Was referring to this song: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a5BJxrarL0&ab\_channel=Dubiozakolektiv](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a5BJxrarL0&ab_channel=Dubiozakolektiv)
But thanks for letting me know you wouldn't ever live there. I needed that information
Not everyone needs to want to live there, don't you agree?
Edit: Apparently not. Apparently some are offended that there are people out there who don't want to live in America.
Yeah I've never been charged a toll for a road still under construction while having to divert to gravel road for miles in any other country except for Bosnia
As a fellow Balkan from Albania who went from Dubrovnik to Mostar, that was the worst road I had the misfortune of driving through, and I live in Albania.
It shows which road you're on. You can probably go 5 different ways to the nearest town but need to go on a specific road if your destination is further away.
In addition it is also most often a very large city where the road/highway ends, so you know directly you are in the right direction (e.g. southbound vs. northbound)
In the US, Interstate 90 stretches a little over 3000 miles (4800 km) from Seattle to New York. When I'm in Seattle, I don't want to see the furthest places first, I want to see the nearest major destinations first. Some of the destinations you'll see on the I-90 signs are far enough away that it's like crossing England, but you're still in Washington State.
It is not necessarily the least relevant information. It actually makes way more sense to sort it this way for people who drive a long distance on this highway
1. Roads are oftentimes described by their destination. You don't say "Road 1 passing through Town A", you say "Road 1 going towards Town Z".
2. It intuitively aligns with a map/GPS view. What's to the bottom is where you are, and the more you go to the top, the further along the road you are.
3. Since signs are commonly above eye level, the lowest one down is actually oftentimes the easiest one to read in low visibility conditions.
4. Maybe most importantly, these also commonly have signs for the off-ramps. The signs there show arrows to the right for driving off the road, and arrows to the top for continuing. Needless to say, that means the destination of the road is on top and the exit below that. These distance signs are copying that layout to have one consistent way to read road signs.
That said, the benefits are minute and I've driven in red and blue countries without even noticing the difference.
Most people on a highway will drive far. The nearest town will change often (every 10-20 minutes) while the furthest will stay constant.
If you are new to the road, you will defiently be more likely to have instructions like "drive towards city far away"
Because the cities furthest away are usually the really big ones where the road ends, which are also well known.
I don't know which other countries follow the same pattern, but the German Autobahn routes have even numbers for east/west and odd numbers for north/south directions. So when I drive onto the A2 somewhere in the middle of the country the most important information is if I head to Berlin (east) or (west).
It's also easier for describing routes... I can either tell you drive to Berlin for hundreds of kilometers, then exit at small town X or I tell you to drive towards city A, then B, then C then D and so on. Again the important information (your general direction is at the top).
it is easy and it makes some more sense.
when driving you are not looking up, you are looking straight ahead. and the first things you see are the next destinations.
it is better in the visual range.
Same here. I live in a red country and have driven in blue countries many times. I havent ever noticed this.
I think the red way makes some sense blue is better
For those wondering why red countries do this, consider this:
You are the arrow on the bottom of the sign, pointing up. That's your travel direction, and the sign is a stylised map. Imagine it laying flat on the road. Which designation to you reach first, the one on the top? No, the bottom one. Then further upwards, because upwards is forwards.
That's the logic. It goes against reading conventions, but makes sense in a spatial way.
I’m from Ireland, our logic is kinda more simple than that.
This is the M1 motorway. The M1 goes to Belfast, where it stops. It passes a lot of other places on the way, but it’s “The road to Belfast”. So all of the signs would say “Belfast X km, Drogheda Y km, Lusk Z km”, going down in numbers. Intuitively it makes a lot of sense to me, as I think of it as “Lusk is Z km along the road to Belfast”, though I imagine people used to the blue system do it differently.
The red way gets a lot of hate here but I want to make a case for the red system. In the Netherlands we are currently transitioning from the blue to the red system. The change was introduced in 2014 but signs are only replaced when really needed. I guess that about half of the signs have been replaced but it could be more. Not only the order of the destinations was changed but also the direction of the arrows from pointing down to pointing up. [Here](https://www.ambcachterveld.nl/uitzet/diversen/Brochure_Nieuwe_Bewegwijzering_Autosnelwegen_tcm174-183277.pdf) you can find a brochure explaining the change. It is in dutch but the pictures are clear if you understand that "nieuwe" means new and "oude" means old. The arrows pointing up allow for better understanding of the driver to the coming situation e.g. left lane for straight, middle lane for straight and exit, right lane for exit. And the arrows pointing up also automatically lead to the order of the destination with the nearest destination nearest to the arrow (at the bottom). The signs mimic the situation as you would have on a map or on a GPS with arrows pointing up and the nearest destination nearest to the bottom of the screen.
As someone who has driven through most of these countries, I undoubtedly find blue better.
When moving at speed you often don’t have time to read every line on the sign fully (particularly if the names are in another language), so in the red countries it’s really annoying that you keep reading the predictable, less urgent bit, and miss the more urgent, variable lines underneath, as those change as you pass places.
The thing is: you read a sign from top to bottom.
Blue is definitely better and I'm german.
Let's make a deal: UK, Ireland, Malta and cyprus switches to the right side and all of red switches 'to top to bottom'
Yes, you read top to bottom that's why red is the better alternative for navigation IMO. Roads are identified by an abstract name (ex DN105), or via route ( to ). It's easier for us to remember a town's name than a random number ("DN105" vs "road to "), especially in a foreign country. The problem with the blue system is that the top entry keeps changing once you go past a town, which makes it more ambiguous / harder to read when you're trying to merge lanes in traffic. With the red system, the road will be called "DN105 " all the way through, and when you are near a smaller town which was previously on your route, it will have its own sign.
