Today, it seems as if traffic signs have always existed. This is partly true - for example, as far as we know, the Romans used boundary stones. Butthe real beginning of road signing starts with the introduction of the motorcar at the end of the I9th century. A variety of different systems havebeen implemented since 1890, but it was not until 1909 that the first international convention was agreed. The Vienna Convention, which representeda huge step forward, was signed in 1968, but a large part of the world does not apply it; furthermore, the Vienna Convention does not cover (at least up to now) every kind of traffic signing. This paper describes the history of traffic signing in France and in Europe, highlighting the role of international conventions. For the covering abstract see ITRD E139491.
Abstract