The UK (and some other countries) mostly use a font called Transport: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_(typeface) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transpor

The UK (and some other countries) mostly use a font called Transport: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_(typeface) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_(typeface) I've always found it supremely clear and much less fussy than the US highway font, although I bet that's because I grew up with it. (There's something about the spacing of the letters on US signs that looks really odd to me, which I can't quite put my finger on.) I'm sure they'd let the US use it if you asked nicely...