Baffled drivers ‘do not know’ what black and white highway signal means – do you?
A number of drivers have been left perplexed by a giant black and white chequered road sign that some say resembles those seen on F1 circuits – and it appears in more than one UK county
The black and white chequered sign(Image: Google)
A massive road sign that appears more suited to a Formula One track than a British A-road is bewildering motorists, who admit they “have no idea what it means”. Displaying a black and white chequered design associated with motorsport, the sign is hardly a familiar feature on UK roads – yet numerous drivers have encountered it during their journeys and taken to social media seeking explanations.
One cyclist posted on the Cycling UK Forum: “I thought I was fairly knowledgeable on road signs. However, I was completely foxed by a sign I saw yesterday at a crossroads….essentially it’s a huge black and white checkerboard about 10ft x 10ft.
“There is one on each side of the junction, placed so that when waiting to cross the A30 on the minor road, the sign is right in front of you on the other side.
“Are they there to remind road users that it’s a slightly staggered junction? Some sort of experiment? Or maybe something to do with the nearby Army Air Corps flight school at Middle Wallop? If anyone knows what these are for, I’d be very grateful!”
For more crackers driving content, click here. One confirmed location for the sign is on the B3084 where it meets the A30 between Salisbury and Winchester. A motorist on Reddit posted: “I passed this weird road sign. No idea what it means. It could be military. Anyone out there know what it’s for?” The sign has also been spotted on the B4455 road near Stratford-upon-Avon. There’s another example at the B4027 just outside Oxford, where one user noted: “A couple of miles from where I live, never known what it is for.”
Other users seemed equally puzzled. One observed: “Twenty-two years of driving, two theory tests (car and bike), driven the length and breadth of the UK and can honestly say I’ve never seen this before.”, reports the Mirror.
What is its purpose?
The sign doesn’t appear anywhere in the 172-page Know Your Traffic Signs manual published by the UK Government. It’s also absent from Highway Code guidance on road signage. However, social media users have explained that the sign appears intended to offer additional warning of a hazard and they’re commonly found in locations where a junction’s presence needs extra highlighting (for example, where spotting a minor road crossing another at a crossroads might prove challenging). As a result, they’re usually positioned close to Give Way signs.
A common theme in the responses is that these signs often appear on stretches of road known for frequent accidents. One user remarked: “As others have suggested, I’m pretty sure they are long-range hazard warning signs, particularly intended for night time use. These are common on stretches of The Fosse Way, a Roman road which is therefore arrow straight for long stretches
“They appear at junctions where drivers must give way, or where junctions are staggered, and are generally mounted for very long range night time visibility.”
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