Challenge
Most students know signage as 'the signs with place names on them' and ignore the rest: the letter before the road number, the exact K-signs, and the line under their wheels. The CBR exam designer tests exactly those details — and the line under your wheels is a reading aid, not a law.
Read this section on its own page: Challenge: Signage: E/A/N-roads, K-signs and speed-indicating road markings
The model
On the centre of the carriageway: 100 km/h = double line with a green fill between, 80 km/h = double line with no green, 60 km/h = no line at all (Book p.79). Watch out: the marking IS an indication of the maximum speed, but NOT a guarantee — the real maximum speed is shown by signs.
Read this section on its own page: The model: Signage: E/A/N-roads, K-signs and speed-indicating road markings
Core
Signage shows you the right direction (Book p.76): on motorways you often find decision signs with arrows above the road; you follow your destination and move onto the indicated lane. These signs often also carry symbols, showing the direction to, for example, an airport, a traffic interchange, a ferry, a restaurant or a car park. The letter before a road number tells you something different from the number after it: an E-road is an international European main route (often, but not necessarily, a motorway); an A-road is a Dutch motorway, often also part of an E-road; an N-road is a Dutch main road that is NOT a motorway (Book p.78). These layers overlap — an A-road is not the opposite of an E-road, often precisely a part of it. Two K-signs are exam requirements: K4 is the high decision sign along a motorway, with a lane panel for the through direction and a turn-off panel for the diverging direction, with interlocal destinations, route numbers and European main routes; K3 is the sign along a motorway to a service area, with the name of the car park and symbols showing the nature of the facilities (Book p.77). For some years now, road marking has also made the road category recognisable by itself. On the side of the carriageway: 100 km/h = solid line, 80 km/h = broken line, 60 km/h = broken line with possibly an advisory lane. But the table is an aid, not a law: if a bare '60 km road' has no maximum-speed sign and no zone sign, you may even drive 80 km/h — the marking points, the sign decides.
Read this section on its own page: Core: Signage: E/A/N-roads, K-signs and speed-indicating road markings
Source: RVV 1990 art. 21 · checked 2026-10-22
Frequently asked questions
‘An A-road and an E-road are two separate, mutually exclusive categories; a road is either an A-road or an E-road’ – is that true?
No. An A-road is a Dutch motorway and is often also part of an E-road, the international European main route
‘An N-road is also a kind of motorway, just like an A-road’ – is that true?
No. An N-road is a Dutch main road that is NOT a motorway
‘Sign K3 is the high decision sign above the motorway; K4 points to a service area’ – is that true?
No. K4 is the high decision sign with lane and turn-off panels; K3 is the sign to a service area with name and facility symbols
‘If the road marking shows you are on a '100 km/h road', you may really drive 100 km/h, regardless of which sign is present’ – is that true?
No. The marking IS an indication of the maximum speed, but NOT a guarantee; the real maximum speed is indicated by signs. If a '60 km road' has no sign, you may even drive 80 km/h
‘A road with an N number is an international European main route’ – is that true?
No. An E-road is an international European main route; an A-road is a Dutch motorway (often also part of an E-road); an N-road is a Dutch main road that is NOT a motorway