Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

Motorway

 
Wikipedia: Motorway (typeface)
Motorway
Category Sans-serif
Designer(s) Jock Kinneir
Margaret Calvert
Motorway-font-UK.png
Sample

Motorway is a typeface designed by Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert for use on the motorway network of the United Kingdom. It was first used on the M6 Preston bypass in 1958 and has been in use on the UK's motorways since. It is also used in some other countries, most notably the Republic of Ireland and Portugal.

Use in the UK

The Motorway alphabet appears on road signs on motorways in the United Kingdom, and is used for route numbers. It is available in two weights: Motorway Permanent is the standard weight, and is used for pale text on a dark background (i.e. white-on-blue permanent motorway signs) while Motorway Temporary is heavier, and is used for dark text on a pale background (i.e. black-on-yellow temporary motorway signs).[1]

Motorway features a limited character set - only the numbers "0" to "9", the letters "M", "A", "B", "N","E" "S", "W", the symbols "(", ")" and "&", and the word "Toll" (treated as a single character).

All other text on UK road signs appears in Transport.

Republic of Ireland

Motorway font in use on a directional sign on an Irish motorway. Note the "R" in Transport font..

The Motorway font is also used in the Republic of Ireland. Its use is slightly different to that in the UK - in the Republic, motorway route numbers are always in Motorway font, whether the sign is on a motorway or not. In addition, on signs erected before 2009, route numbers for all-purpose roads on motorway signs were in Transport font. On signs erected since 2009, all route numbers on motorways are now in motorway font, bringing Ireland closer in line with the UK practice (however, as Motorway font does not feature the letter "R", this letter alone still appears in Transport). As in the UK, all other text on road signs appears in Transport font.

  1. ^ Chris's British Road Directory, URL accessed 29 June 2009



Search unanswered questions...
Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics
 
 
Learn More
motorway
By Car (travel guide)
Deauville (city, France)

What was the first motorway to open? Read answer...
What is the Italian equivalent of a motorway? Read answer...
How you can do apply for motorway police? Read answer...

Help us answer these
Who invented motorways?
How do you join to the motorway?
When were motorways invented?

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

 

Copyrights:

Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Motorway (typeface)" Read more