Road markings

Road markings are a traffic sign in the form and design of a marking on the surface of the road. They have the same standing as upright signs. Road users must obey these road markings.

The diagrams below show the most common types of road marking and what they mean.

Road markings	What they mean
Single or double continuous white lines along the centre of the road	All traffic must keep to the left of the line (except in an emergency or for access).
A broken white line along the centre of the road	These divide two lanes of traffic travelling in opposite directions. You must not cross them unless it is safe to do so.
Double broken white lines along the centre of the road	These alert drivers to continuous white lines a short distance ahead. As a driver, you must not cross them unless it is safe to do so.
A broken white line with a single white line along the centre of the road	The driver must obey the line that is nearest to them. In this picture, the driver in the car must remain to the left of the continuous white line.
A single broken yellow line along the side of the road	This road contains a hard shoulder, which is normally only for pedestrians and cyclists. If a driver wants to allow a vehicle behind them to overtake, they may pull in to the hard shoulder briefly as long as no pedestrians or cyclists are already using it and no junctions or entrances are nearby. Different rules exist for hard shoulders on motorways. See Motorways section for details.
A broken white Yield line crossing the left-hand lane. A white triangular Yield symbol may also be provided with the Yield line.	The driver must give right-of-way to any traffic on a major road ahead. The yield line usually appears with an upright Yield sign.
A continuous white Stop line crossing the lefthand lane. The word STOP may also be provided with the Stop line.	The driver must come to a complete stop before entering a major road. The stop line sometimes appears with an upright Stop sign.
An advanced stop line for cyclists, which is in front of the stop line for other traffic	Cyclists may position themselves in front of other traffic at a junction controlled by traffic lights. The motor vehicle driver must wait behind the first white line they reach and not cross into the shaded area. The driver must also give cyclists enough time and space to move off when the lights turn green.
A turning box showing a white arrow in a white edged box, found at junctions controlled by traffic lights	This shows where to position a vehicle if you want to take a rightturn.Do not proceed into the box through a red light. If oncoming traffic means you cannot take a right turn immediately, you must wait in the box until you can safely take the turn.