Road Signs, Signals and Road Markings
Belgian signing follows a six-model logic you must be able to name: danger signs (triangular, red border, white or yellow ground), prohibition signs (round, red border), mandatory signs (round, blue), priority signs, information signs (blue or white rectangles) and direction signs. Where a sign and a road marking disagree, the sign generally prevails; where a traffic light and a sign disagree, the light prevails, and a police officer overrides everything.
Traps to expect. First, the yellow diamond (priority road) does not cancel the need to give way when leaving the road or when a light turns red. Second, the white-red triangular "give way" sign and the octagonal STOP sign differ: STOP requires a full stop at the line, give way only requires yielding. Third, a red-bordered circle with a black symbol is a prohibition, but the same symbol in blue is an obligation. Fourth, markings: a broken white line may be crossed; a continuous white line may not; the zebra crossing gives pedestrians absolute priority once they have stepped onto it or clearly show the intention to cross. Fifth, the "zone 30" sign applies to every street inside the zone until an end-of-zone sign, not just the street where you entered.
Rule of thumb: classify before you interpret. Ask "is it round or triangular, red or blue?" A triangle warns, a red circle forbids, a blue circle orders. Worked example: a round blue sign showing a white bicycle means the cycle path is compulsory for cyclists, not that cars must avoid it; a round red-bordered sign with a bicycle means cyclists are banned. Same symbol, opposite meaning, decided only by shape and colour.