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Road Command Signs
Road command signs are mandatory signs, which are used to set the obligations of all traffic that uses a specific piece of road. Unlike prohibitory or restrictive signs, mandatory signs tell traffic what it must do, rather than must not do. Most road command signs are circular, may use white symbols on a blue background with white border or black symbols on a white background with a red border, although the latter is also associated with prohibitory signs. These road signs can be used to allocate certain areas to specific vehicles (the Vienna Convention explicitly mentions footpaths, cycle-paths and bridleways) but tramways, bus lanes, taxi lanes, HOV lanes and snow mobile tracks can also be designated with these signs. When a specific area of roadway is designated with road command signs specifying a vehicle type, all traffic of this type must use this area if possible. These signs can be combined by putting one graphic above the other. If the pictograms are side-by-side however, with the sign divided by a white vertical line, each type of vehicle must stay within the lane indicated by the sign. A red line through road command signs indicates not that a vehicle of a specific type is prohibited from entering the designated area, but that the area is now deregulated and any vehicle may use it. Road command signs can also be used to issue instructions to all vehicles - common examples include "pass on this side" signs seen at road bollards and "compulsory direction for vehicles carrying dangerous loads", used to divert vehicles carrying explosives or poisonous chemicals away from areas with open flames such as oil refineries.
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