No entry sign: what it means

No entry sign: a red circle with a white horizontal bar across the middle
Image: Crown copyright, OGL

The no entry sign means vehicles must not go past it into the road. A plate underneath may allow an exception, for example for buses or cycles.

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What it means

Red circles prohibit, and this one bans all vehicles from entering. Know your traffic signs says a supplementary plate is used where there is an exception for buses or cycles; only that traffic may go in.

There is a matching road marking, the words NO ENTRY painted on the road, which vehicles must not pass.

Where you see it

At the far end of one-way streets, facing traffic that would be going the wrong way, and at other roads that may only be entered from the other end. Rule 143 says traffic on a one-way street must travel in the direction the signs show.

A common mistake

Following a sat nav past a no entry sign. The sign wins: rule 109 says you must obey traffic signs that give orders, so find another way.

Quick quiz

Your sat nav tells you to turn into a street with a no entry sign and no plate. What should you do?

  1. Turn in carefully
  2. Find another route
  3. Turn in if nothing is coming
Show answer

B. Find another route. You must obey signs that give orders (rule 109), and no entry means no vehicles may go in. Source: The Highway Code, rule 109, GOV.UK; The Highway Code, rule 143, GOV.UK; Know your traffic signs: regulatory signs, GOV.UK; Know your traffic signs: road markings, GOV.UK; The Highway Code: traffic signs, GOV.UK; Traffic sign images, Department for Transport, GOV.UK

Compare with

Next in regulatory signs: National speed limit sign. See all regulatory signs or the full road signs list.

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Sources

  1. The Highway Code, rule 109, GOV.UK
  2. The Highway Code, rule 143, GOV.UK
  3. Know your traffic signs: regulatory signs, GOV.UK
  4. Know your traffic signs: road markings, GOV.UK
  5. The Highway Code: traffic signs, GOV.UK
  6. Traffic sign images, Department for Transport, GOV.UK

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Traffic sign images are Crown copyright, from the Department for Transport. Sources and image credits.