14.1 Signs Giving Orders & Warnings

14.1 Signs Giving Orders & Warnings

Quick Answer: Learn the signing system first: circles usually order, triangles usually warn, rectangles usually inform or direct. Prohibitory signs are typically a black symbol in a red-bordered circle (often with a red slash); mandatory signs are usually a white symbol on a blue disc. Stop (octagon) and Give Way (inverted triangle) are special shapes. Temporary / roadworks signs must be obeyed even when they change the usual layout. Sample TD item: “Passing place” means a place to wait to allow other vehicles to pass — not to park or repair.

Part B of the Taxi Written Test is built on the Road Users’ Code (RUC), June 2020. Chapter 8 is titled The Language of the Road: traffic signs, light signals, and road markings. This section covers the signing system, signs giving orders, signs giving warning, temporary signs and roadworks, and a practical overview of direction and information signs — with taxi-relevant reading habits.

Why Signs Matter More for Taxi Drivers

A private driver may see a no-turn plate once a week. A taxi driver sees hundreds of signs per shift while passengers name destinations, change routes, or ask for a “quick stop.” Part B expects you to:

1. Recognise the family of a sign (order / warning / information) from shape and colour
2. Read any supplementary plate (times, vehicle class, direction, distance)
3. Obey the legal order or prepare for the warned hazard
4. Refuse passenger pressure that would breach a sign

Signs are not decoration. An order sign is a must / must not. A warning sign is a prepare and adjust. An information sign helps planning but does not replace an order.

The Signing System: Shape and Colour First

Hong Kong’s system (Vienna-aligned, British-heritage layout with bilingual English and Traditional Chinese) uses shape as the fastest memory key:

Colour cues (order signs)

• Red border / red slash on white — classic prohibitory look (no entry, no turn, no stopping, no overtaking, and similar bans)
• Blue disc with white symbol — classic mandatory look (ahead only, keep left/right, turn left/right only, and similar positive instructions)
• Special stop / give way — shape dominates; do not wait for a circular reminder

Exam habit: if you only remember one rule, remember circle ≈ order, triangle ≈ warning, rectangle ≈ info. Then refine with colour and plates.

Traffic Signs Giving Orders

Order signs tell you what the law requires. Common families include:

Priority orders

• Stop and give way — stop completely at the stop line/sign; proceed only when the way is clear
• Give way to traffic on major road — yield; do not assume other drivers will stop for a taxi

Directional / path orders

• Ahead only, turn left / right, keep left / keep right
• No left turn / no right turn / no U-turn
• No entry for all vehicles (or for classes shown on plates)

Stopping and parking orders (overview — full rules in Section 14.4)

• No stopping (with or without times)
• No parking
• Class-specific no-stopping (for example public light buses, goods vehicles, or buses only during stated times)

Other high-yield orders

• Speed limit and variable speed limit discs
• No overtaking, no horn where signed
• Bus lane / light rail only controls and related end plates
• Expressway start / end and hard-shoulder emergency-only rules
• Dimension and weight bans (height, width, length, weight) — more common for goods vehicles but still Part B literacy

Supplementary plates complete the order

A bare symbol is incomplete if a plate is present. Plates may show:

• Hours and days of a ban
• Vehicle classes the ban applies to (or exempts)
• Direction of the restriction (arrow plates)
• Distance over which a hazard or ban applies
• End of a restriction

Taxi professional reading: before you pull in for a pick-up, read both the circular face and the plate. “No stopping 07:00–19:00” is not the same as “no stopping at any time.”

Traffic Signs Giving Warning

Warning signs are usually black symbols on white inside a red-bordered triangle (point up). They do not replace speed limits or order signs; they demand earlier observation and lower risk.

High-yield warning themes for taxi corridors:

When a warning and an order appear together (for example traffic lights ahead plus a lane-control order), obey the order and use the warning to prepare.

Temporary Signs and Roadworks

Roadworks are a classic Part B trap and a real Hong Kong daily hazard. Temporary controls can:

• Close lanes (red bar lane-closed diagrams)
• Force diversions to the other carriageway
• Narrow the road or create temporary sharp deviations
• Replace normal lights with temporary signals or manually operated Stop / Go signs
• Mark loose chippings, uneven surfaces, or other danger with descriptive plates

Professional rules at works sites

1. Obey temporary signs and cones even if permanent markings still show under paint or dirt
2. Reduce speed early; do not “keep the usual limit” through a narrowed lane
3. Watch for workers, plant, and sudden stops — people and vehicles may move into the open lane without warning
4. Do not drive between cones to invent a private short cut
5. Keep passengers calm with lawful time, not illegal weaving

If the passenger complains about delay, your answer is simple: temporary controls are for safety and flow; a taxi is still subject to them.

Direction Signs and Information Signs (Overview)

Direction and information signs are usually rectangular. They guide route choice for Part A location knowledge and for real hires:

• Primary direction panels to districts, tunnels, and major destinations
• Strategic route numbers (overview continues in Section 14.3)
• Tunnel names, countdown markers to exits, get in lane panels
• Parking, ferry, MTR, and other facilities
• Taxi-type pick-up/set-down information where signed (urban / NT / Lantau)
• No through road, passing place, single-track road start, and similar help signs

Information signs help you plan; they do not cancel a nearby no-stopping order or a solid white line.

Sample TD Meaning: “Passing Place”

Transport Department sample material for the written test includes a Passing place sign item. Correct meaning:

Place to wait to allow other vehicles to pass.

Wrong answers typically offered:

• Place to park
• Place to repair the vehicle

RUC teaching (narrow / single-track roads): some roads are only wide enough for one vehicle at a time. Passing places are short widenings where a driver pulls in to let opposing or following traffic pass. Using a passing place as casual parking or a workshop blocks the safety purpose of the feature.

Taxi angle: if you meet opposing traffic on a narrow road, use the passing place lawfully to yield and clear, then continue. Do not treat it as a free stand.

How to Study Order and Warning Signs Efficiently

Use a three-pass method:

1. Family pass — circle / triangle / rectangle / special Stop & Give Way
2. Meaning pass — ban vs must-do vs prepare-for-hazard
3. Plate pass — times, classes, arrows, end plates

Then drill TD-style three-option items (Part B format): one correct meaning, two plausible traps (park vs wait; advisory vs mandatory; temporary vs permanent).

Common Exam Traps

Closing Checklist for Section 14.1

1. Shape first — circle orders, triangle warns, rectangle informs/directs; Stop/Give Way special shapes.
2. Prohibitory vs mandatory — red-bordered ban style vs blue mandatory disc.
3. Always read plates — times, vehicle class, direction, end of ban.
4. Warnings prepare you; they do not cancel orders or speed rules.
5. Temporary / roadworks controls must be obeyed; slow and watch workers.
6. Passing place = wait to allow others to pass, not park/repair.
7. Taxi professional habit — refuse unlawful short cuts; re-route lawfully.

Next, Section 14.2 turns static signs into moving light language: traffic lights, filter arrows, and lane / tunnel / expressway signals.