London Cycling Design Standards
Other sign design requirements
Legibility, attractiveness and visibility in the
dark and when wet and in snow, all need to
be taken into account when designing signs
and road markings. It is difcult for a sign to
compensate for poor lighting or for a road
layout that is not easily legible. The design of
the street, and detailing such as borders, paving
or surface colour, can assist cyclists and others
by complementing and reinforcing signs and
markings and, in some cases (but not where the
signs have a regulatory function), superseding the
need for them.
Black-backed signs are preferred to grey-
backed signs in order to provide sufcient
visual contrast for visually impaired people.
This is a requirement on TLRN and in Central
London (see TfL Streetscape Guide) and is highly
recommended elsewhere. Cycle-specic signs
should have reective, anti-grafti coating.
Single- or double-faced signs can be used, as
appropriate to the location.
6.3.7 Sign installation and mounting
Signs that indicate the existence of off-
carriageway cycling facilities should be sited no
more than 10 metres from the start and end of
the facility. Ideal spacing for intermediate signs
can vary between 20 metres and 200 metres,
depending on the frequency of interruptions
such as side roads and bus stops.
Signs should be mounted in such a way as to
be easily visible to the intended user. However,
where their placement might be a hazard for
other users – typically when they are on the
footway – minimum clearance will be needed.
The possibility of parked or moving vehicles or
pedestrians obscuring the sign may also have a
bearing on the chosen mounting height.
Vertical clearance
Signs may be mounted at lower heights where
they do not represent a hazard to pedestrians,
cyclists and motor vehicles, such as on grass
verges and in parks. Care needs to be taken to
avoid interfering with verge-cutting equipment,
so a set-back will normally be required on
paths off-highway. Away from the footway, the
recommended mounting height, measured to
the lower edge of a sign, its backing board or any
supplementary plate, is between 900mm and
1500mm above carriageway level (Trafc Signs
Manual, chapter 3, paragraph 1.21).
In general, any sign likely to be a hazard
to pedestrians should be mounted at
a minimum height of 2.1 metres to the
underside. A minimum of 2.3 metres is
required where cyclists can cycle beneath
them. For wall or bollard mounting,
heights of between 0.8 metres and 1.5
metres are preferred.
Lateral clearance
For signs, poles and signal posts, guidance on
recommended dimensions for lateral clearance,
based on advice in the Trafc Signs Manual,
is as follows:
• Signs should be sited no more than 1.0 metre
away from the relevant surface, to avoid
confusion
• Where moving motorised vehicles are passing
to the side, posts and signs should normally
have a minimum of 450mm lateral clearance
(or more if the crossfall of the carriageway is
greater than 2.5 per cent) – this is in order to
prevent damage by vehicles having a lateral
overhang, bearing in mind their likely swept
paths
• Less than 450mm clearance may be
possible on any side where cyclists are the
only vehicles passing (minimum 250mm is
recommended, although appropriate clearance
should be determined by a risk assessment on
a site-by-site basis)
• Posts and signs should not encroach into
travel envelope of cyclists
• All bollards on cycle routes must have
tamper-proof reective stripes or signs
[Chapter 6] Signs 21