No Pedestrians Sign: Meaning and What to Do
The white rectangle reading NO PEDESTRIANS prohibits walking on the road ahead. It is posted at freeway and expressway entrances, on bridges and in tunnels without walkways, and anywhere else a person on foot would be in fast traffic with no refuge.
No Pedestrians Sign
The rule protects the pedestrian first, but it also protects drivers, who are not expecting a person on a freeway shoulder at highway speed. A related symbol version shows a walking figure inside the red circle and slash.
What to do when you see the no pedestrians sign
As a driver, the sign tells you that people should not be on the road ahead, which is a reason to be alarmed rather than relaxed if you see one: a pedestrian on a freeway usually means a breakdown, a crash, or someone in trouble. Slow, give room, and be ready to stop. If your own vehicle fails on such a road, stay with it and call for help rather than walking.
The signs it is confused with
Tests contrast it with the yellow Pedestrian Crossing warning, which tells you to expect people, and with the Pedestrian Crosswalk regulatory sign, which marks a place they are allowed to cross. NO in black on white is the prohibition.
Signs are one topic of ten on every test
Every state practice test covers signs, signals, and markings among its ten topics, with every answer explained. Pick your state and see how its exam asks about signs like this one; it is free, with no sign-up.
Choose your stateQuestions about the no pedestrians sign
What does the no pedestrians sign mean?
Walking is prohibited on the road ahead, usually a freeway, expressway, bridge, or tunnel with no safe place for a person on foot.
Where are these signs usually posted?
At freeway on-ramps, often with No Bicycles and No Motor-Driven Cycles on the same sign, and at bridges and tunnels that have no walkway.
What should I do if my car breaks down on a freeway?
Get as far off the roadway as you can, turn on hazard lights, and stay with the vehicle or well away from traffic while you call for help. Walking along the freeway is what the sign forbids.
How is this different from the pedestrian crossing sign?
The yellow diamond with a walking figure warns drivers that people cross ahead. The white NO PEDESTRIANS rectangle tells people they may not be there at all.
How does this sign appear on the written test?
As a recognition question and as a freeway-rules question about who may use a limited-access highway.