Traffic Signs, Signals and Road Markings
Reading the road before you ride it
Signs in Bahrain follow the international (Vienna-style) pattern, so shape and colour carry meaning even before you read the words. Red circles give orders (speed limits, no entry, no overtaking); red-bordered triangles warn of a hazard ahead; blue circles tell you what you must do (turn direction, minimum speed, mandatory path for motorcycles); rectangles give information such as place names, parking or hospital direction. Temporary signs on yellow backgrounds override the permanent ones, and a sign with a diagonal black bar cancels the restriction it shows.
Markings work with the signs. A solid white centre line means no crossing; a broken line permits overtaking when safe. Yellow kerb markings and yellow box junctions mean keep clear. Stop lines are solid; give-way lines are broken. On roundabouts, the broken line at the entry means yield, not stop, unless a STOP sign and solid line are present.
Where candidates lose marks
Questions often test the difference between a warning and an order, the meaning of a supplementary plate beneath a sign (for example a distance or a time restriction), and whether a marking is regulatory or merely advisory. Another common trap is assuming a sign applies only to cars: unless a plate shows a car symbol, the rule applies to motorcycles too.
Rule of thumb: ask three questions in order - what shape and colour is it (order, warning, information)? what does the symbol show? is there a small plate beneath changing who, when or how far? Answer all three before choosing.
Worked example: a red circle containing a motorcycle above a car, with a plate showing a time, means the restriction applies to those vehicles during that period only - outside those hours normal rules resume.