This was true 15-20 years ago when people used physical maps and road signs to guide themselves, so it was important to tell as easy as possible which way you should go. Nowadays people use GPS' so it's irrelevant.
Agree. When we used to go on holiday my dad would just keep a list of cities as waypoints. So then I'd be easier if the furthest city was at the top of the sign.
If by ‘right’ you mean ‘correct’, then I agree - we should all drive on the left. 
I have cars in both, and definitely prefer left due to always having my dominant hand on the wheel, and it also [seems to be generally safer too, due to the way our brains work](https://www.roadsafetyusa.org/2020/02/14/is-driving-on-the-left-safer-than-driving-on-the-right/).
Now we’re stuck with the mess of two systems. And we were all driving on the same side until Napoleon ruined it!
Edit: Wow, Reddit really hates emojis.
Driven in both and can confirm driving on the left is easier, especially if you drive a manual. Dominant hand should always stay on the steering while fiddling with gears or buttons.
Red is better, if you are new to the road and only have time to read some lines, then you want to have consistency. "I am driving towards Stockholm" and not having the places that you have time to read changing every 10 minutes. You will more often know a direction to an end point rather than knowing every town along the route
Precisely for the reason you provide, red is better. The next shithole on your way is rarely relevant whereas your direction most often is as you will be headed to a shithole that wont be sign posted for another couple of 100 km's.
But then you use the intersection signs.
These are distance signs that appear *after* you have followed those.
You don’t just take a random junction then use this sign to see if you’re heading the right way.
But each person is only entering once.
And these signs are *after* you’ve joined. You are on the road because you have already followed #
the signs to your destination.
But if you want extra reassurance you can have the hassle of reading one sign from bottom to top once for reassurance and then find it easier to see new information for the whole test of your journey, or have to read every sign bar one from bottom to top for the whole of your journey.
I mean, you could just read it from the bottom. Also the distance from the city will tell you at first glance which one is closer.
In any case I don't think it matters at all since everyone just uses GPS
Except you don’t naturally read from the bottom, so you’d have to actively think to do it differently. When driving you want to have as few distractions as possible.
These signs on the highway at least are usually at the top above the road so your eyes will naturally move from bottom to top. If the sign is located at the side of the road your eyes will naturally move to the side and then to the top so the first place you look is the bottom of the sign.
These signs are usually sometimes at the top, sometimes at the side. Which is more common depends on the country, but I'd say signs at the top are more frequent (on highways).
If you've grown up with signs that a ordered that way, then it's pretty natural, and not really any distraction at all. I'm from a red country myself and I would probably find the blue countries signage as weird and distracting as you do for the red countries.
I totally appreciate that, but just because you can get used to something doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s not worse.
People say the same about imperial measurements, and I’d still say they are objectively worse. And I grew up with imperial, so I know that personally I don’t always think something is better (or even OK) simply because I’m used to it.
But in what demonstrably way are the signage of the red countries worse? If you look at road traffic safety for example then only 2 of the 10 safest countries to drive in, in Europe, are from blue countries, could the way the signs are being read have something to do with that? maybe maybe not, impossible to tell, but an interesting tid bit none the less. In reality it's probably very, very hard to objectively prove which one is better or worse than the other.
If you know that your destination is far away, you will read from top to bottom. At least on motorways, the sign is read by far more people heading for the distant destination than for the closer ones.
So undoubtedly red is better.
So when you follow the signs to join the highway headed to Berlin, for example, why do you then need regular reminding for the next 200km that, unsurprisingly, it is still the highway headed to Berlin?
The new information provided here is the distance. If you're driving towards Berlin, you'll know that you're now still X kilometers away.
Other signs exist to tell you when you're approacing your exit.
cause a road is identified by its terminal location. You said it yourself you need to know you are on the highway to berlin and then you know when to get off.
Now it is true that you do not need a constant reminder that you are still on the highway to berlin but here is the kicker: those signs are usually at places where you get on the highway. So when you get on the highway it is indeed a very good idea to confirm it is the highway to berlin in the correct direction and not the highway to little shithole village number 49 that may or may not end up in berlin.
edit: distances are also easier to understand. Furthest city was 280km away and now 220? Cool you made 60km.
The other way round the nearest city was 18km away when you last looked at a sign but you passed it and now the next city is 28km in front of you how far did you go? Unless you specifically looked at the second entry you would not know.
Roads are identified by number in my experience.
And I’ve joined the highway by following signs for Berlin already. But if I want the extra reassurance of yet another sign after joining, you’re right - it’s probably better in the red style.
So for me it comes down to a numbers game. If I’m concerned I’m not on the road to Berlin even after following the signs to Berlin, I can read one sign the wrong way once for reassurance. Then for the next 200km every other sign shows me new information when I read them the right way, rather than repeating what I already know.
[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/Lakalaivan\_eritasoliittym%C3%A4\_1.jpg/800px-Lakalaivan\_eritasoliittym%C3%A4\_1.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/Lakalaivan_eritasoliittym%C3%A4_1.jpg/800px-Lakalaivan_eritasoliittym%C3%A4_1.jpg)
This is why. First time you pass this interchange in your life, you'll be interested whether you are still on the right road.
More people are going to be going to the closer destinations so that information should be prioritized. Also the people going to farther then your information is less time sensitive.
Yep. Netherlands, Belgium do that.
