Fictional names
Most government drawings of example road signs will use fictional place names, this is usually to avoid confusion caused by conflicting place names (if London and Glasgow were listed as being in the same direction, for example), or the alternative, which is to search for a suitable real-life location for every example road sign. With motorway services, there is an additional problem where using real road signs may generate unfair publicity for one company and lead to accusations of bias.
In addition to the examples listed below, for many years Forton was the example service area used in the Highway Code and other documents, even when the sign in question was referring to non-motorway services.
| Name | Type | Signs | Notes | Example |
| Puddleworth | Motorway service area and truckstop | All service area direction signs - Diagrams 2917.1, 2919.1, 2919.3, 2920.1, 2920.2, 2310.1, 2311.1, 2311.2, 2919.2 and 2929 |
The most common example, appears in the Highway Code. | 
|
| Axtley Westville |
Truckstop | Diagram 2919.2, Diagram 2919.4 |
Used in the Traffic Signs Manual | 
|
| Odford Westville Woodhouse |
Motorway service area | Diagram 2917.1, 2919.3 | Introduced in 2012, as the services list sign now needs names and not operators. Woodhouse is on the M5 north, the other two are on the M4, Odford is also included on Diagram 2919.3. | 
|
| Odford Emberry Felick |
Motorway service area | 2917.1 | One drawing has Odford 1m away and Emberry 25m away. Another has Odford 8m away on the M40, Emberry 25m away on the M25 north and Felick 23m away on the M25 south. Those measurements could match a sign on the A40 heading out of London, but the regulations state this sign isn't allowed on A-roads. | |
| Good Food | Operator | Advance direction signs (diagrams 2919.1 and 2920.1) | The owner of Puddleworth and Odford services. One variant of diagram 2920.1, used to illustrate a stylised headerboard, had the operator named 'Goode Food' and owning Kirkby services. "Goode Egg" is used as Part 24, Item 15. | 
|
| Steakade Roadcook Woodhouse Fifty Good Egg |
Operators | Diagram 2917 (the list of forthcoming services) | Roadcook sounds suspiciously like Roadchef. No longer used. In recent years only the first one or two were shown, but in the 1980s all four were used on different drawings. | 
|
| Smith Bloggs Strongs Wrights Blakes Friers |
Operators | Diagram 838.2 | Used in the 1981 reports only. | |
| Kirkby | Rest area, services | New signs 2919.3, 2920.2, 2921.2, 2921.3, 2910.2, 2311.3, 2311.4 and 2310.2 (rest areas) | Currently only used in Circular 01/2008 as this is the only document to deal with rest areas. Shares its name with a town in Merseyside. An older drawing of diagram 2920.1 was also used for 'Kirkby services'. | 
|
| Northwood | Service area not on Primary or Motorway route | Direction signs on all-purpose roads, "Know your Traffic Signs" | Only featured in government document Know your Traffic Signs | 
|
| Thorpe St Michael | Village providing local facilities | Signs for local facilities - diagrams 2308.1 and 2309.1 | 
| |
| M41 | Motorway | Diagram 2330: 'No services on M41'. | Used to be a motorway in Central London, whilst it didn't have any services it never had this sign. | 
|
All the example A-road services signs don't give a name.