Road humps sign: what it means
The road humps sign warns of a road hump, or a series of humps, ahead. They are there to slow traffic down.
What does the road humps sign mean?
Know your traffic signs (traffic calming) explains that road humps may have a flat or round top and may cover the whole road or only part of a lane, as a “cushion”. A plate can show how far the humps go on.
Quick quiz
What does the sign at the top of this page mean?
- A 20 mph limit with traffic calming ahead.
- Road humps ahead.
- A humped bridge ahead.
Show answer
B. Road humps ahead. A road hump or a series of road humps ahead (Know your traffic signs). Source: Know your traffic signs: warning signs, GOV.UK; Know your traffic signs: traffic calming, GOV.UK; The Highway Code, rule 153, GOV.UK; Traffic sign images, Department for Transport, GOV.UK
Where will you see it?
In residential streets, near schools and in 20 mph zones. Inside a 20 mph zone the humps may not be signed one by one.
What should you do?
Slow down before each hump and keep your speed down along the whole stretch. Allow cyclists and motorcyclists room to pass through, and do not overtake moving road users in the area (rule 153).
What do people get wrong?
Speeding up between humps. Rule 153 says to keep a reduced speed along the whole stretch of traffic calming.
Common questions
How fast should I go over road humps?
Slowly. The Highway Code says to reduce your speed when you approach traffic-calming features and keep it low along the whole stretch (rule 153).
Why are some humps only in part of the lane?
These are cushions, designed so buses and large emergency vehicles can straddle them while other vehicles slow down (Know your traffic signs).
Compare with
Want to test someone else? Play a road-sign quiz with friends and family.
Sources
Checked on 3 November 2026 against Know your traffic signs (warning signs; traffic calming) and The Highway Code rule 153.
- Know your traffic signs: warning signs, GOV.UK
- Know your traffic signs: traffic calming, GOV.UK
- The Highway Code, rule 153, GOV.UK
- 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.