Road signs in Belarus are regulated by the road sign standard STB 1140-2013.[1] Due to the country being a former Soviet Socialist Republic between 1920 and 1991, road signs are similar in design to those used in the Soviet Union before its dissolution in 1991, as well as in most other post-Soviet states, especially neighboring Russia, Ukraine, and Lithuania. Like Russia and Ukraine, Belarus is a signatory to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic and the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals.[2] Belarus signed the Vienna Convention on 8 November 1968 and ratified it on 18 June 1974, when the country was a Soviet Socialist Republic.[3] The Soviet Union itself was once a signatory to the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals.[4]

Pedestrian crossing sign in Minsk.

Design

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Although road signs in Belarus are visually similar in design to modern road signs used in neighboring Russia and the STB 1140-2013 standard serves a similar role to the Russian standard GOST R 52290-2004, the Belarusian standard has developed independently and has many differences from its Russian counterpart.

Inscriptions on road signs are written in Belarusian or Russian, including the names of settlements, most often in Belarusian. The use of the Belarusian language on road signs in Belarus is more preferable according to the Belarusian standard. Despite this, in 2015 there was a case where road signs in Russian instead of Belarusian were installed in Mogilev.[5] The official typeface of Belarusian road signs is based on the Soviet standard GOST 10807-78. However, Arial may also be seen on Belarusian road signs instead.

Graphic differences from Russian signs

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  • Signs with route numbers can be on a blue, green, red and white background (signs on a white background have a route number written in red, and arrows in red), while in Russia the background on route signs is only blue and green. Like most European countries, Belarus uses the European route signs on a green background, while Russia also uses a green background for motorway numbers, in particular the M11 Neva motorway between Moscow and St. Petersburg.
  • The word STOP on the "stop line" sign is written in Latin script but not СТОП in Cyrillic as in Russia, despite the fact that the Cyrillic script is used in Belarus' official languages.
  • Unlike Russia, the "direction of lanes sign" indicates the direction of movement for only two or three lanes. Since roads can have 4 or more lanes, two signs are installed to the right and left of the carriageway.
  • First aid and hospital signs use a green cross instead of a red one, unlike most other post-Soviet states and European countries.[6]

Warning signs

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Priority signs

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Prohibitory signs

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Mandatory signs

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Information signs

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Service signs

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Additional plates

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See also

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References

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