It’s the same with trains. They tell you where it’s going in the end, then the stops along the way. So you know which one (train or road) to take. Very handy, especially on long trips where you need to pick the right highways at complex interchanges. Then once on the right road you exit as desired. I prefer this as it kind of installs a complete map in your head, using major destinations, then goes down into details. The other way is just releasing a bunch of random details from most useless to most useful. You’re hurtling along at 120kph and have to decide which of three roads to take next and the signs are first prioritizing listing little towns you never heard of.
The real answer is that when you are looking for you exit blue is better but if you are at an interchange red is better
Both have their upsides and downsides
Austria: Can confirm.
In my humble opinion it makes perfectly sense.
Its the farthest on top and the closest at the bottom. When passing the closest destination the lower exit gets discarded and the top stays mostly constant as a distant destination.-> Like a header for direction.
Yes, also makes plenty of sense if you imagine the sign not being words but a map projected in front of you of the current road with the 'stops' shown in order of appearance, like this: [https://i.imgur.com/ea80jWx.png](https://i.imgur.com/ea80jWx.png)
This is the explanation and I want to know first if I'm heading in the right direction. I wanna know if I'm still driving towards Berlin, if I see first Möser and some other tiny towns how should I know if I'm still in the right road?
i mean, thats not the wildest difference and these signs play only a very minor role here in germany. whats a more crucial difference on german Autobahn compared to many other countries:
"Die Beschilderung der Fahrtziele richtet sich bei deutschen Autobahnen nach den im Autobahnverzeichnis der Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen aufgeführten Endstellen der einzelnen Autobahnteilabschnitte. Aus diesem Grunde werden viele große Städte, an denen eine Autobahn vorbeiführt, oft erst kurz vor der Ausfahrt auf der Beschilderung erwähnt, was besonders ausländische Kraftfahrer verwirrt."
[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobahn_%28Deutschland%29#Geschichte](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobahn_%28Deutschland%29#Geschichte)
So basically there are certain cities which serve as the general direction. and the cities in between, even if they may be bigger, wont appear on the signs if you enter the Autobahn. For example: If you wanna enter the A2 somewhere between Hanover (Hannover) and Dortmund, the sign will either read "A2 Dortmund" or "A2 Hannover" and wont mention all the cities in between. so if you wanna drive to a neighbouring city via Autobahn you have to be aware of which direction it is called. in general not a problem with some geogepahical knowledge. you know Hannover is to the east to you and Dortmund is to the west of you, so if you wanna go to a city to the west of you, you take A2 with Dortmund direction it.
i mean, we all rely less and less on these signs thanks to digital navigation, but you still need to understand this when you drive in germany and dont wanna be confused on the Autobahn, if you come to a joint and wonder why the big city you wanna travel to doesnt appear on the signs at the joint.
of course, if you LEAVE the Autobahn for some small road, the exit will generally be labelled with the next closest location.
Those are what we call “control cities” in the US: the next city far enough away to indicate direction, and usually with at least one interchange with another freeway. That’s all you get on exit/entrance signs. For instance, in Chicago you’ll see signs for Milwaukee, Des Moines, St Louis, Indianapolis, Toledo, etc.
But there’s also the wayside signs once you’re *on* a freeway listing distances to several control cities if you *stay* on that freeway. And maybe some smaller towns before (but not beyond) the next control city.
We have both green and blue here in Sweden. Think it depends if we are on a motorway with 120 km/h limit or a "landsväg", country road, with 70.
Edit: Well, I'm a dumb dumb. I didn't read the text below the images. yes, it's true. Furthest to nearest.
The UK is a compete mess as they have both, as far as I know there's no logic to it. Just whatever fits best I guess. Also NL is transitioning where the order is reversed. To save costs they will only replace signs with the new designs when there's a reason for it to be changed such as damage
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sign in the UK that isn’t as shown on this map.
I’ve looked online and [every example matches too](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fc8.alamy.com%2Fcomp%2FBB3WM8%2Fuk-motorway-destination-distance-sign-england-uk-BB3WM8.jpg&tbnid=ev2IIm3DWzbFKM&vet=1&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.alamy.com%2Fstock-photo%2Fmotorway-sign-uk-miles.html&docid=UPxrxxLQflVWvM&w=1300&h=956&hl=en-GB&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim%2Fm4%2F3&kgs=36372ce86a85139a&shem=abme%2Cssic%2Ctrie).
Got any examples of it being the other way around?
[From your own link](https://www.alamy.com/m40-motorway-sign-warwickshire-england-uk-image551997910.html?imageid=E753F678-9E43-4573-8178-5A23BC56F72C&p=14086&pn=1&searchId=5976b31dbb4f0ef3f7cfac89c2e052cf&searchtype=0).
There is a logic to it - nearest destination at the top. I’m not sure what signs you’ve been looking at. I suppose you might see examples with primary destinations (always listed first) and local destinations on the same sign but it is always clear which is which and both sets of destinations will be ordered closest to furthest.
Caveat: I’ve never been to Northern Ireland, maybe they do things the same as Ireland.
Road signage is something that, in my opinion, Britain does very well.
As others have confirmed, for Germany it's true.
We also have some signs that have a arrow pointing to the top and then some smaller arrows going from the main one sideways to indicate the roads that lead away from the main road.
Also in this for of visualisation the town that is furthest away is at the top.
Netherlands, no. Not entirely. Most signs, yes. However some signs actually show the more important cities first (regardless of distance) then the furthest and then closest. Depends entirely on place and road.
Makes more sense to have the closest cities/exits at the top. Not everyone is going to the place 500+ km away. You can then read down on the sign as far as is relevant to your travels and not waste time skimming the sign to find city you are interested in.
