Widebody; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 226; Flight Crew Total 9155; Flight Crew Type 6371
Confusion; Situational Awareness
Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
General None Reported / Taken
Airport
Heathrow's runways are not equipped with ICAO-standard runway turnoff (exit) signage. At night or low-vis; we follow the greens - simple! But in daytime there is no signage to tell you that the next turnoff is N9E or N10W; etc. There is terrific signage for taxiing hold points; but no runway edge signage leading you to a specific turnoff. Today's issue was that Tower asked us to plan and make N9E due traffic behind us. Great; no problem! But which one is N9E? My taxi chart does not come up until 80 knots; and do I really want to be looking at my iPad as I'm taking control of the aircraft from the First Officer? If Heathrow had ICAO or US-standard runway turnoff signage; the turnoffs would be much easier to identify as we were 100's of yards away slowing the aircraft. Complicating the issue today is that taxiway H (extension of N9E beyond A taxiway) was closed and barricaded. As we are decelerating looking for N9E; all I could see off my left ahead were barricades; lo and behold they were leaving the exit to A open; and closing H and B taxiways; but from 400 yards away at 100 knots; I thought the approaching turnoff (N9E) was closed. As the largest US operator in Heathrow; perhaps we can have some influence in getting this low-tech solution applied.
767 Captain reported runway edge signage at EGLL airport is not ICAO standard. During daylight hours taxiways are difficult to identify.