The history of traffic signs.

This booklet provides a concise history of the development of traffic signs in Great Britain. The definition of "traffic sign" is given in Section 64 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (see IRRD 279725). It includes not only upright signs giving warnings and instructions to traffic, speed limits, directions and other information, but also road markings, traffic light signals, motorway matrix signals, zebra and pelican crossings, and cones and cylinders used at road works. The early history up to 1900 is briefly mentioned. The proliferation of signs came in this century with private motoring. This document reports briefly on: the Motor Car Act 1903; Ministry of Transport circulars and reports up to the 1950s. The Worboys Report on traffic signs, published in 1963 was the seminal work which introduced the modern signing systems and resulted in the Traffic Signs Manual. The recommendations of the Worboys Committee were generally accepted and embodied in the Traffic Signs and General Directions 1964 (Statutory Instrument SI 1964 : 1857). A major revision of the current edition of these regulations (SI 1981 : 859) is currently in progress. The current signing system is described and extensively illustrated in the latest edition of the DOT's publication " Know your traffic signs", published by HMSO.