A regulatory sign on its own applies to everyone, all the time. A selective restriction plate mounted underneath it narrows that down. The plate never changes what the sign means — only when, who or how far.
The three kinds of plate
- Time plates show hours (
06:00–09:00), days (WEEK,SAT,SUN) or a period (30 min). The sign above applies only during those times. A plate with two time bands means both apply (typically morning and afternoon peaks). - Class plates show a vehicle or road-user symbol — a bus, a minibus taxi, a goods vehicle, a bicycle, a motorcycle, a car, a pedestrian — or a limit such as
up to 125 ccor16 t. The sign above applies only to that class. - Distance / extent plates such as
For 5 km,0–5 kmor an arrow show how far, or in which direction, the restriction runs.
Colours tell you which sign the plate belongs to
Plates come in matching colours: a blue plate (white legend) sits under a blue command or reservation sign; a white plate with a red border sits under a prohibition or control sign; a yellow plate marks a temporary restriction (roadworks). Match the colour and you know which sign the plate is modifying.
Reading a sign-and-plate combination
Read the top sign first, then apply the plate. No stopping + 07:00–09:00 / 16:00–18:00 means stopping is prohibited only in those peak periods and allowed at other times. 60 + motorcycle symbol means the 60 km/h limit applies to motorcycles only. Turn right + a time plate means the compulsory right turn applies only during the times shown. No overtaking + For 2 km means the prohibition lasts for the next 2 km.
In the test these appear as "Which statement is correct about this sign combination?" questions. The trap is to read the plate as a new instruction. It is not — it only limits the sign above it.