One-way traffic sign: what it means

One-way traffic sign: a blue upright rectangle with a white arrow pointing up
Image: Crown copyright, OGL

The one-way traffic sign, a white arrow on a blue rectangle, means traffic on that road may only travel in the direction of the arrow.

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What it means

Rule 143: traffic must travel in the direction shown by the signs. Buses and cycles may have a contraflow lane coming the other way.

Choose your lane early. Unless signs or markings say otherwise, use the left-hand lane to go left, the right-hand lane to go right and the most suitable lane to go straight on. Traffic may pass you on both sides.

Where you see it

At the start of one-way streets and where other roads join them. The Highway Code tells you to compare it with the round blue ahead only sign, which orders you to go straight on.

A common mistake

Mixing up the rectangular one-way sign with the circular ahead only sign. The rectangle tells you which way all the traffic on the road flows; the circle orders you to go ahead at that point.

Quick quiz

On a one-way street, which lane should you normally use to turn right?

  1. The left-hand lane
  2. The right-hand lane
  3. Any lane
Show answer

B. The right-hand lane. Rule 143: unless signs or markings say otherwise, use the right-hand lane when going right. Source: The Highway Code, rule 143, GOV.UK; Know your traffic signs: regulatory signs, GOV.UK; The Highway Code: traffic signs, GOV.UK; Traffic sign images, Department for Transport, GOV.UK

Compare with

Next in regulatory signs: Stop sign. See all regulatory signs or the full road signs list.

Want to test someone else? Play a road-sign quiz with friends and family.

Sources

  1. The Highway Code, rule 143, GOV.UK
  2. Know your traffic signs: regulatory signs, GOV.UK
  3. The Highway Code: traffic signs, GOV.UK
  4. 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.