Legal basis

The Swiss road signs are defined in the Road Signs Act, which is based on several laws and ordinances. Liechtenstein largely follows the legislation of Switzerland.

The major laws are:

Language

Each canton is responsible for management and placement of its road signs and complementary panels and uses one of the four official languages of Switzerland accordingly.

Metrics

Distances and other measurements are displayed in metric units.

Categorization and design

Category	Shape	No.	Character	(Major) colour of			Example(s)
				border	background	content
Warning	triangular	1.01–1.32	Conducting	red	white	black
Regulatory	circular	2.01–2.20	Prohibitive	red	white	black
		2.30–2.65	Commanding	white (thin) red	blue white	white black
Priority	various	3.01–3.25		various
Indication	rectangular	4.01–4.25	Conducting	white (thin)	blue	white & black
		Routing 4.27–4.77.2	minor route minor road	black (thin)	white	black
			particular purpose
			main route main road	white (thin)	blue	white
			motor-/expressway 4.60–4.73	white (thin)	green	white
			detour route	black (thin)	orange	black
			commercial direction	black (thin)	grey	black
			bicycle route, mountain bike route, vehicle-like transport means route	white (thin)	falu red	white
		4.79–4.95	Informational	white (thin)	blue	white
Complementary Panels	rectangular	5.01–5.58	Compulsory	black (thin)	white	black
Road Markings	various	6.01–6.31		none	-	white yellow blue red
Traffic Lights	circle cross arrows	-	Commanding	white	black	red yellow green
Police Instruction Signs	-	-		-	-	-

Starting 2003, the font ASTRA-Frutiger is replacing the previous SNV, which is still used in several European countries.^[7][8]

Warning signs

• 
  1.01 Bend to right
• 
  1.02 Bend to left
• 
  1.03 Double bend, first to right
• 
  1.04 Double bend, first to left
• 
  1.05 Slippery road (e.g. black ice; panel 5.13 can be added, if there is black ice or slippery snow on road)
• 
  1.06 Uneven road
• 
  1.07 Road narrows on both sides (panel 5.15 can be added to indicate the width of the lane/road)
• 
  1.08 Road narrows on right
• 
  1.09 Road narrows on left
• 
  1.10 Steep gradient downwards
• 
  1.11 Steep gradient upwards
• 
  1.12 Loose chippings
• 
  1.13a Danger of falling rocks from the right
• 
  1.13b Danger of falling rocks from the left
• 
  1.14 Road works
• 
  1.15 Level crossing with barrier or gate (panel 5.12 can be added, if regulated by turn signals)
• 
  1.16 Railway level crossing without gate or barrier (traffic user is responsible to check optional approaches of trains!; panel 5.12 can be added, if regulated by turn signals)
• 
  1.17 (deprecated) Countdown (3–2–1) of level crossing ahead
• 
  1.18 Tramway (Switzerland only); or as found in Chur, warning of street-running trains
• 
  1.22 Pedestrian crossing ahead (below 200 m ahead; only on non-urban roads in case of bad visibility; often panel 5.01 is added)
• 
  1.23 Presence of children (usually near schools and playing grounds or equals, slow down!)
• 
  1.24 Wild animals crossing
• 
  1.25 Animals on road (e.g. cattle)
• 
  1.25 Animals on road (e.g. horses)
• 
  1.26 Oncoming traffic
• 
  1.27 Traffic lights
• 
  1.28 (deprecated) Low-flying aircraft
• 
  1.29 (deprecated) Possible side winds
• 
  1.30 Other danger (additional information will be added below the sign, e.g. panel 5.16)
• 
  1.31 Congestion
• 
  1.32 Bicycle traffic/crossing

Regulatory signs

Priority signs

• 
  3.01 Stop (mandatory stop and give way required; only applicable, if junction/crossing is not controlled by working traffic lights; panels 5.01 and/or 5.09 can be added; see also 6.10–6.17 and 6.26)
• 
  3.02 No priority/give way (only applicable, if junction/crossing is not controlled by working traffic lights; panels 5.01 and/or 5.09 can be added; see also 6.12–6.17)
• 
  3.03 Principal road with priority (Priority to the right rule does not apply; ends with 3.04; panel 5.09 can be added; see also see also 6.12–6.17)
• 
  3.04 End of principal road (the Priority to the right rule applies again; see also 6.12–6.17)
• 
  3.05 Crossing with a road without priority ahead (indicates priority on non-principal roads only; see also 6.12–6.17)
• 
  3.06 Crossroad with Priority to the right rule (only produced where situation could be unclear)
• 
  3.07 (deprecated) Priority over junction from right (see also 6.12–6.17)
• 
  3.08 (deprecated) Priority over junction from left (see also 6.12–6.17)
• 
  3.09 Give way to oncoming traffic (not applicable to narrow vehicles, such as bicycles, mopeds, single motorbikes, if there is enough space to cross)
• 
  3.10 Priority over oncoming traffic
• 
  3.20 Level crossing with double flashing lights
• 
  3.21 Level crossing with single flashing light
• 
  3.22 Level crossing location (indicating priority of trains!)
• 
  3.24 Level crossing location (indicating priority of trains!)
• 
  3.23 (deprecated) Multiple track level crossing location (indicating priority of trains!)
• 
  3.25 (deprecated) Multiple track level crossing location (indicating priority of trains!)

