Traffic sign

This act foresaw the placement of priority signs in the narrowest streets of Lisbon, stating which traffic should back up to give way.

The first modern road signs erected on a wide scale were designed for riders of high or "ordinary" bicycles in the late 1870s and early 1880s.

These machines were fast, silent and their nature made them difficult to control, moreover their riders travelled considerable distances and often preferred to tour on unfamiliar roads.

[citation needed] In 1909, nine European governments agreed on the use of four pictorial symbols, indicating "bump", "curve", "intersection", and "grade-level railroad crossing".

Both Britain and the United States developed their own road signage systems, both of which were adopted or modified by many other nations in their respective spheres of influence.

The UK adopted a version of the European road signs in 1964 and, over past decades, North American signage began using some symbols and graphics mixed in with English.

Starting in 1906, regional AAA clubs began paying for and installing wooden signs to help motorists find their way.

In 1914, AAA started a cohesive transcontinental signage project, installing more than 4,000 signs in one stretch between Los Angeles and Kansas City alone.

Since 1945 most signs have been made from sheet aluminium with adhesive plastic coatings; these are normally retroreflective for nighttime and low-light visibility.

In over 20 countries, real-time Traffic Message Channel incident warnings are conveyed directly to vehicle navigation systems using inaudible signals carried via FM radio, 3G cellular data and satellite broadcasts.

Then, finally, in 1914, the world's first electric traffic signal is put into place on the corner of Euclid Avenue and East 105th Street in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 5.

A typeface chosen for a traffic sign is selected based on its readability, which is essential for conveying information to drivers quickly and accurately at high speeds and long distances.

Country-wide adoption faced resistance from both local governments and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), citing concerns about consistency and cost, along with doubts of the studies done on Clearview’s improved readability.