Information signs

Countdown markers at a motorway exit

‘Countdown’ markers at the exit from a motorway, each bar representing 100 yards to the slip road; green-backed on primary routes, white with black bars elsewhere. White markers with red bars mark the approach to some concealed level crossings, where the bars do not measure distance.

What does this sign mean?

Countdown markers are placed before a motorway exit, with each bar representing about 100 yards to the slip road: three bars, then two, then one. Green-backed markers are used on primary routes and white-backed markers with black bars on other roads. Use them to time your move into the left-hand lane and your braking, and remember that you should slow down on the slip road rather than on the carriageway. At some concealed level crossings, white markers with red bars are used instead, and there the bars do not measure distance, a detail worth knowing for the test.

Highway Code references

• Rule 272 from Motorways (253 to 274)

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