8 S’pore Road Signs That Even Seasoned Drivers Won’t Know About

Last Updated on 2023-03-19 , 5:00 pm

You might be a 30-year-old seasoned driver who has 45 years of driving experience, but touch your heart: do you know what every single road sign in Singapore means?

Okay, maybe you know, but not everyone who’s 30-year-old has 45 years of driving experience, yeah?

Here are eight road signs that we actually did learn in our basic theory examination, but has kind of forgotten about them because, well, like what your teachers used to say, “为什么不会？还给老师了啊? [How come you didn’t know? Have you returned it (the knowledge) to the teacher?]”

No Stopping

Bet even seasoned drivers didn’t know what these are, right?

To put things into context, these red circles with filled blue are to inform you that you can’t stop, or you can’t stop your car and wait for someone.

These, with a cross, means you can’t stop at all (not even to pick up passengers):

And this, with just a line, means you can stop just to pick up or drop passengers, but you can’t take your own sweet time and wait there like you own the road:

Yeah, now you know.

Traffic Calming Markings

Okay, this is pretty new so it’s understandable that even experienced drivers won’t know about it. The little white triangles aren’t a prelude to a shark’s mouth, but an alert to drivers, telling them to slow down and be more careful.

There have been misconceptions that when you see that, the roads would be narrower: according to onemotoring, it is actually a warning that a bend is ahead or a residential area is ahead.

So they work just like humps or strips, just that they won’t make your car fly up the air for ten seconds if you didn’t slow down.

But please lah, slow down when you see it.

Left Turn on Red

Back then when I was learner, the instructor told me to turn left when the lights were red.

“But Bro, red light leh! You want me kena demerit points even before I got my license ah?” I retort.

With the smuggest face I’ve ever seen in my life, he pointed at a sign right in front of me. “Left turn on red, Bro.”

This isn’t that common but if you’re like us whose office is at Bukit Batok Crescent, you’ll see it every day. You see, one of the two exits out of the minor road has this.

If you see this, you can turn left (just turn left and nothing else hor!) even if the lights are red, but you have to make sure that it’s SAFE.

That includes looking out for cars and pedestrians.

But do yourself and everyone a favour: stop before turning. And if you didn’t see the sign, please, follow the traffic lights.

Rain Shelter for Motorcyclist

Motorcyclists would be familiar with this, and other motorists think it’s a place giving out free umbrellas.

Usually in expressways, these are signs to inform motorcyclists of a rain shelter (under a flyover).

But let’s face it: some motorcyclists have treated it as a “Siam-ERP-Shelter” whereby they just stop there and wait for the ERP period to end before riding again.

I kid you not.

Drive past a rain shelter near an ERP that’s going to end in five minutes and you’ll see many of them lepak-ing there.

Your Speed Sign

…or you can call it “whose speed sign?”

The speed on top is the speed limit, and the real-time speed below is supposedly your speed. It is more for deterrence since it doesn’t seem to come with a camera, but here’s the thing: whenever I look at the number up there and my speedometer, they never seem to match.

Either the “your” in “Your Speed Sign” always refer to the car in front of me, or my speedometer is spoilt.

Give Way to Buses Exiting

You must be surprised: there are two versions?!

Yeah, but relax, hear me out.

This one is just a generic one; you know, just a polite reminder that buses need to follow their schedule, so do help them out and give way to buses that are exiting from the bus bays.

The other one has this, also known as the Mandatory Give-way to Bus Box:

Which means you die-die must give way to bus waiting to exit if it is safe to do so, if not you’ll be fined.

Now you understand why there’s a triangle sign on the right sign, eh?

(P.S. Also, please don’t be a super P-plate driver and jam brake when you see a bus waiting. Remember, safety first.)

Advance Warning Lights

You usually see this before a bend and a traffic light, and it shows just one light: amber.

If it is flashing, it means the traffic light, which might not be visible from far as there is a bend ahead, is red or going to be red, so prepare to stop. If not, it might be green.

But it’s a bend, so do everyone a favour and just slow down lah.

No Dangerous Goods Vehicles in Tunnel

No lah, this isn’t a sign to tell you that your car won’t explode if you enter the road.

This sign, usually before a tunnel, inform drivers that if they are carrying dangerous goods, like flammable items, they’re not allowed to enter the tunnel.

And by dangerous goods, I don’t mean your wife or girlfriend #bestjokeever

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So, these are the chim-er road signs that we should all be familiar with. If you have friends who just got their licence, or a tourist friend who intend to drive, you might want to show this article to them.

Or heck, since there are so many idiot drivers in Singapore, just share this in Facebook lah.

Featured Image: sgcarmart + singaporebikes.com