Indication signs

Complementary panels

General remarks:

• All signs and complementary panels can be combined with complementary panels for particular kinds of transport means.
• If accompanied with the words ausgenommen / Excepté / eccettuato (excluding) or gestattet / Autorisé / permesso (permitted), it means that the indicated kind of transport means are excluded from the regulation of the main sign.
• The sign bicycles (5.31) also includes mopeds with a designed maximal speed of 20km/h.

• Generally applicable complementary panels
• 
  5.01 Distance (to which the meaning of a sign applies)
• 
  5.02 Distance and direction
• 
  5.03 Range of validity (the range for which a danger, regulation, restriction, or an indication is valid)
• 
  5.04 Repetition (of an already valid regulation, restriction, or an indication; continues before and after the sign)
• 
  5.05 Start panel (indicates the start of a regulation for static traffic)
• 
  5.06 End panel (indicates the end of a regulation for static traffic)
• 
  5.07 Direction indicator (in order to clarify for which area a regulation is applied to; particularly applied to 2.60, 2.61, 2.62, if such a path must be used on the other side of the road; particularly applied to 2.50 and 4.17 in order to clarify the area at which parking is prohibited, or allowed, respectively)
• 
  5.08 dangerous curve are finding danger bend of chevrons add to 1.43 1.66 2.88 3.00
• 
  5.09 dangerous curve are finding danger bend of chevrons 1.67 1.76 1.99
• 
  5.09 The danger bend of barriers with square and rectangle Narrows be careful about makers 1.88 1.30 1.90 and 6.90

• Complementary panels for certain signs
• 
  5.09 Indication of the routing of a principal road (aka a road with priority; combined with 3.01, 3.02, 3.03; here: principal road turns right with two minor roads, one from left and one from straight ahead; see also 6.16.2 and 6.16.3)
• 
  5.10 Indicates exceptions of prohibition of stopping (combined with 2.49)
• 
  5.11 Indicates exceptions of prohibition of parking (combined with 2.50)
• 
  5.12 Turn signal (CH only; combined with 1.15 or 1.16)
• 
  5.12.1 Lichtsignal bei Bahnübergang (Liechtenstein only)
• 
  5.13 Black ice on road (or slippery snow on road; combined with 1.05 in case of a such road condition)
• 
  5.14 Handicapped people (combined with 4.17 it designates exclusive parking spaces for handicapped people; corresponding parking card Parkkarte für behinderte Personen / Carte de stationnement pour personnes handicapées / Contrassegno di parcheggio per persone disabili must be produced clearly visible behind windshield)
• 
  5.15 Width of lane/road (combined with 1.07)
• 
  5.16 Shooting noise (CH only; combined with 1.30)
• 
  5.17 Distance to second next petrol/gas station (CH only; often combined with 4.84)

• Kinds of transport means
• 
  5.20 Light motor cars
• 
  5.21 Heavy motor cars
• 
  5.22 Large goods vehicles (lorries; total weight is larger than 3.5 t)
• 
  5.23 Lorries with trailer
• 
  5.24 Articulated lorries
• 
  5.25 Bus
• 
  5.26 Trailer
• 
  5.27 Caravan/Living trailer
• 
  5.28 Mobile motor home
• 
  5.29 Motor bikes
• 
  5.30 Mopeds
• 
  5.31 Bicycle (this panel combined with the term gestattet / Autorisé / permesso (permitted) and added below the sign 2.61 often used for heavily used school routes)
• 
  5.32 Mountain bikes
• 
  5.33 Bicycle pushing
• 
  5.34 Pedestrians
• 
  5.35 Trams or streetways
• 
  5.36 Tractors
• 
  5.37 Tanks
• 
  5.38 Groomers
• 
  5.39 Cross-country skiing
• 
  5.40 Skiing
• 
  5.41 Sledging
• 
  5.50 Airplanes/Airfield
• 
  5.51 Car transfer on train (CH only)
• 
  5.52 Car transfer on ferry (CH only)