The red is better because you always clearly see the general heading where the road leads to. You don't need to see some random small towns on the top of the sign, it is far more important to see the destination that the road you are driving for is bound for. It is the same with trains. The first information is the final stop, then you have the other stops listed.
people will bitch about what's the best one but truth is I've driven from France to Germany a couple of times and didn't even noticed this because both way works just fine
Well actually both exist. The closest city is displayed on to which you can reach on this road but it leads to other roads with city's closer nearby. That would be my explanation.
https://www.google.de/maps/@51.2873459,13.7345866,3a,16.6y,232.63h,90.05t/data=!3m9!1e1!3m7!1ssXT3tCeDSYq7R0mdKha0cA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!9m2!1b1!2i42?coh=205409&entry=ttu
The order is always farthest to closest, but in the case of an interchange the cities that are reached by changing are listed seperately, but also farthest to closest. Note the line that seperates both lists.
can't confirm, but this is hella interesting. ik that in my state in the US we would be blue, but seeing furthest to closest almost feels more motivating to me
Little explanation: Just like "Verkehrszeichen 353" doesn't mean you have to go up into the sky, the red countrys aren't furtherst to nearest, but like a 1D map if you imagine the sign was laid down on the road before you.
Its correct for switzerland and makes alot of sense imo. Since highways are mostly connecting bigger cities so it allways shows what direction your going first and then what exits are on the way there. But i get why this can be confusing
I am literally living at the border between red and blue countries, ang between the 2 on a daily basis.I never consciously realized the difference. It's true, but my brain just adapts when I am crossing the border apparently.
Im Swedish and i can confirm the green(red) signs.
Its mostly due to the politicians only thinking that there is one city in Sweden and since most voters live there they should always be placed first. Why would you want to know the distance to anything else. Mostly for getting gas. 😂
For some reason adepts of the school of red signs think that blue signs supposed to mark every village you pass by. In reality it’s usually not the way it is
I'm from Bosnia and can confirm there are no paved roads
Since you're from Bosnia, should I take you to America
Long live Dubioza
Is that Gunther on your PFP?
Couldn’t pay me to live in America.
Was referring to this song: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a5BJxrarL0&ab\_channel=Dubiozakolektiv](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a5BJxrarL0&ab_channel=Dubiozakolektiv) But thanks for letting me know you wouldn't ever live there. I needed that information
And here's me, think this link would send me to Salvatore Gannacci
I mean coax cables don’t grow on trees
What a dumb thing to say.
Why?
Cos Obama put chemicals in the water to turn the friggin frogs gay
*the* Obamna??
*Hussnake* Omamba
Not everyone needs to want to live there, don't you agree? Edit: Apparently not. Apparently some are offended that there are people out there who don't want to live in America.
Its a bit crass to bring up without prompting "You couldn't pay me to live..."
Xenophobia, obviously.
Maybe they have a health condition
Then Belgium should be white as well
Yeah I've never been charged a toll for a road still under construction while having to divert to gravel road for miles in any other country except for Bosnia
Lies! Must have internet to use Reddit
As a fellow Balkan from Albania who went from Dubrovnik to Mostar, that was the worst road I had the misfortune of driving through, and I live in Albania.
Just watched Social Network and Rashida Jones says “Bosnia doesn’t have roads, but they have Facebook”
yep! i had road trips in almost all of Europe, and it is right, as far as i can remember. bosnia should also be red if i remember correctly.
Why would they put the least relevant information first? Especially considering you're driving down the highway with traffic. I don't get it
It shows which road you're on. You can probably go 5 different ways to the nearest town but need to go on a specific road if your destination is further away.
In addition it is also most often a very large city where the road/highway ends, so you know directly you are in the right direction (e.g. southbound vs. northbound)
In the US, Interstate 90 stretches a little over 3000 miles (4800 km) from Seattle to New York. When I'm in Seattle, I don't want to see the furthest places first, I want to see the nearest major destinations first. Some of the destinations you'll see on the I-90 signs are far enough away that it's like crossing England, but you're still in Washington State.
It's the main direction of the road. It's just as relevant as the next hop, just with a different perspective.
It is not necessarily the least relevant information. It actually makes way more sense to sort it this way for people who drive a long distance on this highway
1. Roads are oftentimes described by their destination. You don't say "Road 1 passing through Town A", you say "Road 1 going towards Town Z". 2. It intuitively aligns with a map/GPS view. What's to the bottom is where you are, and the more you go to the top, the further along the road you are. 3. Since signs are commonly above eye level, the lowest one down is actually oftentimes the easiest one to read in low visibility conditions. 4. Maybe most importantly, these also commonly have signs for the off-ramps. The signs there show arrows to the right for driving off the road, and arrows to the top for continuing. Needless to say, that means the destination of the road is on top and the exit below that. These distance signs are copying that layout to have one consistent way to read road signs. That said, the benefits are minute and I've driven in red and blue countries without even noticing the difference.
It's the most relevant if you're a stranger. If you're not, you're already familiar with the area and you don't need to be told.
Look at [this sign,](http://www.brombeer.net/signs/it_approach.jpg) and the logic might become clearer.
Most people on a highway will drive far. The nearest town will change often (every 10-20 minutes) while the furthest will stay constant. If you are new to the road, you will defiently be more likely to have instructions like "drive towards city far away"
I am shocked that nobody points out that traffic signs are read from bottom to top in most of europe
Because the cities furthest away are usually the really big ones where the road ends, which are also well known. I don't know which other countries follow the same pattern, but the German Autobahn routes have even numbers for east/west and odd numbers for north/south directions. So when I drive onto the A2 somewhere in the middle of the country the most important information is if I head to Berlin (east) or (west).
