Motorway signs

First approach signs

Australia - Mexico | Netherlands - Vietnam

The Netherlands
Location: A29 (Rotterdam - Bergen op Zoom)
"Afrit" means exit. On recent signs, an exit pictogram is used, simular to the one used in most other European nations. Exits in The Netherlands are numbered as a sequence.

New Zealand
Location: SH18 (Western Ring of Auckland)
The name of the exit and its number. Exit numbers in New Zealand are distance-based.
Photo: Ben / Auckland Motorways

Norway
Location: E6 (Oslo - Göteborg)
All exit destinations and the exit number. On top, you will see the name of the intersection, with "krysset" meaning intersection.
Photo: Ingenioren

Peru
Location: Ruta 1S (Panamericana Sur: Lima - Tacna)
Exit destinations and distance to the exit. The first approach sign always comes at 500 meter of the exit. Exit number on a yellow rider, with the exit number being based on the nearest kilometer post.

Poland
Location: A4 (Dresden - Wroclaw - Kraków)
Name of the exit and the distance of 3000 meters. And that's not the exception in Poland; they are very early with their first approach signs. A further oddity is the use of the symbol otherwise used for motorway intersections for this simple exit. Exit numbering is still AWOL in Poland.
Photo: Ceske Dalnice

Portugal
Location: A 24 (Viseu - Verin)
Sign gives all the directions for the exit and, on a yellow background, the exit number. This exit is not yet numbered, however, so the space for the number is still left open. As to the road numbers, the two numbers between brackets are roads not actually intersecting the motorway, but roads reached via this exit. Quite English, as a matter of fact.
Photo: Seppl

Slovakia
Location: D1 (Bratislava - Košice)
First approach sign gives the name of the exit and the distance to it. Apparently, exit numbers will be introduced shortly in Slovakia, but no sign of them yet on this photo.
Photo: RipleyLV

Slovenia
Location: A 2 (Klagenfurt - Ljubljana)
Straightforward fork sign, giving the main direction of the exit. The colour yellow refers to non-motorways.
Photo: Rien / Belgian Roads

South Africa
Location: N 12 (Johannesburg - Ermelo)
The directions of the exit on a fork sign. The number on the upper left is the exit number. Exits in South Africa are numbered by the kilometer, but their numbers do not match with the numbers appearing on the kilometer posts. Apparently, numbering starts at the provincial borders as they were before 1994. Now there you go with some useless information :-)

Spain
Location: AP-2 (Barcelona - Zaragoza)
First approach sign shows all the directions of the exit straight away. This sign is overhead, but that is rather exceptional. Do note the "European" exit symbol. Older Spanish signs still use the Spanish word "salida" or the translation thereof into one of the regional languages of Spain (Catalan, Basque, etc). On motorways (Autopistas), exits are numbered as sequence. Oddly, on highways (Autovias), they are numbered by the nearest kilometer post.
Photo: Chris / Dutch Roadgeek Blog

Swaziland
Location: MR 3 (Mbabane - Manzani)
Very much like South Africa, but then in green and without the actual distance to the exit. No exit number either.

Sweden
Location: E6 (Malmö - Oslo)
Stack sign giving all directions of the exit and the numbers of the road you are on. The exit number is in yellow on black below the sign. Exits in Sweden are numbered as a sequence. Which leads to a somewhat tricky numbering in order to cater for the duplexes which you see on a number of major Swedish roads. The particular number of this exit, for instance, is chosen so that both the E6 and the E20 can provide continuous sequential numbering.
Photo: Chris / Dutch Roadgeek Blog

Switzerland
Location: A2 (Chiasso - Basel)
First approach usually comes at 1000 meters from the exit and just gives the name of the exit and the exit number. Exits in Switzerland are numbered sequentially.

Taiwan
Location: National Highway 1 (Keelung - Kaohsiung)
All directions of the exit in two character sets. In this case, a distinction between the directions west and east of the intersecting road has also been made. The exit number is on the upper left of the sign. Exits in Taiwan are being numbered as a sequence.
Photo: Darren Hodges / Signspotters

Thailand
Location: Route 9 (Bangkok ring road)
The name of the intersecting road in Roman characters and Thai. Plus some additional information in Thai that I cannot decipher... Phetkasem Road is the main road from Bangkok to Malaysia, but its number Route 4 does not appear on this sign yet.

Tunesia
Location: A1 (Tunis - Sfax)
All exit destinations in Roman characters and in Arab. The exit number and intersecting road number are not featured.
Photo: Igorlan

United Kingdom
Location: M4 (London - Cardiff).
Just the directions of the exit on this sign and their road numbers. Distance is in miles, of course. On the bottom left is the exit number. Exits in the UK are numbered as a sequence.

United States of America
Location: I 280 (San Francisco - San Jose)
The major focal points for the exit and the intersecting road number are placed on the first approach sign, which usually comes at 1 mile before the exit (but more for major interchanges). Most US states have exit numbering in place (mostly by the nearest mile post), but in California, numbering is still in progress.
Photo: Marcel Monterie

Vietnam
Location: QL1 (Chinese border - Hanoi)
All destinations of the exit, the control city and even the design of the exit if you would have travelled in the opposite direction. I'm not surprised I've never seen a sign showing that in any other country, but the Vietnamese will probably think it's brilliant. Better improve the roads, I'd say. Or start indicating an exit number or something as basic as the distance to the exit.

