Catalogue section 3.11
Advance direction signs (S-200–S-271)
They announce a junction or exit ahead and the destinations it leads to.
How to recognise them: A rectangular board showing the junction layout with the destinations written on it.
How this group is laid out
These signs come before the exit. The regulation asks for them to be placed where they work by day and by night, at a distance that in built-up areas may come down to about 50 metres and on motorways and autovías is at least 500, and it allows them to be repeated. S-200 to S-203 announce roundabouts, and on S-200 to S-202 a destination written on a blue ground means that exit leads to a motorway or autovía.
S-220 to S-225 are side panels and S-230 to S-235 hang over the carriageway, and in both series the end of the code tells you which road you are on and where the exit leads. S-220 and S-230 lead from a conventional or multi-lane road to another of the same kind; S-222 and S-232 from one of those to a motorway or autovía; S-225 and S-235 are used on a motorway or autovía and lead to any kind of road, with the exit number. The letter "a" adds the road's own direction, the way the road you are on continues. The rest of the group announces two exits very close together (S-242), towns reached from the next junction or exit (S-245 and S-246), the exits of a bypass, routes, lanes and services.
How to tell them apart
Signs in this group that look alike, and what separates them according to their definitions.
S-200
S-201
S-202S-200 announces a roundabout. S-201 and S-202 announce a junction laid out like a roundabout where the main carriageway carries straight on: S-201 is the one you see if you are on that main carriageway, and S-202 if you are not.
S-220
S-230They say the same thing, the destinations of the next junction's exit towards another conventional or multi-lane road and how far away it is, but S-220 is a side panel and S-230 hangs over the carriageway.
S-222
S-222aBoth announce, from a conventional or multi-lane road, exits towards a motorway or autovía. S-222a adds to S-222 the own direction of the road you are on.
S-245
S-246Both announce nearby towns of more than 5,000 inhabitants. S-245 is used on a conventional or multi-lane road and refers to the next junction; S-246, on a motorway or autovía, to the exit shown on the panel above.
S-263
S-271S-263 announces, on a motorway or autovía, an exit towards the services it shows. S-271 announces an exit towards a service area, with its name, its opening hours and pictograms of what it offers.
27 signs
S-200
Advance notice of a roundabout
Gives the directions of the exits from the roundabout ahead. Any wording on a blue background means that exit leads to a motorway or dual carriageway.
S-201
Advance notice of a split roundabout, from the main carriageway
Gives the directions of the exits from a junction shaped like a roundabout in which the main carriageway — the one you are on in this case — runs straight through. Any wording on a blue background means that exit leads to a motorway or dual carriageway.
S-202
Advance notice of a split roundabout, from the side carriageways
Gives the directions of the exits from a junction shaped like a roundabout in which the main carriageway — not the one you are on in this case — runs straight through. Any wording on a blue background means that exit leads to a motorway or dual carriageway.
S-203
Advance notice of a roundabout with lane selection by movement
Gives the directions of the exits from the roundabout ahead and the lane that reaches each one.
S-220
Advance notice, on a side panel, on a conventional or multi-lane road towards a conventional or multi-lane road
On a conventional or multi-lane road, gives the destinations of the exits at the junction ahead where they lead to a conventional or multi-lane road, and how far away those exits are.
S-220a
Advance notice, on a side panel, on a conventional or multi-lane road towards a conventional or multi-lane road, with the road's own direction
On a conventional or multi-lane road, gives the direction of the road you are on and the destinations of the exits at the junction ahead where they lead to a conventional or multi-lane road, and how far away those exits are.
S-222
Advance notice, on a side panel, on a conventional or multi-lane road towards a motorway or dual carriageway
On a conventional or multi-lane road, gives the destinations of the exits at the junction ahead where they lead to a motorway or dual carriageway, and how far away those exits are.
S-222a
Advance notice, on a side panel, on a conventional or multi-lane road towards a motorway or dual carriageway, with the road's own direction
On a conventional or multi-lane road, gives the direction of the road you are on and the destinations of the exits at the junction ahead where they lead to a motorway or dual carriageway, and how far away those exits are.
S-225
Advance notice, on a side panel, on a motorway or dual carriageway towards any kind of road
On a motorway or dual carriageway, gives the destinations of the exit at the interchange ahead. It also gives the distance to that exit, its number and, where used, its letter.
S-230
Advance notice, on a panel over the carriageway, on a conventional or multi-lane road towards a conventional or multi-lane road
On a conventional or multi-lane road, gives the destinations of the exit at the junction ahead where it leads to a conventional or multi-lane road, and how far away that exit is.
S-230a
Advance notice, on panels over the carriageway, on a conventional or multi-lane road towards a conventional or multi-lane road, with the road's own direction
On a conventional or multi-lane road, gives the direction of the road you are on and the destinations of the exit at the junction ahead where it leads to a conventional or multi-lane road, and how far away that exit is.
S-232
Advance notice, on a panel over the carriageway, on a conventional or multi-lane road towards a motorway or dual carriageway
On a conventional or multi-lane road, gives the destinations of the exit at the junction ahead where it leads to a motorway or dual carriageway, and how far away that exit is.