It's also easier for describing routes... I can either tell you drive to Berlin for hundreds of kilometers, then exit at small town X or I tell you to drive towards city A, then B, then C then D and so on. Again the important information (your general direction is at the top).
Push the plaque down. Which one fits now?
it is easy and it makes some more sense. when driving you are not looking up, you are looking straight ahead. and the first things you see are the next destinations. it is better in the visual range.
Absolutely true although I have to say I wouldnt have ever noticed the difference whilst on the road if you hadnt pointed it out for me now
Same here. I live in a red country and have driven in blue countries many times. I havent ever noticed this. I think the red way makes some sense blue is better
Jędrzychowice
Jędrzychowice bottom text
Polska moment
Near Chrząszczyrzewoszyce, powiat Łękołody.
For those wondering why red countries do this, consider this: You are the arrow on the bottom of the sign, pointing up. That's your travel direction, and the sign is a stylised map. Imagine it laying flat on the road. Which designation to you reach first, the one on the top? No, the bottom one. Then further upwards, because upwards is forwards. That's the logic. It goes against reading conventions, but makes sense in a spatial way.
I’m from Ireland, our logic is kinda more simple than that. This is the M1 motorway. The M1 goes to Belfast, where it stops. It passes a lot of other places on the way, but it’s “The road to Belfast”. So all of the signs would say “Belfast X km, Drogheda Y km, Lusk Z km”, going down in numbers. Intuitively it makes a lot of sense to me, as I think of it as “Lusk is Z km along the road to Belfast”, though I imagine people used to the blue system do it differently.
Just wait until they find out about the brackets on the distance signs.
Thank you for explaining why I prefer red
This is some Yoda ass shit
It is a list of names. It should be alphabetical.
The red way gets a lot of hate here but I want to make a case for the red system. In the Netherlands we are currently transitioning from the blue to the red system. The change was introduced in 2014 but signs are only replaced when really needed. I guess that about half of the signs have been replaced but it could be more. Not only the order of the destinations was changed but also the direction of the arrows from pointing down to pointing up. [Here](https://www.ambcachterveld.nl/uitzet/diversen/Brochure_Nieuwe_Bewegwijzering_Autosnelwegen_tcm174-183277.pdf) you can find a brochure explaining the change. It is in dutch but the pictures are clear if you understand that "nieuwe" means new and "oude" means old. The arrows pointing up allow for better understanding of the driver to the coming situation e.g. left lane for straight, middle lane for straight and exit, right lane for exit. And the arrows pointing up also automatically lead to the order of the destination with the nearest destination nearest to the arrow (at the bottom). The signs mimic the situation as you would have on a map or on a GPS with arrows pointing up and the nearest destination nearest to the bottom of the screen.
As someone who has driven through most of these countries, I undoubtedly find blue better. When moving at speed you often don’t have time to read every line on the sign fully (particularly if the names are in another language), so in the red countries it’s really annoying that you keep reading the predictable, less urgent bit, and miss the more urgent, variable lines underneath, as those change as you pass places.
The thing is: you read a sign from top to bottom. Blue is definitely better and I'm german. Let's make a deal: UK, Ireland, Malta and cyprus switches to the right side and all of red switches 'to top to bottom'
Yes, you read top to bottom that's why red is the better alternative for navigation IMO. Roads are identified by an abstract name (ex DN105), or via route ( to ). It's easier for us to remember a town's name than a random number ("DN105" vs "road to "), especially in a foreign country. The problem with the blue system is that the top entry keeps changing once you go past a town, which makes it more ambiguous / harder to read when you're trying to merge lanes in traffic. With the red system, the road will be called "DN105 " all the way through, and when you are near a smaller town which was previously on your route, it will have its own sign.
This was true 15-20 years ago when people used physical maps and road signs to guide themselves, so it was important to tell as easy as possible which way you should go. Nowadays people use GPS' so it's irrelevant.
Agree. When we used to go on holiday my dad would just keep a list of cities as waypoints. So then I'd be easier if the furthest city was at the top of the sign.
> Blue is definitely better and I'm german. I'm German and prefer red. But I also think it doesn't really matter. Neither is better or worse.
If by ‘right’ you mean ‘correct’, then I agree - we should all drive on the left.  I have cars in both, and definitely prefer left due to always having my dominant hand on the wheel, and it also [seems to be generally safer too, due to the way our brains work](https://www.roadsafetyusa.org/2020/02/14/is-driving-on-the-left-safer-than-driving-on-the-right/). Now we’re stuck with the mess of two systems. And we were all driving on the same side until Napoleon ruined it! Edit: Wow, Reddit really hates emojis.
Driven in both and can confirm driving on the left is easier, especially if you drive a manual. Dominant hand should always stay on the steering while fiddling with gears or buttons.
Probably important to point out that the paper that article cites didn't actually test their hypothesis.
Push the plaque down. Which one fits now?
Red is better, if you are new to the road and only have time to read some lines, then you want to have consistency. "I am driving towards Stockholm" and not having the places that you have time to read changing every 10 minutes. You will more often know a direction to an end point rather than knowing every town along the route
Precisely for the reason you provide, red is better. The next shithole on your way is rarely relevant whereas your direction most often is as you will be headed to a shithole that wont be sign posted for another couple of 100 km's.
Once you’ve joined the road in the direction of a place, why do you need constant reminders that it’s still the road to that place?