• Special panels
• 
  5.53 Industrial and commercial area
• 
  5.54 Customs declaration only with Sichtdeklaration / dédouanement à vue / dichiarazione a vista (combined with 2.01 on lanes: only for vehicles of this type)
• 
  5.55 S-Traffic (combined with the term ausgenommen / Excepté / eccettuato (excluding) and below the sign 2.07 indicates an exception for vehicles with corresponding signs attached to them)
• 
  5.56 Hospital with emergency station (emergency station open 24 hours)
• 
  5.57 Emergency phone (can be combined with 4.16)
• 
  5.58 Fire extinguisher (can be combined with 4.16)

Road markings

• Markings
• 
  6.01 Security strip (white, solid)
  
  Designates centre of carriageway or border of lanes; crossing, traversing, or passing over it by vehicles is strictly prohibited
• 
  6.02 Double security strip (white, solid) & 6.03 Directing strip (white, broken)
  
  6.02 separates driving directions on roads with 3 or more lanes (or expressways); crossing, traversing, or passing over it by vehicles is strictly prohibited
  6.03 designates either centre of carriageway on two-lane roads, or separates lanes; crossing, traversing, passing over for overtaking is allowed; any change of lanes or overtaking manoeuvres (start and end) must always be indicated by flashing turn indicators!
• 
  6.04 Double strip (combination of a security strip and a directing strip on either side of the security strip)
  
  Designates the allowance to cross, pass, or traverse it, or to start an overtaking manoeuvre only from the side with the directing strip; always indicate such intentions by flashing turn indicators!
• 
  6.05 Advance warning strip (white, closely broken)
  
  Announces either security or double strips; overtaking manoeuvres must be finished
• 
  6.06 Pre-selecting arrows (white)
  
  Indicates lanes for directions; the chosen direction is compulsory (correspond with 2.31–2.36, see also 4.43)!
  Yellow arrows indicate directions for public transport only and their directions can be different
• 
  6.07 Pull arrows (white, arranged obliquely)
  
  Orders to leave the lane into the indicated direction
• 
  6.08 Bus lane (yellow, solid or broken strips; yellow word BUS)
  
  Indicates exclusive lanes for public transport only (see also 2.64); exceptions must be indicated; may be crossed, if the yellow strip is a broken line;
• 
  6.10 Stop line (white, wide, solid) & 6.11 STOP (white word, optional) & 6.12 Longitudinal strip (white, solid, optional)
  
  Is always combined with stop sign (3.01), and can be combined with traffic lights, level crossing (3.20–3.25), and on lanes for turn off traffic; traffic user must halt in front of the stop line and give way; irrelevant while traffic lights are green; stop lines are yellow, if exclusively addressed to bicycles and mopeds (e.g. on bicycle paths and lanes; see also 6.26)
• 
  6.13 Waiting line (white, small triangles in a row with spikes towards the arriving vehicle) & 6.14 Announcement of waiting line (white, large triangle, optional) & 6.12 Longitudinal strip (white, solid, optional)
  
  Must give way; is always printed on roads at entries to motorways and expressways, and is usually announced by 6.14 on main roads and important minor roads; always accompanied by 3.02, and can be combined with traffic lights; irrelevant while traffic lights are working (not flashing or turned off); waiting lines are yellow, if exclusively addressed to bicycles and mopeds (e.g. on bicycle paths and lanes)
• 
  6.15 Border strip (white, solid) & 6.16 Guidestrip (white, broken)
  
  6.15 designates a carriageway's border;
  6.16 optically guides the traffic
• 
  6.16.1 Guidestrips (example 1) continue stop or waiting lines
  
  ... and separates the side road from the main road;
  Guidestrips do not appear on side roads with valid Priority to the right rule (see also 3.06)
• 
  6.16.2 Guidestrips (example 2) indicate the course of the principal road
  
  ... in cases of a principal road's turn with adjoining roads
• 
  6.16.3 Guidestrips (example 3) can be replaced by stop or waiting lines
  
  And (example 4), they also separate the carriageway from traffic zones of minor importance
• 
  6.17 Pedestrian crossing (longitudinal, wide, yellow; on cobble stones if need be white) & 6.18 Prohibition of stopping strip
  
