Road signs in Hong Kong

Latest road signs with Transport typeface (2015)

Road signs in Hong Kong closely follow those used in the United Kingdom, and complies with the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, a legacy of the city's previous British overseas territory status. Signs normally use the Transport Medium typeface on dark backgrounds or Transport Heavy on light backgrounds, which is identical to the use in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and most of the current and previous British Overseas Territories

Road signs placed in the 2000s to 2010s commonly use Arial Narrow or Helvetica, with or without a modified letter 'L'; street signs sometimes also use Helvetica. The newest signs built after 2016 have increasingly resumed the use of Transport; some signs on recently completed expressways use Transport Heavy on dark backgrounds.

Writing system on the traffic signs comprises British English and traditional Chinese, two official languages of Hong Kong, in an order of English above Traditional Chinese.

Signs warning of hazardous conditions or dangerous situations (e.g. "Intersection" or "Steep incline ahead" bear a black-on-white symbol inside a red-bordered triangle (point uppermost).[2]

• 
  Stop or give way signs ahead (with distance to line ahead given below)
• 
  Distance to 'Give way' line
• 
  Distance to 'Stop' line
• 
  Bend to left ahead (right if symbol reversed)
• 
  Double bend ahead first to right (symbol may be reversed)
• 
  Dual carriageway ends ahead
• 
  Circle Road
• 
  Road narrows ahead on right (left if symbol reversed)
• 
  Road narrows on both sides ahead
• 
  Reduce speed now
• 
  Sharp deviation of route (may be used with amber border)
• 
  Traffic lights ahead
• 
  Steep hill upwards ahead
• 
  Steep hill downwards ahead
• 
  Use low gear
• 
  Use low gear
• 
  Keep in low gear
• 
  Single file ahead
• 
  Cyclists keep left
• 
  Cyclists dismount
• 
  Traffic Accident blackspot ahead
• 
  Pedestrian Accident blackspot ahead
• 
  Cross roads ahead
• 
  Staggered junction ahead (symbol may be reversed)
• 
  Side road ahead (symbol may be reversed)
• 
  T-junc-tion ahead (symbol may be reversed)
• 
  Traffic merges from left (right if symbol reversed)
• 
  Merge
• 
  Overhead cable ahead
• 
  Disabled persons ahead
• 
  Visually impaired persons ahead
• 
  Level crossing
• 
  Quay-side or river bank ahead
• 
  Restricted height
• 
  Pedestrian crossing ahead
• 
  School Crossing ahead
• 
  Risk of falling or fallen rocks ahead
• 
  Horses ahead
• 
  Cattle ahead
• 
  Fog or mist
• 
  Bus lane
• 
  Bus lane
• 
  Bus lane ahead
• 
  Pedestrian warning for bus lane
• 
  Light rail vehicle
• 
  Light rail vehicle
• 
  Light rail vehicle
• 
  Pedestrian crossing
• 
  Cycleway
• 
  Cyclists
• 
  Low-flying aircraft or noise
• 
  Bumpy road ahead
• 
  Bump ahead
• 
  Two-way traffic across a one-way road ahead
• 
  Two-way traffic ahead
• 
  Red light/speed camera ahead
• 
  Plate used to state the safe height
• 
  School ahead
• 
  Playground ahead
• 
  Distance as shown to hazard

With the exception of the special shapes used for "Stop" and "Give Way" signs (respectively, an octagon and a downward-pointing triangle), signs giving orders are circular and are of two kinds:[3]

Prohibitory signs (e.g. "No left turn") take the form of a black-on-white symbol inside a red-bordered circle, sometimes with the addition of a red slash through the symbol. Mandatory signs (e.g. "Turn right only") bear a white symbol on a blue disk.

