Safety should always come first when it comes to roadwork and traffic management, and proper road construction signage is a big part of the equation. Well-chosen signage helps drivers understand what’s going on and tells them how to proceed. It helps safeguard your work team and protect the integrity of your work site, as well.


Understanding the importance of safety signs and choosing the right signage for a particular job are two different matters. Roll-up signs provide road teams with an effective, user-friendly way to put safety front and center.

 

But what are roll-up signs, and how do they compare to the alternatives? Who should use them, and when should they be used? In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know, including the answers to these questions and more.


What are roll-up signs?

Also sometimes called folding road signs, roll-up signs are a form of portable safety signage that can be rolled or folded when in transit or not in use. This helps save valuable space and protect the signage during transportation, storage, or any other time it’s not needed.


What are roll-up signs made of?

Foldable road signs can be made of a variety of different materials, all known for their durability and convenience. These include (but may not be limited to) fiberglass, vinyl, PVC, or polycarbonate. Some roll-up road signage may come with overlay accessories made of similar materials.


Stands designed to support and display roll-up signs are usually made of steel, aluminum, and similar materials to help resist warping, bending, weather damage, and similar factors.


How do roll-up signs work?

Roll-up signs are designed with maximum convenience, versatility, and user-friendliness in mind. To deploy them, you simply unroll the sign and attach it to the stand of your choice (compact spring-less and compact single spring stands are both popular options).


Once it’s fully assembled, place the sign where it will be most visible and helpful. If desired, apply cross-bracing ribs to improve visibility, stability, or both.  

roll-up sign being used in roadside workroll-up sign being used in roadside work

What are the advantages of using roll-up signs?

Although all types of road signage have their perks, roll-up signs bring quite a few unique advantages to the table. Here are a few to consider when choosing the best signs for your needs:

  • Compact: When space is at a premium, the ability to simply roll and fold necessary signage comes in handy. For example, you can maximize even limited storage or transportation space.

  • Lightweight: Roll-up signs are as lightweight and portable as they are compact, making it easy to move them as needed or transport them from place to place.

  • Durable: Roll-up signs may be light, portable, and convenient. But they’re still made from some of the toughest materials out there. They’re certainly capable of withstanding the elements and just about anything else a roadwork situation can throw at them. They’re also UV-resistant and fade-resistant, so they’ll look like new for years.

  • User-friendly: Roll-up signs are a snap to deploy and disassemble, making them a terrific fit for a wide range of job sites and uses.

  • Easy to maintain: Keeping your signs looking just like new is simple and easy. Simply wipe and clean your signs periodically to keep them in good condition.

  • Customizable: Naturally, your signage needs will vary from one job to another. Convenient options like overlays simplify the process of keeping your warnings clear and up to date.
roll-up signs with overlaysroll-up signs with overlays

Road Work Safety Signage: What Every Project Manager Needs to Know

Permanent road signs help control traffic and maintain safe conditions for drivers and pedestrians alike. Safety-related temporary signs warn drivers and other road users of potential issues, like road work and various common hazards.


Collectively, these signs help ensure highways, roads, and streets of all types are safe places to be.


All are associated with universally-recognized colors and shapes to help convey their meaning at a glance. Common colors include the following:

  • Red: Red signs, including stop signs, warn drivers of situations where they’ll need to stop, yield, or abstain from a particular action (e.g., turning or parking).

  • Green: Green signs generally signify directions, as with exit signs and mile markers.

  • Yellow: Yellow signs usually signify emerging conditions or situations that could be hazardous and call for caution (e.g., merger points, dead ends, or pedestrian crossings).

  • Orange: Temporary signage is typically orange. This type of signage is routinely used to signify road work, maintenance warnings, and other temporary traffic-related conditions.

What to consider when choosing safety signs

Signs used to temporarily control traffic for safety reasons need to adhere to strict regulations. For example, they must be standardized, easy to understand, and universally recognizable to drivers and other passersby.

 

It’s also crucial to ensure signs are large enough and strategically placed to ensure their visibility. Here are some more things to keep in mind when choosing and placing temporary road signage.

Average traffic speed

How fast will traffic be moving through the area in need of signage? It’s an important determining factor in how large your signs should be:

  • Over 35 mph: On high-speed roadways, make your signs large – around 48 x 48 inches. Lettering should be easy to read at a distance – preferably uppercase letters 7 inches high.

  • 25-35 mph: On roads with moderate traffic moving at moderate speeds, go for 36 x 36 inches and uppercase lettering 5 inches high.

  • Below 25 mph: On low-speed, low-traffic roads, 30 x 30 inches is a fine size for a sign. Keep messages short, easy to read at a glance, and clear. 
multiple roll-up signsmultiple roll-up signs

Visibility of signage

Where you place your sign is just as important as the size and type of signage you choose. Here are some placement pointers to keep in mind:

  • Place warning signs in a way that drivers will see them well before they reach the hazard zone.

  • Place signage on the right-hand side of the road or both sides in situations that call for extra emphasis.

  • If using portable supports for your signs, be sure to place them in the road itself. Never place them in bike lanes or pedestrian lanes.

  • When appropriate, you can mount signage on or just above barricades.

When Are Custom Safety Signs a Good Option?

Roll-up signs aren’t just convenient ways to keep people safe and comply with all necessary regulations. They can be customized to suit just about any purpose you like.


Stick-on overlays are one way to do this, and at 95 Traffic Safet Supply we provide our customers with dozens of different options.


Easily update your signage to convey details like direction, distance, mileage, and more. Overlays attach via strong, user-friendly, end-to-end Velcro to make applying and removing them a snap.


And if you need a specific sign and we don’t have it, we’ll happily make it for you in our custom sign shop. Custom signage is a great way to make sure drivers and pedestrians know exactly what they need to know to stay safe when encountering road work.


Ready to explore the possibilities roll-up signs bring to the table firsthand? Check out 95 Traffic Supply’s extensive selection of weatherproof, portable roll-up signs today!