Motorway "NO ... " Signs

[Chris Bertram]

Those of us of a certain age will remember these at the end of motorway slip roads, saying "NO stopping, NO U-Turns" with details of other restrictions. Nearly all gone now, replaced by the Euro-standard "chopsticks" signs which symbolically represent these restrictions.

But they're not all gone. Here, at the A38 on-slip to the Aston Expressway this pair stand proud to uphold the old standard. No "chopsticks" sign here yet. I can confirm that they are still there as of this evening. A single sign also remains at the A5127 entry to the motorway, the only other non-motorway entry to the expressway here. At the other (city) end, however, and also at Park Circus, chopsticks signs have long replaced the older signage. Why do these two anomalies remain, I wonder?

[Johnathan404]

The mainline at M53 J1 had one until very recently.

[IrlRon]

Loads still in the Republic of Ireland of course. But even here they're starting to become an endangered species - they don't appear on new motorways now. (Some of the redesignated motorways in Limerick and Clare have symbols instead, but they don't appear to have spread beyond the midwest).

[nowster]

They still live on on non-motorway Special Roads, most notably the A55 from Llanddulas to Conwy Morfa.

[Bristol]

A couple of variations.

Not a motorway - but modern "NO" signs are still alive and well at non-motorway special roads.

This one strikes me as odd. If you ever find yourself in a position where you have to obey this sign, something's gone badly wrong!

I think I saw one at one of the sliproads onto the M6 (southbound) recently but I can't remember where.

[Vierwielen]

They still live on on non-motorway Special Roads, most notably the A55 from Llanddulas to Conwy Morfa.

... and this one to regulate traffic through the Hindhead Tunnel.

[c2R]

A couple of variations.


This one strikes me as odd. If you ever find yourself in a position where you have to obey this sign, something's gone badly wrong!

Nice use of clearway sign underneath that.

[urbanfox]

The old (probably original? ) signs with the long list (NO L-drivers, mopeds under 50cc, pedestrians..., etc) haven't long gone from the A38 (M) slips. It was only the other day I noticed the new ones actually

There's definitely one of those somewhere that I drive past at least semi-regularly. Can't think where though.

[Trebeck]

The M2 at Greencastle on the outskirts of Belfast had one until the 90s, the Westlink too had them until recently.

[chris486]

This one strikes me as odd. If you ever find yourself in a position where you have to obey this sign, something's gone badly wrong!

My heart would be sinking faster than a lead balloon on sight of the M23 end of motorway sign - the school being within a few miles by this stage in the epic trip from Macclesfield to West Sussex in the era before the M25 was completed.

I was looking at that sign on GSV just the other day - shamelessly wallowing in A23 nostalgia - looking at how the road had changed since my day.

I think this sign is one of the M23's original features - of course nowadays you'd barely notice the end of the motorway but in the 80s this was quite a comedown off the motorway - the dual carriageway was of much lower standard although the tuning fork signs for the S2 were well south of Handcross by 1980 if I remember rightly.

[Alex]

A couple of variations.


This one strikes me as odd. If you ever find yourself in a position where you have to obey this sign, something's gone badly wrong!

Nice use of clearway sign underneath that.

I think they are referring to the 'no' sign between the on- slip and the motorway as it comes to an end!

[AndyB]

The M2 at Greencastle on the outskirts of Belfast had one until the 90s, the Westlink too had them until recently.

Now I don't remember Westlink having anything other than No Pedestrians roundels with "Pedestrians Prohibited" supplementary plates?

[michael769]

In the early '90s when Newbridge Roundabout was the Eastern terminus of the M8 it had small blue signs reading "This is a motorway no pedestrians".

[Rob590]

A nice one here on Clayton Road entering the A167(M) in Newcastle. I think that they've been less quickly replaced in city centers where traffic can quickly go from 'surface streets' to motorways.

(and two more at that junction, approaching it along the Great North Road)

[Trebeck]

The M2 at Greencastle on the outskirts of Belfast had one until the 90s, the Westlink too had them until recently.

Now I don't remember Westlink having anything other than No Pedestrians roundels with "Pedestrians Prohibited" supplementary plates?

I should've said that they weren't motorway boards, were an A road style green background with text.

They were at the York Street start, if I recall.

I can't find any images and now fear that my memory is playing tricks.

[Fahad]

A nice one here on Clayton Road entering the A167(M) in Newcastle. I think that they've been less quickly replaced in city centers where traffic can quickly go from 'surface streets' to motorways.

Aye, the one for the Westway Paddington on-slip outlasted the motorway by four or so years as I recall

[Steven]

A nice one here on Clayton Road entering the A167(M) in Newcastle. I think that they've been less quickly replaced in city centers where traffic can quickly go from 'surface streets' to motorways.

Aye, the one for the Westway Paddington on-slip outlasted the motorway by four or so years as I recall

The post-motorway form of that sign is on the A40(M)'s PM page.

[AndyB]

The M2 at Greencastle on the outskirts of Belfast had one until the 90s, the Westlink too had them until recently.

Now I don't remember Westlink having anything other than No Pedestrians roundels with "Pedestrians Prohibited" supplementary plates?

I should've said that they weren't motorway boards, were an A road style green background with text.

They were at the York Street start, if I recall.

I can't find any images and now fear that my memory is playing tricks.

It may well be I'm afraid - as far as I know, the only restrictions were ever on pedestrians - cyclists were added later. All other traffic is permitted.

[Fahad]

A nice one here on Clayton Road entering the A167(M) in Newcastle. I think that they've been less quickly replaced in city centers where traffic can quickly go from 'surface streets' to motorways.

Aye, the one for the Westway Paddington on-slip outlasted the motorway by four or so years as I recall

The post-motorway form of that sign is on the A40(M)'s PM page.

As I recall there were no other signs to back those restrictions up (still aren't!) - not a single one of them was enforceable!

[Vierwielen]

What is wrong with the "limited access" road sign? It is used in most of Europe (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compariso ... road_signs.