  6.17 Traffic users approaching pedestrian crossings must always give way to pedestrians and safely stop, anywhere, if not orchestrated by working traffic lights (not flashing, or not turned off; see also 4.11);
  6.18 It is prohibited to voluntarily stop next to 6.18 and on the sideway next to it; do not halt on pedestrian crossings, even not during rush hours (heavily fined!)
• 
  6.19 Pedestrian area (yellow, two longitudinal strips on each side connected by bias bindings)
  
  Exclusive area on roads for pedestrians
• 
  6.20 Restricted area (white, shaded and framed)
  
  optically guide traffic; strictly prohibited to be crossed, transferred, or driven over
• 
  6.21 Zigzag bands (yellow)
  
  Designates public bus stop area; prohibited to park; can be used for getting in and out of people, but only if public traffic is not obstructed at all
• 
  6.22 Prohibition of parking strip (yellow, longitudinal strip broken with diagonal crosses)
• 
  6.23 Prohibition of parking area (yellow, framed, diagonally crossed, optional labelled with word TAXI or car license plate number)
  
  Exclusive parking for designated traffic users; if labelled, it can be used for boarding, but only if valid traffic user is not obstructed at all
• 
  Parking (usually framed by white, blue, red, or yellow solid strips)
  
  Parking fields can be signposted (see 4.17–4.21) and / or framed by white (for free, if not signposted with 4.20; or 4.18), blue, or red solid strips (sometimes only indicated by partial markings); blue markings indicate Blue Zone parking spaces with parking disc/card (see #Blue Zone parking disc); red markings indicate Red Zone parking spaces (only existing in a few cantons); yellow parking spaces are reserved for private or special purposes (prohibited to be used by public);
  In areas with parking markings, it is prohibited to park anywhere else; only use parking markings of appropriate size for bicycles/mopeds, motorbikes, cars, buses (indicated by word CAR), or lorries!
  Blue Zones can be indicated by a thick white-blue crossline at the start and by thick blue-white crossline at the end of the zone
• 
  6.25 Prohibition of stopping strip (yellow, longitudinal solid strip with endings)
  
  Voluntarily stopping is prohibited next to this area
• 
  6.26 Extended bicycle lane (waiting area placed in front of stop line with an additional yellow stop line and a bicycle icon in front of the white stop line)
  
  During red traffic light bicycles and mopeds are allowed to wait in front of first motor vehicle and next to each other, motor vehicles must stop in front of the white stop line; when traffic light becomes green, motor vehicles must be patient and give way to bicycles and mopeds starting in front of them in order to let them cross the crossroad first!
• 
  6.30 Guide post, right
  
  ... on roads with oncoming traffic on the right side; also on the left side of the carriageway on roads with, either separated directions, or without oncoming traffic.
• 
  6.31 Guide post, left
  
  ... on roads with oncoming traffic on the left side.

Traffic lights

General Remarks:

• Working traffic light signals (not turned off or not flashing yellow) precede the priority signs, the road markings, and the general road rules.
• A yellow flashing traffic light warns of special caution, and the general road rules, priority signs, and road markings have to be applied and followed (in particular stop signs (see 3.01) or give way signs (see 3.02) and all other priority signs, or direction indications (e.g. see 2.32–2.43, 2.46, 6.06, 6.10, 6.13), and others)!
• White traffic lights are addressed to public transport only.

Police instruction signs

Blue Zone parking disc

When parking in a Blue Zone you should set and display a blue parking disc with the time of arrival according to the Blue Zone Rules. Parking in a blue zone space is limited to 1 hour unless otherwise indicated. When parking, make sure the whole vehicle, including bumpers, are within the marked parking space.

Blue disks are available in various places, such as the police station, hotels, tourist offices, newsstands, the local Gemeinde/Town hall, garages and gas stations.

Blue Zone Parking Rules

From Monday to Saturday:

Between 8:00-11:30 and 13:30-18:00 set the disc to the exact time or the next half-hour mark if the exact time is not printed on the disc. Parking is allowed for 1 hour from set time.

Between 11:00-13:30 set the disc to the exact time or the next half-hour mark if the exact time is not printed on the disc. Parking is allowed until 14:30.

Between 18:00-19:00 set the disc to the exact time or the next half-hour mark if the exact time is not printed on the disc. Parking is allowed until 09:00 the next morning.

Between 19:00-07:59 blue disc is not needed if you leave by 08:00.

From Saturday 18:00 until Monday 09:00 blue-zone parking is free. No need to set blue disc.

For Blue Zones marked with a 4 digit area code and you do not have the corresponding parking permit just follow regular Blue Zone parking rules. If you have a valid parking permit for the specific area code, parking is unlimited in these zones.