"Leaving built-up area" sign

[Britain]

I found a "leaving built-up area" sign which I've never seen in the UK before.

Does anybody have any information on these signs or any other examples in the UK?

I've seen them in Europe quite a lot but never here.

Edit: on a separate note, I find the keep right arrows strange here too, considering there isn't actually an obstacle for you to keep right of. Also, has the trend of traffic islands and loads of signs on the entrance/exits to villages been around forever or is it a relatively recent thing? I've only noticed it in the past few years myself.

[Nathan_A_RF]

Very much a European thing and this sign is not prescribed in the regulations. It would be nice if we adopted them though.

[Vierwielen]

In many Continental countries, the town name, such as here denotes the start of the 50 km/h zone. In this particular image, the white sign with the red border is the official French "start of built-up area: 50 km/h" sign. The maroon and gold sign below it is an optional extra in Occitan (a bit like seeing "Abergavenny/Y Fenni" in Wales).

[RichardA626]

Many American cities have signs for the city limits, I presume they are to demarcate between city and county jurisdiction.

[Britain]

In many Continental countries, the town name, such as here denotes the start of the 50 km/h zone. In this particular image, the white sign with the red border is the official French "start of built-up area: 50 m/h" sign. The maroona nd gold sign below it is an optional extra in Occitan (a bit like seeing "Abergavenny/Y Fenni" in Wales).

As I understand it, the "leaving" sign means that the speed limit is no longer the built-up speed limit (e.g. 50kph).

[delinquentwoody]

I saw one of these end of built up area signs recently here too, though I fail to remember exactly where it was, other than it was in a village near Banbury.

[Bryn666]

Yes, in France the entry to a town sign is a regulatory sign, and is cancelled out at the other end. Here it would have no meaning other than "you've left somewhere", but it's not a prescribed design.

[Chris Bertram]

Yes, in France the entry to a town sign is a regulatory sign, and is cancelled out at the other end. Here it would have no meaning other than "you've left somewhere", but it's not a prescribed design.

The clue is the thick red border, and the cancellation sign has cancel stripes across it. A placename sign without that is, well, just a placename sign.

[Bryn666]

Yes, in France the entry to a town sign is a regulatory sign, and is cancelled out at the other end. Here it would have no meaning other than "you've left somewhere", but it's not a prescribed design.

The clue is the thick red border, and the cancellation sign has cancel stripes across it. A placename sign without that is, well, just a placename sign.

The non-regulatory version is black background, lower case italic lettering to make it distinct from the red bordered regulatory sign.

[WHBM]

We used to have a very good and standardised official way of showing this. It was called a Derestricted Sign ...

[Bfivethousand]

I saw this and thought of you, Bishop Sutton

[the cheesecake man]

I've seen quite few in Northamptonshire but I don't recall ever seeing them elsewhere.

[vlad]

I saw one of these end of built up area signs recently here too, though I fail to remember exactly where it was, other than it was in a village near Banbury.

Bladon?

[Vierwielen]

I saw this and thought of you, Bishop Sutton

Since the sign in the picture is so well hidden by vegetation, can you be prosecuted for failing to obey it?

[Jonathan B4027]

There is one at Garsington too in Oxfordshire, Here

[Octaviadriver]

I saw this and thought of you, Bishop Sutton

Since the sign in the picture is so well hidden by vegetation, can you be prosecuted for failing to obey it?

Initially I hadn't noticed the sign on the nearside as it's completely overgrown and I thought there's only an offside sign until I looked at the earliest view from 2009.
https://goo.gl/maps/3MKFa2HpdqW1ZuDe6

[KeithW]

In the UK the legal definition of a built up area is a settled area with a street lighting system of at least 3 lights spaced no more than 200 yards (183 m) apart. Note there is a legal difference between street lighting and road lighting. a street is defined as a highway that has important public realm functions beyond the movement of traffic. The guidance says

Most critically, streets should have a sense of place, which is mainly realised through local distinctiveness and sensitivity in design. They also provide direct access to the buildings and the spaces that line them. Most highways in built-up areas can therefore be considered as streets.

In practical terms in a country that is as crowded as ours I doubt it would be realistic in many areas for the local authorities to define the built up area. Where I live driving along a single suburban road I pass from Redcar and Cleveland through Middlesbrough to Stockton without ever leaving the built up area. This is in the relatively sparsely populated North East !

When I lived on Reynolds Drive in NW London one side of the street was in Brent and the other side Harrow !

[Nathan_A_RF]

A built up area sign wouldn't work well here in my opinion, but a city limits type sign may work. In some countries such as France, the city limit sign is also an urban area sign and has a 50/km limit attached to it (unless other speed limit posted). In countries such as Poland, there are two separate signs. The green one is a city limits sign and the white city sign indicates an urban area and speed limit of 50km/h. These can therefore be used independently.

[Peter350]

The first time I came across a British version of this sign was funnily enough, on the way back from a holiday in France! The sign in question was on the A354 in Coombe Bissett, Wiltshire, although I don’t think it’s there anymore.

[Britain]

I saw this and thought of you, Bishop Sutton

How sweet of you.

It looks like they're more prevalent than I thought. I wonder what makes a council decide on these or if they were a trend during a certain time period.