Road Signs

These "no-free-left" boards sprang up a few years ago in Bangalore:

Two things about any road sign:

1. Each sign stands for a rule to follow.

The whole point of this "no-free-left" sign is that there is a signal ahead somewhere and you can take a left only when it turns green. Duh. This is as redundant as putting a "no-free-entry" sign at every signal. Pointless. This sign also creates a new confusion of what to do when the sign is not there.

2. It should be easily recognisable in an actual driving situation.

When the rule itself is pointless, why discuss the design of the graphic symbol? Because it is so easy to MIS-read. The font size is really small and the text is placed really well to ensure people miss it. This is poor visual ergonomics. While driving, this looks like the sign for "no-left-turn" and people fail to 'read' the sign :( And they end up taking a few extra rounds around the block.

Bad design on both counts. Yes, we need proper road markings and clear guidelines on usage to make a working system.

Yes, authorities MUST conduct a thorough design review before they implement anything public.

Here's another one: how many of you know how far away from a "no-parking" sign you ARE allowed to park?