Motorway signs
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	The Netherlands Location: A29 (Rotterdam - Bergen op Zoom) "Afrit" means exit. On recent signs, an exit pictogram is used, simular to the one used in most other European nations. Exits in The Netherlands are numbered as a sequence.
New Zealand Location: SH18 (Western Ring of Auckland) The name of the exit and its number. Exit numbers in New Zealand are distance-based. Photo: Ben / Auckland Motorways
	Norway Location: E6 (Oslo - Göteborg) All exit destinations and the exit number. On top, you will see the name of the intersection, with "krysset" meaning intersection. Photo: Ingenioren
Peru Location: Ruta 1S (Panamericana Sur: Lima - Tacna) Exit destinations and distance to the exit. The first approach sign always comes at 500 meter of the exit. Exit number on a yellow rider, with the exit number being based on the nearest kilometer post.
	Poland Location: A4 (Dresden - Wroclaw - Kraków) Name of the exit and the distance of 3000 meters. And that's not the exception in Poland; they are very early with their first approach signs. A further oddity is the use of the symbol otherwise used for motorway intersections for this simple exit. Exit numbering is still AWOL in Poland. Photo: Ceske Dalnice
Portugal Location: A 24 (Viseu - Verin) Sign gives all the directions for the exit and, on a yellow background, the exit number. This exit is not yet numbered, however, so the space for the number is still left open. As to the road numbers, the two numbers between brackets are roads not actually intersecting the motorway, but roads reached via this exit. Quite English, as a matter of fact. Photo: Seppl
	Slovakia Location: D1 (Bratislava - Košice) First approach sign gives the name of the exit and the distance to it. Apparently, exit numbers will be introduced shortly in Slovakia, but no sign of them yet on this photo. Photo: RipleyLV
Slovenia Location: A 2 (Klagenfurt - Ljubljana) Straightforward fork sign, giving the main direction of the exit. The colour yellow refers to non-motorways. Photo: Rien / Belgian Roads
	South Africa Location: N 12 (Johannesburg - Ermelo) The directions of the exit on a fork sign. The number on the upper left is the exit number. Exits in South Africa are numbered by the kilometer, but their numbers do not match with the numbers appearing on the kilometer posts. Apparently, numbering starts at the provincial borders as they were before 1994. Now there you go with some useless information :-)
Spain Location: AP-2 (Barcelona - Zaragoza) First approach sign shows all the directions of the exit straight away. This sign is overhead, but that is rather exceptional. Do note the "European" exit symbol. Older Spanish signs still use the Spanish word "salida" or the translation thereof into one of the regional languages of Spain (Catalan, Basque, etc). On motorways (Autopistas), exits are numbered as sequence. Oddly, on highways (Autovias), they are numbered by the nearest kilometer post. Photo: Chris / Dutch Roadgeek Blog
	Swaziland Location: MR 3 (Mbabane - Manzani) Very much like South Africa, but then in green and without the actual distance to the exit. No exit number either.
Sweden Location: E6 (Malmö - Oslo) Stack sign giving all directions of the exit and the numbers of the road you are on. The exit number is in yellow on black below the sign. Exits in Sweden are numbered as a sequence. Which leads to a somewhat tricky numbering in order to cater for the duplexes which you see on a number of major Swedish roads. The particular number of this exit, for instance, is chosen so that both the E6 and the E20 can provide continuous sequential numbering. Photo: Chris / Dutch Roadgeek Blog
	Switzerland Location: A2 (Chiasso - Basel) First approach usually comes at 1000 meters from the exit and just gives the name of the exit and the exit number. Exits in Switzerland are numbered sequentially.
Taiwan Location: National Highway 1 (Keelung - Kaohsiung) All directions of the exit in two character sets. In this case, a distinction between the directions west and east of the intersecting road has also been made. The exit number is on the upper left of the sign. Exits in Taiwan are being numbered as a sequence. Photo: Darren Hodges / Signspotters
	Thailand Location: Route 9 (Bangkok ring road) The name of the intersecting road in Roman characters and Thai. Plus some additional information in Thai that I cannot decipher... Phetkasem Road is the main road from Bangkok to Malaysia, but its number Route 4 does not appear on this sign yet.
Tunesia Location: A1 (Tunis - Sfax) All exit destinations in Roman characters and in Arab. The exit number and intersecting road number are not featured. Photo: Igorlan
	United Kingdom Location: M4 (London - Cardiff). Just the directions of the exit on this sign and their road numbers. Distance is in miles, of course. On the bottom left is the exit number. Exits in the UK are numbered as a sequence.
United States of America Location: I 280 (San Francisco - San Jose) The major focal points for the exit and the intersecting road number are placed on the first approach sign, which usually comes at 1 mile before the exit (but more for major interchanges). Most US states have exit numbering in place (mostly by the nearest mile post), but in California, numbering is still in progress. Photo: Marcel Monterie
	Vietnam Location: QL1 (Chinese border - Hanoi) All destinations of the exit, the control city and even the design of the exit if you would have travelled in the opposite direction. I'm not surprised I've never seen a sign showing that in any other country, but the Vietnamese will probably think it's brilliant. Better improve the roads, I'd say. Or start indicating an exit number or something as basic as the distance to the exit.