Highway shield
Encyclopedia
Signage
Signage is any kind of visual graphics created to display information to a particular audience. This is typically manifested in the form of wayfinding information in places such as streets or inside/outside of buildings.-History:...
denoting the route number of a highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
, usually in the form of a symbolic shape with the route number enclosed. As the focus of the sign, the route number is usually the sign's largest element, with other items on the sign rendered in smaller sizes or contrasting colours. Highway shields are used by travellers, commuters, and all levels of government for identifying, navigating, and organising routes within a county, state, province
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
, or country. Simplified highway shields often appear on maps.
Australia
Australia has maintained distinctly different trends pertaining to Highway shields in the past and will continue in this vein somewhat, despite the conversion to alpha-numeric routes and shields.Alpha-numeric route numbering has been in use in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
since the 1970s. However, from 1996 states on the mainland began conversion to the alpha-numeric system. The state of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
was the first to implement the policy.
Prior to this conversion and concurrently, Federal Highway (gold-on-green squared-off bullet), National Highway (black-on-white squared-off bullet), State Highway (blue bullet) and Tourist Route (white-on-brown rounded isosceles trapezoid
Isosceles trapezoid
In Euclidean geometry, an isosceles trapezoid is a convex quadrilateral with a line of symmetry bisecting one pair of opposite sides, making it automatically a trapezoid...
) shields existed. In Victoria Freeway shields were used (white-on-green with 'F' prefix) until the late 1980s, while during the 1990s Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
implemented a hexagonal blue-on-white Metroad
Metroad
Metroads are the primary road routes serving the Sydney and Brisbane metropolitan areas in Australia. The Metroads form a network of radial and circumferential routes throughout the city, lengths of some of which are of freeway grade.-History:...
system of urban arterial routes. With the opening of the Western Ring Road (now M80); that road used a shield quite similar to the U.S. Interstate
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
shield, albeit with 'Ring Road' written instead of 'Interstate' and with 2 peaks, rather than 3.
To further complicate matters, with the introduction of the alpha-numeric system, roads that are Federally funded (or Federal Highways) have a squared-off bullet encompassing the alpha-numeric designation. Freeways and dual-carriageway roads often use an 'M' prefix, particularly in Victoria.
Canada
Each province dictates the type of shields used as their highway system is a provincial responsibility.Ontario
Ontario highways shields vary in shape and colour.For major or 400 series highway use a white bullet with a crown on top. These are referred to as King's Highway markers.
Secondary and local or county roads use an isosceles trapezoid
Isosceles trapezoid
In Euclidean geometry, an isosceles trapezoid is a convex quadrilateral with a line of symmetry bisecting one pair of opposite sides, making it automatically a trapezoid...
as markers. Background colour is usually white, but they can be green. Tertiary road signs are rectangular in shape. Text is black or white and will indicate the county name.
Ontario Highway 407 is the only 400-series highway not to have a standard shield. The rectangular signs has generic 407 and ETR markers.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong Strategic Route and Exit Number System
The Hong Kong Strategic Route and Exit Number System is a system adopted by the Transport Department of the Hong Kong Government to organise the major roads in the territory into Routes 1 to 10 for the convenience of drivers. When the system was first implemented in 2004, the government launched a...
states that the standard shield should consist of a yellow, bullet-shaped shield with the route number in black color. It is used on all numbered routes in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
Malaysia
Malaysian Public Works Department
Malaysian Public Works Department ' or Jabatan Kerja Raya Malaysia ' is the federal government department in Malaysia under Malaysian Ministry of Works which is responsible for construction and maintenance of public infrastructure in Malaysia such as federal and state roads, public government...
, a standard Malaysian highway shield consists of a yellow hexagon shield with black border line which resembles the Public Works Department's logo itself. The highway shield standard is used for all expressways
Malaysian Expressway System
The Malaysian Expressway System , which begins with the North-South Expressway , is currently in the process of being substantially developed...
