Road designation or abbreviation
A road designation or a road name abbreviation are easy ways to refer to a road.
The road designation can be created from the original road name or made accordingly to the road type and number. Roads designations are used especially to have a non-ambiguous system of labelling roads on maps or on road signs.
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Contents
- 1 Use of letters
- 2 Road systems
- 3 Existing road systems
- 3.1 International systems
- 3.2 National systems
- 3.2.1 Australian M, A, B, C, D system
- 3.2.2 British M, A, B, C, D, U system
- 3.2.3 Cyprus A, B, E, F system
- 3.2.4 French A, N, D system
- 3.2.5 German A, B system
- 3.2.6 Jamaica A, B system
- 3.2.7 Senegal N, R system
- 3.2.8 Slovak D, R system
- 3.2.9 South African N, R, M system
- 4 See also
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Use of letters
The use of letters allow to create a distinct designation from the road name or the road number. The way this letter is attached to its roadnumber is dependant on the country where the road lies in. For instance, among A1 motorways, the one in Spain has a minus sign between the A and the 1 (Autovia A-1) while in Germany the Autobahn 1 is written A 1, with a space between the A and the 1. In Argentina there is a number of zeros between the A and the 1 (Autopista A001).
Single-letter shortenings
- "A" may mean "motorway" in a number of countries (ex. "autoroute" in French)
- "B"
- "C" may mean county in the US
- "D" may mean "départementale" in France or "Diaľnica" in Slovakia
- "E" may mean "European" road or "Expressways" in Zimbabwe
- "F"
- "G"
- "H" may mean "Hawaiian Interstate" in the US
- "I" may mean "Interstate" in the US
- "J"
- "K" may be used for a state highway in Kansas in the US
- "L"
- "M" used for motorways in the United Kingdom, metropolitan routes in South Africa, municipal roads in Portugal and also used for state highways ubn Michigan in the US
- "N" may mean "national" road
- "O"
- "P"
- "Q"
- "R" may mean "regional" route in South Africa and Portugal or "ring" road or "Rýchlostná cesta" in Slovakia
- "S"
- "T" T roads in Malaysia are roads in Terrengganu
- "U" may mean "unclassified" road; also used in Utah routes in the US
- "V"
- "W"
- "X"
- "Y"
- "Z"
Multiple-letter shortenings
- BAB: Bundesautobahn in Germany
- CH/CR: County Highway, Route or Road in the US or Canada among other countries
- SH/SR: State Highway, Route or Road in New Zealand or the US
- TH/TR: Township Highway, Route or Road in the US
- US: United States Numbered Highway
Road systems
Depending on the country, the letter attributed to a road may be part of a road grading system, be a shortening for a type of road especially in a foreign language or refer to a geographical zoning system, such as the Appalachian Development Highway System or the county highway systems of California, Iowa, and Michigan in the United States.
Existing road systems
International systems
- AH roads in the Asian Highway Network
- E roads in the International E-road network in Europe
National systems
Australian M, A, B, C, D system
M is for primary roads, A for single carriageway interstates, B for secondary highways, C for roads linking small settlements and D for unsealed roads linking very small remote towns.
British M, A, B, C, D, U system
M stands for "motorway" while A, B, C, D are grades of roads, and U means "unclassified".
Cyprus A, B, E, F system
A stands for motorway and B is for main roads. E and F are for smaller local roads.
French A, N, D system
A stands for "autoroute" (motorway), N for "national road", D for "départementale" road and C for "communale".
German A, B system
A stands for "Autobahn" (motorway), B for "Bundesstrasse" (federal road).
Jamaica A, B system
Senegal N, R system
N stands for "national" roads while R is for "regional" roads.
Slovak D, R system
D stands for "diaľnica" (motorways) while R is for "rýchlostná cesta" (expressways).
South African N, R, M system
N stands for national road, R stands for regional road and M stands for metropolitan road.
See also