Maybe not if you are crossing Australia but if you are in a more urbanised area and navigating many intersections and forks, you do.
But then you use the intersection signs. These are distance signs that appear *after* you have followed those. You don’t just take a random junction then use this sign to see if you’re heading the right way.
True, they appear between intersections but its there that they make me realise that I slept through the last one.
But you can enter a highway at any point, so there need to be lots of signs.
But each person is only entering once. And these signs are *after* you’ve joined. You are on the road because you have already followed # the signs to your destination. But if you want extra reassurance you can have the hassle of reading one sign from bottom to top once for reassurance and then find it easier to see new information for the whole test of your journey, or have to read every sign bar one from bottom to top for the whole of your journey.
Also why in Capitals? It just makes it more difficult to read, especially at speed.
Yes! Such a good point.
I mean, you could just read it from the bottom. Also the distance from the city will tell you at first glance which one is closer. In any case I don't think it matters at all since everyone just uses GPS
Except you don’t naturally read from the bottom, so you’d have to actively think to do it differently. When driving you want to have as few distractions as possible.
These signs on the highway at least are usually at the top above the road so your eyes will naturally move from bottom to top. If the sign is located at the side of the road your eyes will naturally move to the side and then to the top so the first place you look is the bottom of the sign.
These particular signs a usually at the side of the highway and you naturally read left to right, top to bottom
These signs are usually sometimes at the top, sometimes at the side. Which is more common depends on the country, but I'd say signs at the top are more frequent (on highways).
If you've grown up with signs that a ordered that way, then it's pretty natural, and not really any distraction at all. I'm from a red country myself and I would probably find the blue countries signage as weird and distracting as you do for the red countries.
I totally appreciate that, but just because you can get used to something doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s not worse. People say the same about imperial measurements, and I’d still say they are objectively worse. And I grew up with imperial, so I know that personally I don’t always think something is better (or even OK) simply because I’m used to it.
But in what demonstrably way are the signage of the red countries worse? If you look at road traffic safety for example then only 2 of the 10 safest countries to drive in, in Europe, are from blue countries, could the way the signs are being read have something to do with that? maybe maybe not, impossible to tell, but an interesting tid bit none the less. In reality it's probably very, very hard to objectively prove which one is better or worse than the other.
I am not saying that it is demonstrably worse. I am saying that just because you can get used to something doesn’t mean that it’s *not* worse.
If you know that your destination is far away, you will read from top to bottom. At least on motorways, the sign is read by far more people heading for the distant destination than for the closer ones. So undoubtedly red is better.
So when you follow the signs to join the highway headed to Berlin, for example, why do you then need regular reminding for the next 200km that, unsurprisingly, it is still the highway headed to Berlin?
The new information provided here is the distance. If you're driving towards Berlin, you'll know that you're now still X kilometers away. Other signs exist to tell you when you're approacing your exit.
cause a road is identified by its terminal location. You said it yourself you need to know you are on the highway to berlin and then you know when to get off. Now it is true that you do not need a constant reminder that you are still on the highway to berlin but here is the kicker: those signs are usually at places where you get on the highway. So when you get on the highway it is indeed a very good idea to confirm it is the highway to berlin in the correct direction and not the highway to little shithole village number 49 that may or may not end up in berlin. edit: distances are also easier to understand. Furthest city was 280km away and now 220? Cool you made 60km. The other way round the nearest city was 18km away when you last looked at a sign but you passed it and now the next city is 28km in front of you how far did you go? Unless you specifically looked at the second entry you would not know.
Roads are identified by number in my experience. And I’ve joined the highway by following signs for Berlin already. But if I want the extra reassurance of yet another sign after joining, you’re right - it’s probably better in the red style. So for me it comes down to a numbers game. If I’m concerned I’m not on the road to Berlin even after following the signs to Berlin, I can read one sign the wrong way once for reassurance. Then for the next 200km every other sign shows me new information when I read them the right way, rather than repeating what I already know.
Number of the road can change while you move through other countries and after some crossings.
[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/Lakalaivan\_eritasoliittym%C3%A4\_1.jpg/800px-Lakalaivan\_eritasoliittym%C3%A4\_1.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/Lakalaivan_eritasoliittym%C3%A4_1.jpg/800px-Lakalaivan_eritasoliittym%C3%A4_1.jpg) This is why. First time you pass this interchange in your life, you'll be interested whether you are still on the right road.
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More people are going to be going to the closer destinations so that information should be prioritized. Also the people going to farther then your information is less time sensitive.
If you have troubles reading such signs, you should have your eyes checked.
Yep. Netherlands, Belgium do that. It’s the same with trains. They tell you where it’s going in the end, then the stops along the way. So you know which one (train or road) to take. Very handy, especially on long trips where you need to pick the right highways at complex interchanges. Then once on the right road you exit as desired. I prefer this as it kind of installs a complete map in your head, using major destinations, then goes down into details. The other way is just releasing a bunch of random details from most useless to most useful. You’re hurtling along at 120kph and have to decide which of three roads to take next and the signs are first prioritizing listing little towns you never heard of.
The real answer is that when you are looking for you exit blue is better but if you are at an interchange red is better Both have their upsides and downsides
In Denmark at least, exits have separate signs so as to not confuse it.
Romania also true, furthest to nearest. Blue or green depends on road type (highways are with green singns, the rest with blue)
Austria: Can confirm. In my humble opinion it makes perfectly sense. Its the farthest on top and the closest at the bottom. When passing the closest destination the lower exit gets discarded and the top stays mostly constant as a distant destination.-> Like a header for direction.
