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Road signs
People first saw the necessity of having road signs many years ago. Some of the very first recorded signs were the milestones erected by the Romans throughout the Roman Empire’s network of roads giving the distance in miles to the Milliarium Aureum, a large golden milestone in the centre of Rome. Large stones were placed at intervals along the roads, giving the distance in Roman miles to nearby major cities, and usually to the capitals of major provinces. As trading between towns and between regions increased, milestones were found to be problematic for giving directions at crossroads. As a result of this, fingerposts were the next road signs that developed. These were erected by local parishes, were easy to read from the saddle and cheap to construct. Road signs in the form of signposts became compulsory in Britain in 1773 with the passing of the Turnpike Act, allowing riders to be able to judge their speed and to prevent them from becoming lost. The development of the motorcar in the 20th century brought with it the gradual introduction of further road signs not just giving distance and direction, but warning road users of possible hazards in the road ahead. Such signs may have warned of an approaching narrow bridge or a river ford. South Africa’s major manufacturer of road signs is Armco Signage, a company located in the Western suburbs of Johannesburg. If you would like any further information about South Africa’s leading traffic signs supplier or about any types of signage that we make, please contact us at +27 11 222 9800
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