This article is about road signs used in the Soviet Union before its dissolution in 1991. For the road signs used in today's post-Soviet states, see Traffic signs in post-Soviet states.
A Soviet-era road sign in Lithuania during the Baltic Way in 1989. The names of settlements are written in large font size in Lithuanian (Latin script), and in smaller font size in Russian (Cyrillic script).
Road signs in the Soviet Union were regulated in the ГОСТ 10807-78 standard which was introduced on 1 January 1980.[1][2] This standard also specified the typeface used on road signs. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, this standard continued to apply in all countries that were formerly Soviet republics until some of them adopted their own national standards for road signs. The shapes and colors of road signs in the Soviet Union, and now in all post-Soviet states, fully comply with the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, to which the Soviet Union was originally a signatory. On 8 November 1968, the Soviet Union signed the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, and on 7 June 1974 ratified it with some declarations and reservations made upon ratification.[3][4]
Road signs in the Soviet Union were divided into 7 categories:
Warning signs (Предупреждающие знаки)
Priority signs (Знаки приоритета)
Prohibitory signs (Запрещающие знаки)
Mandatory signs (Предписывающие знаки)
Information signs (Информационно-указательные знаки)
Service signs (Знаки сервиса)
Additional signs (Знаки дополнительной информации (таблички))
Below are images of road signs used in the Soviet Union before its dissolution in 1991. The galleries shown below do not show road signs that were included in the ГОСТ 10807-78 standard after 1991. The vast majority of road signs shown below are still used in post-Soviet states such as Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan but with some modifications in design.
^"Межгосударственный стандарт ГОСТ 10807-78 "Знаки дорожные. Общие технические условия" (утв. постановлением Госстандарта СССР 30.08.1978 N 2401) (с изменениями и дополнениями) (не действует) | ГАРАНТ". base.garant.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 20 March 2023.
^"Скачать ГОСТ 10807-78 Знаки дорожные. Общие технические условия". meganorm.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 25 March 2023.
^"United Nations Treaty Collection". treaties.un.org. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
^"КОНВЕНЦИЯ О ДОРОЖНОМ ДВИЖЕНИИ от 08.11.1968 Вена | ATI.SU". ati.su (in Russian). Retrieved 24 November 2023.
and 29 Related for: Road signs in the Soviet Union information
RoadsignsintheSovietUnion were regulated inthe ГОСТ 10807-78 standard which was introduced on 1 January 1980. This standard also specified the typeface...
different in design from roadsigns used in most other post-Soviet states. Lithuanian roadsign design saw minor changes in 2014. Some of the warning signs design...
fooridele and the standards document EVS 613:2001 Traffic signs. Since Estonia was part of theSovietUnion, Estonia used theSovietroadsign standard before...
own standard for roadsignsin Latvia. Unlike most post-Soviet states, modern roadsignsin Latvia look different from those used in neighbouring Russia...
republic. Some signs are similar to roadsigns used in Greece. The only exception is that inscriptions on roadsigns are in Greek and Latin scripts and metric...
conform to the 1968 Vienna Convention on RoadSigns and Signals. The official typeface on roadsignsin Belgium is SNV. Belgium signedthe Vienna Convention...
Roadsignsin Armenia are similar to thesigns of other post-Soviet states and most European roadsign systems. Armenia is a signatory of the Vienna Convention...
Roadsignsin Indonesia are standardized roadsigns similar to those used in other nations but with certain distinctions. As a former Dutch colony, until...
on Road Signs and Signals. Since Azerbaijan was a union republic of theSovietUnion before regaining its independence in 1991, roadsignsin Azerbaijan...
Roadsignsin Georgia are similar to theroadsign system of other post-Soviet states that ensure that transport vehicles move safely and orderly, as well...
11 October 1909, the first attempt at international unification of roadsigns was made in Geneva. Four round-shaped obstacle signs were adopted: "break"...
Roadsignsin Croatia are regulated in Pravilnik o prometnim znakovima signalizaciji i opremi na cestama. The shape and design of theroadsigns largely...
Roadsignsin Vietnam follow Chinese and French roadsigns. Some signs are written in both Vietnamese and English. Thesigns are prescribed by the Ministry...
Like Australia and the United States, the mandatory sign group is not used in Ecuador. Ecuador signedthe Vienna Convention on RoadSigns and Signals on November...
norms, though a number of signs are unique: direction signs omit European route numbers, and roadsigns generally use the imperial system of units (miles...
follows the United States when it comes to roadsign designing practices (for example, using yellow diamonds for warning signs and green direction signs), but...
sign with a red downward triangle. The design of roadsignsin Kazakhstan is largely based on that of the former SovietUnion. Inscriptions on road signs...
have ever been found. Despite theSovietUnion accusing the Koreans of being "Japanese proxies", theSovietUnion would sign a 1925 Convention with Imperial...
road traffic signs. The new change will be replaced in colour and sizes and introduction of Variable-message sign & electronic digital sign boards in...
Roadsignsin Saudi Arabia differ by locale, but they do tend to closely follow European practices with certain distinctions and conform to the general...
They are installed along theroad on the right side of theroad and are subdivided into warning signs (group A), regulatory signs (groups B-D), subdivided...
Inthe United States, roadsigns are, for the most part, standardized by federal regulations, most notably inthe Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices...
follow both US signs based on the MUTCD, including diamond-shaped warning signs, and European signs based on the Vienna Convention on RoadSigns and Signals...
Global Information