You think you know the meaning of this sign, and yet it changed a few months ago… Be careful if you take the road!
While walking outside, or even while driving, you have probably already encountered the B9B sign. It is round and represents a bicycle on a white background with a red outline. In general, most people who have passed their Highway Code know its meaning. It falls into the category of prohibition signs, and when you see it, at first glance it means that access is prohibited for cyclists. Often, we find it at the entrance to expressways or motorways, where the speed limit is not at all suitable for bicycles. Sometimes it is also installed on the approach to tunnels or bridges, because the safety of cyclists is not ensured if there are motorists.
Having seen it for years, the B9B sign has even become, for some, a classic sign on the roads. There is therefore no reason for its meaning to change. And yet, its meaning has indeed evolved recently. Indeed, a decree, published on March 23, 2024 in the Official Journal, indicates this change in black and white. From now on, the B9B sign no longer only concerns cyclists…
The official text specifies that this signage is now also aimed at drivers of motorized personal transport vehicles, EDPMs, that is to say electric scooters with or without saddle, gyropods, gyrowheels, etc. Concretely, what changes is that the B9B sign indicates that access to certain lanes is prohibited for cycles, EDPMs and light cyclomobiles.
Furthermore, this recent measure is part of a set of changes. Still according to the text of the law, road signs, whether signs and traffic lights, intended for cyclists, apply from this year to the other vehicles mentioned above. In summary, this also concerns traffic lights with bicycle figures, the “Give way to cyclists at the light” sign, cycle path signage as well as two-way cycle signage. So, if you are used to cycling, don’t be surprised to see that other vehicles respect the same cyclist signs.