, federal
Malaysian Federal Roads System
Malaysian Federal Roads System , is the main national road network in Malaysia. All Federal Roads in Malaysia are under the purview of Ministry of Works . According to Minister's Function Act 1969, MOW responsible to plan, build and maintain all Federal Roads gazetted under the Federal Road Act 1959...
and state roads
Malaysian State Roads system
Malaysian state roads are the secondary roads in Malaysia. The construction of state roads in Malaysia are funded by Malaysian Public Works Department of each states...
in Malaysia, which can be distinguished through the numbering scheme used (please refer to the Road signs in Malaysia
Road signs in Malaysia
Road signs in Malaysia are standardized road signs similar to those used in other nations but with certada]], and Australia, alin distinctions. Until the early 1980s, Malaysia closely followed Australian and Japanese practice in road sign design, with diamond-shaped warning signs and circular...
article for details).
United States
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices is a document issued by the Federal Highway Administration of the United States Department of Transportation to specify the standards by which traffic signs, road surface markings, and signals are designed, installed, and used...
(MUTCD) gives standard designs for highways in the Interstate Highway System
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
and U.S. route system (see U.S. Route shield
U.S. Route shield
The U.S. Route shield is the marker used for United States Numbered Highways. Since the first U.S. Route signs were installed in 1926, the general idea has remained the same, but many changes have been made in the details. Originally, the shield included the name of the state in which the sign was...
). The MUTCD also provides default designs for state highways (the circular highway shield) and county highways (a blue pentagon with yellow text). However, states are free to use any design for their numbered routes; only five states (Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
) use the default shield on their primary systems, with all others using a custom design. Many of these designs are other geometric shapes (like squares and diamonds), outlines of the state boundaries, or a design representing the state (like Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
's keystone
Keystone (architecture)
A keystone is the wedge-shaped stone piece at the apex of a masonry vault or arch, which is the final piece placed during construction and locks all the stones into position, allowing the arch to bear weight. This makes a keystone very important structurally...
design and Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
' sunflower
Sunflower
Sunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...
). See Numbered highways in the United States#State highways and other similar systems.
The Interstate shield is the only trademarked route shield in use in the United States.
Some U.S. counties also have unique shield designs, though most use the MUTCD default.
Alternatives to shields
Many countries worldwide, such as the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, do not use shields, instead relying on text representations of highway numbers. Road numbers (the term "highway" is not in general use in the UK) are prefixed by a letter indicating the type of road, for example M1, A1, B123 in the UK
Great Britain road numbering scheme
The Great Britain road numbering scheme is a numbering scheme used to classify and identify all roads in Great Britain. Each road is given a single letter, which represents the road's category, and a subsequent number, with a length of between 1 and 4 digits. Originally introduced to arrange...
; A1
Autoroutes of France
The Autoroute system in France consists largely of toll roads, except around large cities and in parts of the north. It is a network of worth of motorways. Autoroute destinations are shown in blue, while destinations reached through a combination of autoroutes are shown with an added autoroute logo...
, N1
Route nationale (France)
A route nationale, or simply nationale, is a trunk road in France. Trunk roads are in France are important roads which cross broad portions of the French territory, as opposed to secondary or communal roads who only serve local areas....
, D1 in France. These are sometimes highlighted with a different background color, depending on the class of highway and the context of the sign.
See also
- Reassurance markerReassurance markerA reassurance marker or road identification sign is a road sign that repeats the name or number of the current route. Typically posted at intervals alongside a numbered highway, the signs are intended to reassure drivers that they are traveling on the desired road .- North America :In the United...
- Numbered highways in Canada
- Numbered highways in the United StatesNumbered highways in the United StatesHighways in the United States are split into at least four different types of systems.*Interstate Highways**The Interstate Highway System is a federally funded and administered system of freeways that forms the transportation backbone of the U.S., with millions of Americans relying on it for...
- Road designation or abbreviationRoad designation or abbreviationA road designation or a road name abbreviation are easy ways to refer to a road.The road designation can be created from the original road name or made accordingly to the road type and number...