S-232a
Advance notice, on panels over the carriageway, on a conventional or multi-lane road towards a motorway or dual carriageway, with the road's own direction
On a conventional or multi-lane road, gives the direction of the road you are on and the destinations of the exit at the junction ahead where it leads to a motorway or dual carriageway, and how far away that exit is.
S-235
Advance notice, on a panel over the carriageway, on a motorway or dual carriageway towards any kind of road
On a motorway or dual carriageway, gives the destinations of the exit at the interchange ahead. It also gives the distance to that exit, its number and, where used, its letter.
S-235a
Advance notice, on panels over the carriageway, on a motorway or dual carriageway towards any kind of road, with the road's own direction
On a motorway or dual carriageway, gives the direction of the road you are on and the destinations of the exit at the interchange ahead. It also gives the distance to that exit, its number and, where used, its letter.
S-242
Advance notice, on a panel over the carriageway of a motorway or dual carriageway, of two exits very close together towards any kind of road
Gives the directions of the slip roads of two exits one after the other on a motorway or dual carriageway. It also gives the distance to those exits and their numbers, or the number and letters of each.
S-242a
Advance notice, on panels over the carriageway of a motorway or dual carriageway, of two exits very close together towards any kind of road, with the road's own direction
On a motorway or dual carriageway, gives the direction of the road you are on and the directions of the slip roads of two exits one after the other. It also gives the distance to those exits and their numbers, or the number and letters of each.
S-245
Supplementary advance notice of towns on a conventional or multi-lane road
Gives nearby towns of more than 5,000 people that can be reached from the junction ahead, and how far that junction is.
S-246
Supplementary advance notice of towns on a motorway or dual carriageway
Gives nearby towns of more than 5,000 people that can be reached from the exit named on the upper panel, and how far that exit is.
S-247
Advance notice of the exits from a town bypass
Gives the numbers of the exits from a town's bypass, along with the name of the road into town or the compass point.
S-250
Advance notice of a route
Gives the route you must follow to take the direction the arrow shows.
S-260
Advance notice of lanes
Gives the only directions allowed at the junction ahead to drivers in the marked lanes. Above the arrows for the lanes that stay on the road you are driving sits that road's identifying box. Its use is limited to exceptional cases where the solid line between lanes does not mean the lanes to the left diverge, and to interchanges or forks between two motorways or dual carriageways with heavy traffic on both.
S-261
Advance notice of services on conventional roads with heavy traffic and on all multi-lane roads
On conventional roads with heavy traffic and on all multi-lane roads, marks the approach of an exit towards the services shown. If they are in a town, its name may appear on the sign's first line, and if they stand on a service road the words “vía de servicio” appear. Where the services include a filling station or a charging point, the distance to it and its opening hours are given. The lower panel gives the distance to, and opening hours of, the next filling station or charging point in your direction of travel. The upper box gives the distance to the exit.
S-263
Advance notice of services on a motorway or dual carriageway
On a motorway or dual carriageway, marks the approach of an exit towards the services shown. If they are in a town, its name may appear on the sign's first line, and if they stand on a service road the words “vía de servicio” appear. Where the services include a filling station or a charging point, the distance to it and its opening hours are given. The lower panel gives the distance to, and opening hours of, the next filling station or charging point in your direction of travel. The upper panels give the exit number and the distance to it.
S-267
Advance notice of various services on a conventional or multi-lane road
On a conventional or multi-lane road, marks the approach of an exit towards the services shown, such as a housing development, a marina, a sports area, a shopping area, an industrial estate, a business park or a leisure area. The upper box gives the distance to the exit.
S-268
Advance notice of various services on a motorway or dual carriageway
On a motorway or dual carriageway, marks the approach of an exit towards the services shown, such as a housing development, a marina, a sports area, a shopping area, an industrial estate, a business park or a leisure area. The upper panels give the exit number and the distance to it.
S-271
Advance notice of a service area
On a motorway or dual carriageway, marks the approach of an exit towards a service area, giving its name and opening hours along with the pictograms of the services it offers. The upper box gives the distance to the exit. The lower panel gives the distance to, and opening hours of, the next service area in your direction of travel.
The definitions in the list follow the regulation's Spanish text. The introduction and the comparisons are ours.
Source: Reglamento General de Circulación — Anexo I, apartado 5: Catálogo oficial de señales de la circulación y marcas viales (Catálogo de señales verticales, tomo I) · Anexo I, apartado 5 (Catálogo de señales verticales de circulación, tomo I)
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Other sign categories
- Danger warning signs58
- Priority signs6
- Entry prohibition signs21
- Passage restriction signs6
- Other prohibition and restriction signs20
- Obligation signs33
- End of prohibition, restriction or obligation signs17
- General indication signs70
- Lane signs42
- Service signs34
- Direction signs28
- Road identification signs7
- Location signs25
- Confirmation signs3
- Urban-specific signs8
- Supplementary panels24
- Other signs26
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