BTT Road Signs at a Glance
Singapore road signs are grouped by shape and colour, so you can tell what a sign wants before you can read it: blue circles tell you what you must do, red circles what you must not do, red triangles warn of a hazard, and rectangles give information. Signs and Signals is the biggest chapter of the BTT, with about a third of the questions.
The five kinds of sign
Mandatory: blue circle. You must do what it shows: keep left, turn left only, ahead only, split traffic. Disobeying is an offence. p.9
Prohibitory: red circle. You must not: no entry, no right turn, speed limits, no overtaking. Disobeying is an offence. p.11
Warning: red triangle. A hazard ahead: take extra care and slow down. p.14
Regulatory: a board with words, such as Reduce Speed Now, Keep Left Unless Overtaking, Single Lane Traffic. p.19-20
Information: mostly blue rectangles: bus stop, bus lane, U-turn facility, red light camera, taxi stand. p.21-23
Stop, give way and no entry
STOP (eight sides): stop before the white line, then give way to traffic from the right and left. p.10
Give way (upside-down triangle): slow down, stop if necessary, give way to traffic on the major road. p.10
No entry for all vehicles: red disc with a white bar. p.11
No stopping: blue with a red cross. No waiting (one red line): stop only to let people get in or out. p.11
Prohibitory signs: the numbers
- Speed limit signs show 40 to 90 km/h. With no sign, the limit is 50 km/h. p.13, 52
- Width, height, weight limits: the numbers change by place; the handbook examples are 2.3 m wide, 4.5 m high, 10 tonnes. p.12
- Over 4.5 m high or 10 tonnes without a police escort is an offence. p.12
- No sounding of horn, except to prevent an accident. p.13
- No entry for lorries, for vehicles with 3 or more axles, for motorcycles. p.13
Warning signs: what to do
Bends, narrow roads: slow down, keep left; do not overtake, make a U-turn or park. p.14, 16
Junctions: slow down and look out for traffic joining from the side shown. p.14-15
Hump, uneven road: slow down, keep left, do not overtake. Steep slope: change to a lower gear. p.17
- School zone, Friendly Street: no more than 40 km/h. Silver zone: watch for elderly pedestrians. p.18
- Vehicle breakdown sign: at least 20 m behind the vehicle. p.17
Direction boards and EMAS
Green: directions. A chevron end = confirmation sign. p.27
Blue panel: an expressway destination. p.27
White, black border: facilities, or the road ahead. p.28, 34
Brown: places for tourists. p.34
Orange: work zone signs. p.73
EMAS electronic boards on expressways. p.29
EMAS travel times: green up to 50% longer than normal, yellow 50-125% longer, red more than 125%. Lanes are numbered from the fast lane. p.29, 32
Tunnels and crossings
- Tunnel lane signals: green arrow, lane open; flashing amber cross, obstruction ahead, slow down and be ready to change lane; red cross, lane closed. p.25
- Tunnel signs: switch on headlights and the radio; no vehicles with dangerous goods. p.25
- Red Man: do not cross. Green Man flickering: do not start to cross. A countdown shows the seconds left. p.24
- Long vehicles carry yellow reflective markings on each side and red at the rear; dangerous goods vehicles show hazard signs. p.34
Test traps
- No waiting vs no stopping: with one red line you may stop to let people get in or out; with a red cross you may not stop at all. p.11
- Blue circle vs red circle: blue tells you what you must do, red what you must not. p.9, 11
- No speed sign: the limit is 50 km/h. p.52
- Flashing amber cross in a tunnel: the lane is still open, but slow down for an obstruction. A red cross closes it. p.25
- Green Man flickering: do not start to cross. p.24
Penalties (car)
| Unauthorised U-turn | $100, no points |
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| Disobeying a police officer directing traffic | 3 points, $150 |
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| Against the flow shown by traffic signs | 6 points, $200 |
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| Not obeying traffic light signals | 12 points, $400 |
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In school and silver zones and Friendly Streets, some offences add 2 points and $100. p.6-7