Guide and Informational Signs
Guide and informational signs help you navigate, choose a lane, find services, and estimate distance. Kansas practice questions test the meaning of green, blue, and brown signs, exit numbering, route markers, and the difference between guidance and a command. These signs generally inform rather than regulate.
Core rules
- Green signs give destinations, distances, route numbers, exit directions, and lane assignments. Overhead green signs often show which lane goes where.
- Blue signs show motorist services such as gas, food, lodging, hospitals, and camping.
- Brown signs show recreation and cultural areas, including parks, historic sites, and wildlife areas.
- Exit tabs and mile markers help you match an exit to its location. An exit number is not the same as the distance to a city.
- Route markers identify Interstate, U.S., and Kansas state routes. Lane-use signs such as "EXIT ONLY" tell you that a lane will leave the roadway.
Worked example
A green overhead sign reads "Topeka 24" above the left lane and "Exit 177 - EXIT ONLY" above the right lane. "Topeka 24" means Topeka is 24 miles ahead via the continuing route. The right lane must exit at Exit 177; if you want to stay on the main road, move left before the solid line. The sign guides lane choice, but it does not change the speed limit.
Traps
Do not treat a green guide sign as a warning of a hazard. A blue hospital sign does not mean every hospital is directly at that exit. A brown park sign does not guarantee the park is open. Also, an exit number is a location identifier, not a distance in miles.