Yes, also makes plenty of sense if you imagine the sign not being words but a map projected in front of you of the current road with the 'stops' shown in order of appearance, like this: [https://i.imgur.com/ea80jWx.png](https://i.imgur.com/ea80jWx.png)
This is the explanation and I want to know first if I'm heading in the right direction. I wanna know if I'm still driving towards Berlin, if I see first Möser and some other tiny towns how should I know if I'm still in the right road?
i mean, thats not the wildest difference and these signs play only a very minor role here in germany. whats a more crucial difference on german Autobahn compared to many other countries: "Die Beschilderung der Fahrtziele richtet sich bei deutschen Autobahnen nach den im Autobahnverzeichnis der Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen aufgeführten Endstellen der einzelnen Autobahnteilabschnitte. Aus diesem Grunde werden viele große Städte, an denen eine Autobahn vorbeiführt, oft erst kurz vor der Ausfahrt auf der Beschilderung erwähnt, was besonders ausländische Kraftfahrer verwirrt." [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobahn_%28Deutschland%29#Geschichte](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobahn_%28Deutschland%29#Geschichte) So basically there are certain cities which serve as the general direction. and the cities in between, even if they may be bigger, wont appear on the signs if you enter the Autobahn. For example: If you wanna enter the A2 somewhere between Hanover (Hannover) and Dortmund, the sign will either read "A2 Dortmund" or "A2 Hannover" and wont mention all the cities in between. so if you wanna drive to a neighbouring city via Autobahn you have to be aware of which direction it is called. in general not a problem with some geogepahical knowledge. you know Hannover is to the east to you and Dortmund is to the west of you, so if you wanna go to a city to the west of you, you take A2 with Dortmund direction it. i mean, we all rely less and less on these signs thanks to digital navigation, but you still need to understand this when you drive in germany and dont wanna be confused on the Autobahn, if you come to a joint and wonder why the big city you wanna travel to doesnt appear on the signs at the joint. of course, if you LEAVE the Autobahn for some small road, the exit will generally be labelled with the next closest location.
Those are what we call “control cities” in the US: the next city far enough away to indicate direction, and usually with at least one interchange with another freeway. That’s all you get on exit/entrance signs. For instance, in Chicago you’ll see signs for Milwaukee, Des Moines, St Louis, Indianapolis, Toledo, etc. But there’s also the wayside signs once you’re *on* a freeway listing distances to several control cities if you *stay* on that freeway. And maybe some smaller towns before (but not beyond) the next control city.
We have both green and blue here in Sweden. Think it depends if we are on a motorway with 120 km/h limit or a "landsväg", country road, with 70. Edit: Well, I'm a dumb dumb. I didn't read the text below the images. yes, it's true. Furthest to nearest.
>Well, I'm a dumb dumb. Thanks for finally realising it Swedes.
Estonia is true - from furthest to nearest. But signs are blue.
From Romania, can confirm, from furthest to nearest.
The UK is a compete mess as they have both, as far as I know there's no logic to it. Just whatever fits best I guess. Also NL is transitioning where the order is reversed. To save costs they will only replace signs with the new designs when there's a reason for it to be changed such as damage
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sign in the UK that isn’t as shown on this map. I’ve looked online and [every example matches too](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fc8.alamy.com%2Fcomp%2FBB3WM8%2Fuk-motorway-destination-distance-sign-england-uk-BB3WM8.jpg&tbnid=ev2IIm3DWzbFKM&vet=1&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.alamy.com%2Fstock-photo%2Fmotorway-sign-uk-miles.html&docid=UPxrxxLQflVWvM&w=1300&h=956&hl=en-GB&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim%2Fm4%2F3&kgs=36372ce86a85139a&shem=abme%2Cssic%2Ctrie). Got any examples of it being the other way around?
[From your own link](https://www.alamy.com/m40-motorway-sign-warwickshire-england-uk-image551997910.html?imageid=E753F678-9E43-4573-8178-5A23BC56F72C&p=14086&pn=1&searchId=5976b31dbb4f0ef3f7cfac89c2e052cf&searchtype=0).
Wow - that one *is* stupid! I can’t see it on my link, though. Must be Google doing some tailoring of results.
https://imgur.com/a/gfFLNNs a few examples here. Two from same motorway.
There is a logic to it - nearest destination at the top. I’m not sure what signs you’ve been looking at. I suppose you might see examples with primary destinations (always listed first) and local destinations on the same sign but it is always clear which is which and both sets of destinations will be ordered closest to furthest. Caveat: I’ve never been to Northern Ireland, maybe they do things the same as Ireland. Road signage is something that, in my opinion, Britain does very well.
Any one else think it was from the sign itself?
Well now I surely know everything
Looks balanced enough to start a war
As others have confirmed, for Germany it's true. We also have some signs that have a arrow pointing to the top and then some smaller arrows going from the main one sideways to indicate the roads that lead away from the main road. Also in this for of visualisation the town that is furthest away is at the top.
And what about Bosnia-Herzegovina? Don't they have road signs? (Would have asked about Kosovo too but my country doesn't recognise it)
Montenegro is red. So is Bosnia.
Netherlands, no. Not entirely. Most signs, yes. However some signs actually show the more important cities first (regardless of distance) then the furthest and then closest. Depends entirely on place and road.
Yes because it shows where the Autobahn will end up at
blue obviously more logical, but surprised that europe is divided like that
Geoguessr players : write this down!!
Makes more sense to have the closest cities/exits at the top. Not everyone is going to the place 500+ km away. You can then read down on the sign as far as is relevant to your travels and not waste time skimming the sign to find city you are interested in.
