What Does the "Yards" Sign Mean?
If you're a newbie driver, you must wonder why the "yards" sign exists. Well, to answer your question, these "yards" signs are actually referred to as countdown markers. These road signs exist to indicate how close you are to a particular point or area.
Besides being a rectangular road sign containing different counts of stripes or bars, yards signs also come in different colours to indicate something. Here's what you need to know about the yards sign below.
What Does the Sign Mean?
Yards signs serve as countdown markers that will tell your distance to a particular point or area. These yards signs usually contain bars, and lesser bars mean a lesser distance from the motorway's exit or junction. These signs exist to allow you to prepare for what's ahead after the sign.
Here's what these number of bars indicate in these countdown markers below:
Three bars: 300 yards away from a particular point
Two bars: 200 yards away from a particular point
One bar: 100 yards away from a particular point
Now that you're aware of what the number of bars indicates in these yards signs, it's now time to identify what these signs further mean based on their provided colours. Here they are:
A blue-coloured yards sign with white bars: These yards signs are seen when you are nearing the exit of a motorway or upon closing distance with a motorway junction.
A green-coloured yards sign with white bars: These yards signs are seen when you are nearing the closure of a dual carriageway or upon closing distance with a junction.
A white-coloured yards sign with red bars: These yards signs are seen when you are nearing a railway line that crosses a road.
How Common is This Sign?
As stated above, these yards or countdown marker signs come in different colour code schemes and out of the three types of yards signs, you will regularly see the blue and green-backed yards signs the most. On the other hand, you will encounter yard signs with a white background and red stripes less commonly.
Where are You Likely to See the "Yards" Sign?
Again, depending on the sign's indicated colours, you will likely see these yards signs once you're close to the end of a particular point or a possible hazard. With the help of these signs, you can switch lanes ahead of time and make your exit from the motorway or junction smoothly.
Lastly, in the case of the white-coloured countdown markers with red bars, you can slow down ahead of time before approaching the level crossings you may not be able to quickly identify.
When Did This Sign First Come Into Action?
These signs came into action when London-based designers Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert developed the set of British road signs for the country's road signage system. The pair wanted to create signs with simple typefaces and shapes. This ensures that drivers easily recognise them, even when driving at high speeds.
Conclusion
Overall, yards signs are countdown markers that will help you know when you're approaching particular points on the road. More importantly, by knowing what the number of bars means and what their accompanied colours indicate, you should know what to expect when you reach the end of something.