giving distances from many places]]A milestone or kilometre sign is one of a series of numbered markers placed along a road at regular interval, typically at the side of the road or in a median. Milestones are constructed both to reassure the traveller that the proper path is being followed and to indicate distance travelled, or the remaining distance to the desired destination. They are alternatively known as a mile marker, milepost, or mile post (sometimes abbreviated MP), notably in the United States.The historical term milestone (from the Latin milliarium) is still used today, even though the "stones" are typically metal signs. More closely spaced signs, with fractional numbers, and signs along a railway or beach also occur., Wales]]In Europe the distance measured typically starts at a city or town, as many roads were named for the towns at either end. In the United Kingdom, a plaque near the Eleanor cross at Charing Cross in London is the reference point from which distances to o
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milemarker