UK Road Signs: A Question

[herzzreh]

Not festival related...

So after driving in UK numerous times one question still bugs me... on directional signs there is a road number and then at times there are other road numbers in parentesis next to it. Route number outside parentesis is self-explanatory, what do the route numbers in parentesis mean?

[TheNewUnion]

E.g. A580 (M62) means one road leads to or becomes the other.

Edited March 9, 2013 by TheNewUnion

[grumpyhack]

UK road signs are pretty sensible compared to ones in France. If you join the, for example, the M4 motorway, which runs from Swansea in the west to London in the east the first places signed will be the nearest main towns or cities.

So if you join at Cardiff, heading east, the places signed will be Newport (about 10 miles) and then Bristol (another 20 miles).

In France motorways and Routes Nationals are much longer, in some cases over 400 milesr long. And the signs often only announce the name of the place at the end of the motorway. So you have to work out the place at the end, which might be several pages on in your roadmap, to tell if you are joining going in the right direction.

In the UK the signs indicate the road you are joining and then in parenthesis the road that it leads to. So you might join the A48 that leads to Cardiff and connects on to the M4. The sign will say A48 Cardiff (M4).

[herzzreh]

Ah ok... Kinda of what I thought, just wasn't sure. Driving in UK is a breeze, takes me about 20-30 minutes to get used to being on the "wrong" side.

I do have to constantly remind myself though to go into the far lanes when turning right and near lanes when turning left. Had a couple of close calls...

[grumpyhack]

Ah ok... Kinda of what I thought, just wasn't sure. Driving in UK is a breeze, takes me about 20-30 minutes to get used to being on the "wrong" side.

I do have to constantly remind myself though to go into the far lanes when turning right and near lanes when turning left. Had a couple of close calls...

[herzzreh]

I experienced this first hand when I drove in the Russian Far East. They drive on the right there but most of the cars are right-hand drive Japanese imports. Overtaking was truly playing with fate...

Oh yeah, in UK I also have to constantly remind myself to go left instead of right at the roundabouts. I was the idiot who went the wrong way my very first time driving near Prestwick airport. Never again!

Also, after spending two weeks in England, I was fresh off the plane at an American airbase in Germany. Walked outside the terminal, started walking across the street and almost got nailed by a car. Got used to looking right first...

Edited March 9, 2013 by herzzreh

[HeatherLAB]

We will be driving our RV in England for the first time. I have to admit....it's scaring the bejesus out of me. I don't mind roundabouts, but I saw a picture of a double-roundabout the other day....O_o. WTF???? You don't see those in Canada. Lol.

[johntrfc]

Double-roundabout the other day....O_o. WTF???? You don't see those in Canada. Lol.

[liz lemon]

Doubles are easy

[grumpyhack]

Once you've cracked doubles you must visit the Spaghetti Junction motorway interchange in Birmingham. There you really do need to be clear on which roads you are looking to follow.

[ian the worm]

Driving in UK is a breeze, takes me about 20-30 minutes to get used to being on the "wrong" side.

[HeatherLAB]

Doubles are easy

[incident]

Why???? OMFG!!! That is just crazy!!! Ok. You need to tell me where that is, so I plan on avoiding it!

[Paf_82]

At least in the uk we put signs up for everything....

[TheNewUnion]

If you are phased by the one JohnTRFC posted, the sign as you approach clears everything up nicely:

[mandolin]

If you are phased by the one JohnTRFC posted, the sign as you approach clears everything up nicely:

[HeatherLAB]

If you are phased by the one JohnTRFC posted, the sign as you approach clears everything up nicely:

[herzzreh]

Holy roundabout! So I think that I have figured how to navigate it but... but... what's the damn point of that thing? Some weird abstract futuristic attempt at building roads?

[Paf_82]

It moves traffic more efficiently than traffic lights or one big roundabout.

[little_jim]

You want to practice your roundabouts? Ive only been through two or three times but Milton Keanes is full of them, each and every road is made up of them its madness.! You can't go 10 yards without using one.

[TheGayTent]

If you can survive the roundabout around the Arc de Triomphe then anything in the UK is a piece of piss.

[lharris92]

this one in colchester is a giggle:

[benc]

I would seriously shit myself approaching that

[benc]

Not sure which one that is, but there's at least 2 of them - one in Hemel Hempsted, the other in Swindon.

Neither of which are exactly on a typical tourist route.

[Ed209]

it not as bad as it looks and it works quite well. Growing up you'd be scared of doing you driving test and being taken over the magic roundabout, I rememeber my sisters talking about it - i completed my test in Salisbury