.) The signs prevail when the light is not in operation.
  
  There is a self complementary set of traffic signs, designed for the tight two-way situation. These are
  "it is my right of way,"  , and...."I shall yield to his right of way",  .
  The two arrows in both signs are of course interchanged as necessary in the case of left-hand traffic, as in the UK.

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• Town limits are marked by  the self complementary set of traffic signs
  "beginning of town rules,"  , and....."end of town rules ,"
  where the distance to the next town is shown on the cancellation sign. Note:
  • These two signs define new default speed limits, and
  • The color of the signs differs from country to country. For example, Germany (D), they are black on yellow, in Switzerland (CH) white on blue, and in Austria (A) and Sweden (S) black on white.
  • Refer to several statements on rules within and without town limits, made elsewhere in these pages.

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• Any compulsory roundabout is in force when posted  , which is a sign legal in some countries and illegal in others. Where legally posted, any traffic in the roundabout enjoys the right of way over traffic coming from the junctions.Watch traffic ahead. Watch traffic as it may enter from the side.

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• The special rules for Autobahn are invoked and cancelled by the self complementary pair of signs
   , and  . The country's Freeway default-speed limit, if any, applies. So do other rules, which are essentially as follows.
  • There is only controlled access, with accelerating lane and decelerating lane.
  • To leave sufficient space for emergency vehicles in the left lane when traffic is stopped.
  • No stopping is permitted, except when forced by emergency or congestion.
  • Permitted are no pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles with less than minimum rating, or vehicles capable of less than a minimum speed.
  • No lights are permitted at high beam.

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• The special rules for Kraftfahrstraße are invoked and cancelled by the self complementary pair of signs
   , and  . The same rules apply as for Autobahn, with the following exceptions.
  • There is no controlled access. Yet, access is allowed only via feeder road.
  • Pedestrians are permitted only to cross and to do so only on designated crossings controlled by light signal.
  • High beam light is allowed under the same rules that apply on roads outside town limits.

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