• 
  Give way to traffic on major road
• 
  Stop and give way
• 
  Ahead only
• 
  Keep left (right if symbol reversed)
• 
  Turn left (right if symbol reversed)
• 
  Turn left at junction ahead (right if symbol reversed)
• 
  No stopping
• 
  No parking
• 
  No entry for all vehicles
• 
  One-way traffic
• 
  Police checkpoint or roadblock (stop at sign)
• 
  School crossing patrol (stop at sign)
• 
  Segregated path between pedestrian and cyclist paths
• 
  Route to be used by pedal cycles only (no motor vehicles)
• 
  Cyclists must dismount and push your bicycle
• 
  End of cycling dismounting
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
  One way road ahead
• 
  No stopping between 7AM-12AM
• 
  No stopping between 7AM-7PM
• 
  No stopping around 8-10AM and 5-7PM
• 
  No stopping any time
• 
  End of No stopping zone
• 
• 
• 
• 
  Pedestrian priority zone
• 
• 
  No motor vehicles
• 
• 
  No motorcycles or motor tricycles
• 
  No buses and coaches
• 
  No public light buses
• 
  No goods vehicles
• 
  No student drivers
• 
  No left-turn (No right-turn if symbol reversed)
• 
  No U-turn
• 
  No pedestrians
• 
• 
  No pedestrians, pedestrian controlled vehicles, bicycles and tricycles
• 
  No bicycles
• 
  No use of horn
• 
  No overtaking
• 
  No vehicles over width shown (including load)
• 
  No vehicles or combinations of vehicles over length shown (including load)
• 
  No vehicles over height shown (including load)
• 
  No vehicles over gross vehicle weight shown (including load)
• 
  No vehicles over axle weight shown (including load)
• 
  Speed limit (in km/h)
• 
  Variable speed limit (in km/h)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
  Time plate
• 
  Time plate
• 
  Day plate
• 
  Way out for vehicles
• 
  No exit for vehicles
• 
  Way in for vehicles
• 
  No entry for vehicles

Temporary road signs (e.g. Red rectangular signs with instructions in white)[4]

• 
  Road work ahead
• 
  Divert to another carriageway to right ahead (direction may be reversed)
• 
  Keep right (left if symbol reversed)
• 
  Vehicles may pass either side to reach same destination
• 
  Road narrows ahead on left (right if symbol reversed)
• 
  End of road works
• 
  Used to indicate line painting (wording may be varied to suit nature of road work)
• 
  Temporary closure of lane or road
• 
  Temporary sharp deviation to left (right if symbol reversed)
• 
  Manually operated ʻStop/Goʼ sign ahead
• 
  Manually operated temporary ʻStopʼ sign
• 
  Manually operated temporary ʻGoʼ sign
• 
  Ramp or sudden change of road level ahead
• 
  Ramp or sudden change of road level
• 
  Traffic lights ahead
• 
  Road ahead closed to vehicles
• 
  Road closed to vehicles
• 
  Temporary routes for vehicles
• 
  Temporary route for pedestrians (symbol may be reversed)
• 
  Temporary route for pedestrians
• 
  Used with temporary traffic signals. Vehicles must not proceed beyond the sign when red light shows.
• 
  Temporary closure of pedestrian crossing
• 
  Slippery road ahead
• 
  Loose chippings ahead
• 
  Bumpy road ahead
• 
  Slow (Sign used by police in emergency)
• 
  Warn of road surfacing works (wording may be varied to suit specific hazard)
• 
  Other danger ahead (used with plate to describe the hazard)
• 
  Plate describing the hazard (wording maybe varied)
• 
  Single file traffic ahead (wording may be varied to 'Single track road')

Guide signs are generally rectangular (sometimes pointed at one end in the case of direction signage).[5]

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
  Route number along strategic route
• 
  Tunnel ahead
• 
  Hong Kong Cross Harbour Tunnel
• 
  Western Harbour Tunnel
• 
  Eastern Harbour Tunnel
• 
  Urban taxi stand
• 
  New Territories taxi stand
• 
  Lantau taxi stand
• 
  Direction to parking place
• 
  Direction to vehicular ferry pier
• 
  Direction to Mass Transit Railway (MTR) Station
• 
• 
  No through road
• 
  No through road on left
• 
  No through road on right
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
  Stop at Census point
• 
  Census point
• 
• 
  Street direction sign
• 
  Street direction sign with numbers