Information and Guide Signs: Direction, Services and Route Information
Information and guide signs: finding your way
Information and guide signs give direction, distance, route numbers and services. They are usually rectangular and rely on colour and layout rather than a red border. On Nigerian highways, green signs commonly carry destinations and route information; blue signs commonly indicate services such as fuel, hospital, rest area or parking. White lettering on a dark background is the normal pattern.
What they tell you
- Destination and distance panels: place names with arrows and kilometre figures.
- Route numbers and road names: the formal identity of the road you are on.
- Service symbols: fuel pump, mechanic, hospital, telephone, refreshments, toilets.
- Parking signs: a blue “P” indicates permitted parking; a red circle with a slash through a “P” prohibits it.
- Kilometre posts and boundary signs: useful for reporting your location in an emergency (FRSC emergency number 122).
Using them safely Read guide signs early and change lanes well before the junction. A distance shown on a sign is normally to the junction or town boundary, not necessarily to the exact address you want. If you miss a turn, continue to the next safe junction rather than reversing on a highway.
Worked example A green rectangular sign reads “Abuja 120 km” with a straight-ahead arrow. A candidate thinks it is a warning to reduce speed. Reasoning: rectangular green signs are guide signs; the arrow shows the direction and the figure is a distance, not a speed. The correct response is to continue, use the information for planning, and keep to the speed limit shown by circular regulatory signs.
Traps that cost marks Do not confuse a blue service sign with a mandatory blue circle: circular blue signs give orders, rectangular blue signs give information. Do not treat a destination distance as a speed advisory. Do not park where a red prohibition sign or yellow kerb marking applies just because a blue parking sign appears further on.