What does the two-way traffic sign mean?

This sign is posted on a road you have just turned onto. What does it tell you?

The road carries traffic in both directions, so oncoming vehicles are ahead

The sign goes up where drivers might still assume they have the road to themselves, such as after a one-way street or at the end of a divided section. From here the left side of the road belongs to somebody else.

You have been driving along a one way street and this sign appears. What changes?

Traffic will now come toward you, so you must keep to the right

On a one way street you may sit in any lane, and drivers get comfortable running close to the left. This sign says oncoming traffic starts here, so you take the right hand side and stay clear of the centre of the road.

This sign appears as you leave a stretch of one way road. What must change about your lane use?

Stay in the right hand lane except when passing or turning left

On a one way street every lane goes your way, so drivers get comfortable using any of them. Once traffic runs both ways, the left side belongs to somebody else, and the only reasons to be near it are passing or setting up a left turn. Get right early, because the changeover is where head on meetings happen.

This sign appears as you come off a one-way section of a city street. What is it warning you about?

Traffic ahead comes toward you as well as with you, so keep right and expect oncoming vehicles

Leaving a one-way street is the moment drivers forget which half of the road is theirs, especially at night or when they have just turned in from a side street. The sign tells you the far side of the road now belongs to somebody coming the other way. Settle into the right hand lane before the change rather than after it.

You leave a one-way street and this sign faces you on the road you have joined. What is the first thing to correct?

Your lane position, since the left side now belongs to oncoming traffic

Coming off a one-way road is exactly where drivers stay left out of habit and meet a vehicle head-on. Treat the sign as the cue to settle into the right-hand lane before you think about anything else.

This sign is posted on a rural road you are driving after dark. What habit does it call for?

Dip your high beams for oncoming vehicles and hold your position right of the centre line

Two way traffic means headlights will be coming straight at you, and high beams left on blind the other driver for several seconds at the worst possible moment. Look toward the right edge of your own lane rather than at the approaching lights, so your eyes keep some of their night vision.