Road & Traffic Signs → One Way Signs

One Way Signs

Police Officer: "Sir, didn't you see this is a one-way street?"
Driver: "Of course I did, officer. But I was only driving one way."

Sure, we've all heard that old joke, but it's no joke to have drivers making wrong and potentially disastrous turns, especially when navigating unfamiliar environments. Driving at night or in bad weather can make reflective One Way Signs essential for store parking lots, city streets, and freeway on and off ramps. While the modern One Way Sign may seem an obvious requirement, like many other road signs it only became a necessity when the automobile began to rapidly transform how people traveled. It took time, and unfortunately, a lot of unhappy experience, for modern road designs and road signs to evolve, greatly improving safety for everyone on and near our roads. Read More

So while we may take a Right Turn Only sign for granted, or respond properly without even having to think when we encounter Arrow Traffic signs, historians would point out that the simple idea of designating specific streets and paths of travel as "one way" did not became a common practice on American roadways until as late as the 1950s! (That is probably when the joke we quoted at the beginning started being told.)

The One Way signage we make at STOP Signs And More, while most commonly purchased for parking lots and parking areas, meets all the all specifications in the government’s Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (M.U.T.C.D.) Our One Way Signs are street-legal, and the signs we make for individuals and businesses are made using the same materials and methods we use when making one way signs for towns, cities and States. We make all our One Way Signs out of high-quality heavy-gauge aluminum, with reflective sheeting and outdoor-rated inks, and we use official Federal Highway Administration fonts.

A One-Way Sign, along with similar Right Turn Only signs and similar One Way signage, is an essential way to control the flow of traffic, whether that traffic is on roads, in parking lots or parking garages, or even inside large stores, warehouses and industrial facilities. Well-made signs that meet MUTCD standards and are displayed properly can shield property owners and property managers from legal liability and possible litigation.

Non-regulated types of one way signage can be found in neighborhoods and HOAs, such as Private Road Do Not Enter Signs, and directional signs like No Thru Traffic or No Vehicles Beyond This Point. One way signs are used in every type of public place or business, from auto repair shops to zoos. Whether it's a Right Turn Only sign, a Do Not Enter sign, or a No U-Turn sign, the important message is that there is a right way and a wrong way to drive. Obeying One Way Signs is definitely the right way, the safe way, to travel.