Sydney  - Visitors to Sydney have often been puzzled by its No Standing signs. Melbourne does not have them and neither do other Australian state capitals, and they are unknown abroad.

Yet, there are over 100,000 of them and time is running out. From December 1, all will have been replaced by No Stopping or No Parking signs that leave motorists in doubt as to what is required of them.

Even local officials are glad to see the back of No Standing.

"The No Standing rule has been in place in New South Wales since as early as the mid-1930s but has never existed in the Australian Road Rules," Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) spokesman Alec Brown said.

"The removal of the No Standing rule will simplify our parking rules and bring New South Wales into line with the rest of Australia."

No Standing meant that motorists were allowed to stop and pick up or drop off passengers. No Stopping meant exactly what it said. No Parking tells drivers they can't stop for longer than two minutes and cannot stray more than three metres from their vehicle without risking a fine.

Even for those with English as a first language the No Standing rule presented a problem. For visitors, the meaning could be impenetrable.

"It's ambiguous," the RTA's Brown conceded, "and because it's ambiguous is one of the reasons it's been changed." (dpa)