Lane ends ahead sign: what it means

Lane ends ahead sign: a white square with a black border, two black arrows going straight up and a third arrow on the right bending left where its lane ends
Image: Crown copyright, OGL

This sign shows which lane ends ahead. In this version the right-hand lane ends, so get into a lane that continues in good time. Merge in turn only when it is safe and traffic is very slow.

Take the free road signs quiz

What does the lane ends ahead sign mean?

Know your traffic signs says these signs show the loss of the right-hand lane on a dual carriageway or one-way street; they may be reversed for the left-hand lane, and the number of ahead lanes varies.

Rule 134 says merging in turn is recommended when traffic is moving at a very low speed, but not at high speed.

Quick quiz

What does the sign at the top of this page mean?

  1. A dual carriageway starts ahead.
  2. One lane ends ahead; the lanes reduce.
  3. The road gets narrower on one side ahead.

Show answer

B. One lane ends ahead; the lanes reduce. It shows a lane ending ahead, here the right-hand one (Know your traffic signs). Source: Know your traffic signs: information signs, GOV.UK; The Highway Code, rule 134, GOV.UK; Traffic sign images, Department for Transport, GOV.UK

Where will you see it?

On dual carriageways and one-way streets before the road loses a lane.

What should you do?

Get into a lane that continues in good time. In slow queues, merge in turn.

What do people get wrong?

Racing to the end of the closing lane and forcing your way in.

Common questions

Should I merge early or late?

Rule 134 says follow the signs, and in very slow traffic merging in turn is recommended, but not at high speed.

Which lane is ending?

The arrow that bends shows the lane that ends.

Compare with

Want to test someone else? Play a road-sign quiz with friends and family.

Sources

Checked on 4 November 2026 against Know your traffic signs (information signs) and The Highway Code rule 134.

  1. Know your traffic signs: information signs, GOV.UK
  2. The Highway Code, rule 134, GOV.UK
  3. Traffic sign images, Department for Transport, GOV.UK

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Traffic sign images are Crown copyright, from the Department for Transport. Sources and image credits.

This text was written with AI help, checked against GOV.UK and approved by Fri Vei AS. Last updated .

Last checked against the sources: · Report a mistake