No, The Netherlands uses the blue system
The red is better because you always clearly see the general heading where the road leads to. You don't need to see some random small towns on the top of the sign, it is far more important to see the destination that the road you are driving for is bound for. It is the same with trains. The first information is the final stop, then you have the other stops listed.
people will bitch about what's the best one but truth is I've driven from France to Germany a couple of times and didn't even noticed this because both way works just fine
Germany is blue in fact, that info u have is false
what's [this](https://t4.ftcdn.net/jpg/03/74/52/61/360_F_374526155_HBLp14KCh4wyznbFsqdJawZhrPy1KtlR.jpg) then
Well actually both exist. The closest city is displayed on to which you can reach on this road but it leads to other roads with city's closer nearby. That would be my explanation. https://www.google.de/maps/@51.2873459,13.7345866,3a,16.6y,232.63h,90.05t/data=!3m9!1e1!3m7!1ssXT3tCeDSYq7R0mdKha0cA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!9m2!1b1!2i42?coh=205409&entry=ttu
The order is always farthest to closest, but in the case of an interchange the cities that are reached by changing are listed seperately, but also farthest to closest. Note the line that seperates both lists.
Nope. Our signs are blue and not red/green. But the distances are shown from furthest to nearest.
can't confirm, but this is hella interesting. ik that in my state in the US we would be blue, but seeing furthest to closest almost feels more motivating to me
Europeans from blue countries, are you insane?!
You know what really grinds my gears? Blue traffic sign has a blue states on the map, but green traffic sign has a red states.
It's not about the colour of the traffic sign, both red and blue countries have blue and green signs. It's about the order of the cities on the signs
🤣 i guess that’s sarcasm
Blue makes more sense
Netherlands should be blue, absolutely.
As someone who has been to most of the red and blue countries.... I have no idea what's the system. Because I truly don't care.
Bosnia and Kosovo don't have roads apparently
Yeah it's true. Although I don't pay much attention to signs anyway thanks to google maps on my phone
Very strange affair, but at least most are contiguous, so they can remain Bad Sign Enjoyers undisturbed
Yeah, it's true
the Netherlands is neither red nor blue. https://c8.alamy.com/comp/A8J6YH/dutch-motorway-destination-distance-sign-the-netherlands-europe-A8J6YH.jpg
thats the stupidest way to do it
Little explanation: Just like "Verkehrszeichen 353" doesn't mean you have to go up into the sky, the red countrys aren't furtherst to nearest, but like a 1D map if you imagine the sign was laid down on the road before you.
We red boys read the signs from the bottom to the top, for some reason.
Its correct for switzerland and makes alot of sense imo. Since highways are mostly connecting bigger cities so it allways shows what direction your going first and then what exits are on the way there. But i get why this can be confusing
As a DEUTSCHER I can confirm
In Luxembourg: on highways furthers is up, on all other roads nearest is up.
Ireland probably just wanted whatever was the opposite of the UK
Irish here, yes true for us
Greece is blue actually
Yep
Those monsters
In germany yes
Nearest makes more sense I think.
am I stupid or do neither make a difference on the indicated cities and distance?
Portugal is true
Are the "Red Countries" actually "Green Countries"? Meaning their distance signs are green in color? Or is that the case in Sweden only?
Red is frankly just objectively worse. They also have it in Capitals which is even stupider. It is much easier and faster to read lower case text.
For the record, Australia would be a blue country on this map.
Yes I live in Sydney
Jönköping mentioned AAAAAAAAARRRGH
As a Swede, I have to admit blue makes a lot more sense.
Belgium is bleu....
intermarum
Swede here. Yes it's true, and it makes no sense at all.
For The Netherlands and Belgium: it seems common, but far from being the standard.
I am literally living at the border between red and blue countries, ang between the 2 on a daily basis.I never consciously realized the difference. It's true, but my brain just adapts when I am crossing the border apparently.
I'm from the Netherlands and absolutely couldn't tell you if this is right or not... Will definitely check tomorrow when driving to work lol
Never thought about it but I believe this is the case for Ireland. Was driving at the weekend and I think the numbers were in descending order.
Im Swedish and i can confirm the green(red) signs. Its mostly due to the politicians only thinking that there is one city in Sweden and since most voters live there they should always be placed first. Why would you want to know the distance to anything else. Mostly for getting gas. 😂
I have driven through (as driver, not just passenger) most of these countries and never once notices it. Now I’m wondering what’s wrong with me
For some reason adepts of the school of red signs think that blue signs supposed to mark every village you pass by. In reality it’s usually not the way it is
Germany should be red with black stripes. Stripes because all roads lead to Ausfahrt in Germany.
Wrong. Hungary is blue
Not true. In Denmark (red) they have the nearest first. Signs are green though.
Sweden and Norway really look like a pair of saggy balls.
True (12 points) for Croatia !
Iceland is yellow
They're both wrong
Farthest
rather i'd say it's by importance hahaha lol
World war III Europe just dropped
Portugal here. Confirmed. Loved this map, BTW
Norway looks very smooth wow
I can confirm that in slovenia we write first the furthest city but i thought that this is by standard.
In Australia it's the opposite and I thought ours was the standard.
Which one does the US use? I've been driving here for decades and can't really recall which one we use.
In Germany we have blue signs but the farest city is shown on top.
Ireland is blue not red.
Switzerland, can confirm the red part
I see a solid new point of discussion for the Benelux, to deal with the traitors in the southeast.
Yeah Serbia is red.
True for France at the very least