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Road signs in Switzerland and Liechtenstein

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Road signs in Switzerland and Liechtenstein generally conform to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals.[1]

Example of Swiss motor-/expressway sign

Although Switzerland is not a member of the European Union, the road signs largely follow the general European conventions concerning the use of shape and color to indicate their function.

Switzerland signed the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals on November 8, 1968 and ratified it on December 11, 1991.[2] On March 2, 2020 Liechtenstein acceded to the Convention.

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The Swiss road signs are defined in the Road Signs Act, which is based on several laws and ordinances. Liechtenstein largely follows the legislation of Switzerland. The principal law for road signs in Switzerland is the Road Signs Act (German: Signalisationsverordnung (SSV), French: Ordonnance du sur la signalisation routière (OSR), Italian: Ordinanza sulla segnaletica stradale (OSStr)).[3] In Liechtenstein, it is the Road Signalling Ordinance (German: Strassensignalisationsverordnung (SSV)).[4]

Concepts

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Each canton is responsible for the management and placement of its road signs and complementary panels and uses one of the four official languages of Switzerland accordingly.

Distances and other measurements are displayed in metric units.

Starting in 2003, the ASTRA-Frutiger font replaced the previous SNV font, which is still used in Liechtenstein.[5][6]

Road signs are divided into warning signs, regulatory signs, priority signs, indication signs, supplementary panels, road markings, traffic lights and police instruction signs.

Warning signs

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Regulatory signs

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Prohibitions

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Mandatory Instructions

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Priority signs

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Indication signs

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Conducting indication signs

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Routing indication signs

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Numbering

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Motorways and expressways

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Informational signs

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Supplementary panels

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All signs and supplementary panels can be combined with supplementary panels for particular kinds of transport means.[clarification needed] If accompanied with the words ausgenommen / excepté / eccettuato (excluding) or gestattet / autorisé / permesso (permitted), it means that the indicated kind of transport means are excluded from the regulation of the main sign.

Sign 5.31 also applies to mopeds with a designed maximal speed of 20km/h.

Road markings

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Traffic lights

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General remarks:

  • Working traffic light signals (not turned off or not flashing yellow) take precedence over priority signs, road markings, and general road rules.
  • A yellow flashing traffic light signals a need for special caution, and the general road rules, priority signs, and road markings have to be applied and followed (including in particular stop signs (see 3.01) or give way signs (see 3.02) and all other priority signs, as well as direction indications (e.g. see 2.32–2.43, 2.46, 6.06, 6.10, 6.13)).
  • White traffic lights are addressed to public transport only.

General rules

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Specifically addressed

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Police instruction signs

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Blue Zone parking disc

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When parking in a Blue Zone, it is mandatory to set and display a blue parking disc with the time of arrival according to the Blue Zone Rules. Parking in a blue zone space is limited to 1 hour unless otherwise indicated. No part of a parked vehicle, including bumpers, may protrude outside the marked parking space.

Blue disks are available in various places, such as police stations, hotels, tourist offices, newsstands, the local Gemeinde/Town hall, garages and gas stations.

Blue Zone Parking Rules

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From Monday to Saturday
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The disc must be set to the exact time, or to the next half-hour mark if the exact time is not printed on the disc.

Hour slots Parking allowed
8:00 to 11:30 a.m. For 1 hour after set time
11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Until 2:30 p.m.
1:30 to 6:00 p.m. For 1 hour after set time
6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Until 9:00 the next morning
7:00 p.m. to 7:59 a.m. Blue disc not needed if vehicle removed by 8:00 a.m.

From 6:00 p.m. Saturday to 9:00 a.m. Monday, blue-zone parking is free and no blue disc is needed.

In blue zones marked with a 4-digit area code, parking is free for those with a valid parking permit for that specific area code. For those without the corresponding parking permit, regular Blue Zone parking rules apply.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Panel 5.13 can be added, if there is black ice or slippery snow on road.
  2. ^ Panel 5.15 can be added to indicate the width of the lane/road.
  3. ^ a b Panel 5.12 can be added, if regulated by turn signals.
  4. ^ In Chur, warning of street-running trains.
  5. ^ Often panel 5.01 is added.
  6. ^ Additional information will be added below the sign, e.g. panel 5.16.
  7. ^ a b Includes any kind of vehicle-like transport means, e.g. rollerblades, skateboards, scooters, etc.
  8. ^ a b If valid for a distance, then additional length information is shown below the sign with panel 5.03.
  9. ^ Often panels 5.04, 5.05, 5.06, 5.07, or 5.10 are added.
  10. ^ Often panels 5.04, 5.05, 5.06, 5.07, or 5.11 are added.
  11. ^ Stop requested, except if no control is carried out, then speed limit is 20 km/h.
  12. ^ If driving is exceptionally allowed then pedestrians and users of vehicle-like transport means have priority
  13. ^ Pedestrians and users of vehicle-like transport means, such as rollerblades, scooters, skateboards, etc., are allowed to use the entire street and have priority; parking only allowed at designated places.
  14. ^ Panels 5.01 and/or 5.09 can be added.
  15. ^ Panels 5.01 and/or 5.09 can be added.
  16. ^ Panel 5.09 can be added.
  17. ^ Priority given to public transport, such as postal bus; pay special attention to the specific three-tone-horn of the postal bus approaching hairpin bends and wait before the bend; traffic users must follow instructions given by public transport drivers.
  18. ^ Length of tunnel can be indicated using sign 5.03.
  19. ^ Presence of hospital, rest home or similar. Traffic users must keep quiet, particularly during night time.
  20. ^ Panels 5.57 and 5.58 can be added.
  21. ^ Panel 5.14 can be added to indicate an exclusive parking space for handicapped people.
  22. ^ a b Mentions next village/town above the line and distance to next major place(s) below.)
  23. ^ After this sign, the generally valid speed limit within a densely built-up area automatically applies.
  24. ^ Often announced with panel 4.23.
  25. ^ Panels 5.20–5.32 can be added.

References

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  1. ^ "Convention on Road Signs and Signals Vienna, 8 November 1968". United Nations. Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  2. ^ "United Nations Treaty Collection". treaties.un.org. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  3. ^ "SR 741.21 Signalisationsverordnung vom 5. September 1979 (SSV)" (in German, French, and Italian). Berne, Switzerland: Swiss Federal Council. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  4. ^ "Strassensignalisationsverordnung (SSV) vom 27. Dezember 1979" (in German). Liechtensteinisches Landesgesetzblatt. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  5. ^ rel (20 January 2003). "«Frutiger» für die Strasse". NZZ (in German). Zurich, Switzerland. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  6. ^ "Frutiger honored with SOTA award". Microsoft Typography. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
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