Information Sign/No Through Road

Pre-Worboys Sign

The original No Through Road sign relied, as was common with early signs, on spelling it out to drivers. The three words were printed on three lines in black on a white background. Sometimes the signs were expanded with added information, such as 'No Through Road for Motor Vehicles' or in one instance 'Danger School Children'.

Some of the signs seem to have become inverted in colour over time - white text on a black background. This may suggest that at some point before the Worboys Report No Through Road signs were made with white text on a blue background - as Parking signs were - where the blue has faded to, or been repainted as, black.

The sign was also surprisingly commonly paired with the open red warning triangle at the top of the post, thus making a warning sign. However, this was clearly rationalised after the Worboys Report, when it was no longer deemed that a no through road was a danger worthy of a warning!

Worboys Report Sign

The sign designed for the Worboys Report was a very different sign to before. In line with many of the new signs, words were out and symbols were in. The background plate was a blue rectangle, as was standard for most Information signs, and the symbol featured a white vertical line, blocked off at the top with a red bar to form a 'T' shape. Some posts still include a pre-Worboys style plate underneath for added confirmation.

Some early signs were prone to fading, particularly of the red bar, leading to a theory that white 'T's were no through roads, while the red bar indicated a no through road without a turning bay at the end. However, this useful differentiation appears to have been a myth.

Republic of Ireland

The equivalent sign in Ireland (where cul-de-sac is the official term for a dead-end road) has the same design as that used in the UK but, apart from the red bar, is coloured differently – a black 'road' is shown on a white background.