SG Singapore Driver
Knowledge base Signs 3 min read

Traffic signs for tunnels

Official handbook guidance and prescribed Traffic Signs Rules meanings for tunnel signs and lane-use signals.

tunnel traffic-signs lane-use

Primary source: https://www.police.gov.sg/-/media/SPF/Knowledge-Hub/Traffic/BT-ENG-24126.pdf

The Traffic Police handbook says that traffic using a tunnel should heed and obey the tunnel signs. The tunnel-sign set includes a tunnel-ahead sign, a sign prohibiting vehicles carrying dangerous goods, and a sign directing motorists to switch on headlights and turn on the radio (SPF, Basic Theory of Driving).

The current Traffic Signs Rules prescribe diagram 83 as a warning sign indicating that the stretch of road ahead runs through a tunnel. Diagram 83A is a supplementary sign used with diagram 83 to indicate the presence of a tunnel ahead (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Rules, Schedule, diagrams 83 and 83A).

Tunnel lane-use signals in the handbook mean:

  • a green arrow: the lane is open for use;
  • a flashing amber cross: possible obstruction ahead although the lane is open; slow down and be prepared to change lane; and
  • a red cross: the lane is closed to traffic (SPF, Basic Theory of Driving).

LTA’s current tunnel-safety guidance describes the flashing amber cross as “Lane closure ahead” and tells drivers to get ready to change lanes. The handbook describes a possible obstruction while the lane remains open, and adds that drivers must slow down. Follow the live lane-use signs and traffic-message signs (LTA, Road Tunnel Operations & Safety).

OneMotoring gives the same practical instruction for tunnel emergencies: avoid a lane displaying a red X, use a lane marked by a green arrow, and do not proceed if all lanes display a red X. If evacuation is instructed and the vehicle cannot continue, turn off the engine, leave the vehicle, and walk to the nearest emergency exit; do not reverse (LTA OneMotoring, Driving on Expressways & in Tunnels).

Coverage debt

  • The handbook also illustrates the dangerous-goods prohibition and the headlights/radio instruction signs. This article does not map every tunnel sign or signal to a statutory diagram.

Sources