Unique, Odd, or Interesting Signs aka The good, the bad, and the ugly

[LilianaUwU]

Just me, or should the sign always reflect the orientation? If the signal is vertical, the sign should show a vertical signal. A horizontal signal should have a horizontal signal on the sign, diagonal signal a diagonal sign, etc...

What if you're in a place like New Mexico, where 1) horizontal signals are everywhere and 2) you usually get both?

Is New Mexico also one of the only places that uses center-mounted 5-aspect signals?

I think they are also common in parts of Illinois and Arizona. Definitely Wisconsin too.

So it's a flat state thing?

[hotdogPi]

New Mexico and Arizona are definitely not flat.

[LilianaUwU]

New Mexico and Arizona are definitely not flat.

Illinois and Wisconsin, on the other hand...

[interstatefan990]

Just me, or should the sign always reflect the orientation? If the signal is vertical, the sign should show a vertical signal. A horizontal signal should have a horizontal signal on the sign, diagonal signal a diagonal sign, etc...

What if you're in a place like New Mexico, where 1) horizontal signals are everywhere and 2) you usually get both?

Is New Mexico also one of the only places that uses center-mounted 5-aspect signals?

I think they are also common in parts of Illinois and Arizona. Definitely Wisconsin too.

So it's a flat state thing?

I mean, Florida's the flattest of them all, and as far as I know, you'd be hard pressed to find one of those in the Sunshine State.

[roadman65]

https://goo.gl/maps/ZCac4RjqsmefNan36
I find it odd that New York is used opposite Merrick for NY 27 on the Meadowbrook Parkway. You figure Freeport or Rockville Centre would be better suited as a control city.
https://goo.gl/maps/D8t7CV7cQr3BhVfV8

Merrick is directly to the east while New York is further away WB.

[kirbykart]

New York is also the largest city in the nation.

[interstatefan990]

This state route sign in Vermont using what I'm pretty sure is FHWA Series E.

[roadman65]

https://goo.gl/maps/xshaQCLumZZcu9n2A
US 9W has a black border even though US 6 and 202 have standard shields.

Plus the lack of a SOUTH banner for the Palisades Parkway along with using New Jersey over New York City as its control city is odd. The Parkway ends at the GWB into NYC, that would make better sense.

[interstatefan990]

https://goo.gl/maps/xshaQCLumZZcu9n2A
US 9W has a black border even though US 6 and 202 have standard shields.

Plus the lack of a SOUTH banner for the Palisades Parkway along with using New Jersey over New York City as its control city is odd. The Parkway ends at the GWB into NYC, that would make better sense.

Also of note is the "BEAR MOUNTAIN BRIDGE" inside the NY state route shield silhouette.

[Caps81943]

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.3611276,-90.0631156,3a,46.5y,216.17h,89.71t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s_ulLVSBaJwSyRbXJIKIHjQ!2e0!5s20210201T000000!7i16384!8i8192

This seems highly...NOT ALLOWED...but interesting nonetheless in the NOLA area

Using former railroad beacons, still with the crossbucks, to beacon a 4-way stop

[interstatefan990]

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.3611276,-90.0631156,3a,46.5y,216.17h,89.71t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s_ulLVSBaJwSyRbXJIKIHjQ!2e0!5s20210201T000000!7i16384!8i8192

This seems highly...NOT ALLOWED...but interesting nonetheless in the NOLA area

Using former railroad beacons, still with the crossbucks, to beacon a 4-way stop

Wouldn't be the first repurposing of a RR beacon:

Not exactly a road sign, but this is a good way to recycle a old railroad crossing signal into a trail crossing signal.
https://goo.gl/maps/QZGjahqPtgAep7eJ8

[CovalenceSTU]

https://www.google.com/maps/@30.3611276,-90.0631156,3a,46.5y,216.17h,89.71t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s_ulLVSBaJwSyRbXJIKIHjQ!2e0!5s20210201T000000!7i16384!8i8192

This seems highly...NOT ALLOWED...but interesting nonetheless in the NOLA area

Using former railroad beacons, still with the crossbucks, to beacon a 4-way stop

Using an all way stop on a trail crossing, no less

Interestingly Street View shows they were only reactivated sometime between 2011 and 2016, as part of some minor trail work.

[jay8g]

Left lane ends, move left? 

I suppose this is technically sort of correct since there's a center lane merge condition ahead, but still, this is absolutely not the correct way for anything to be signed.

I could go on and on about all of the trash signage installed as part of the West Seattle Bridge repair project, much of which replaced far superior existing signage seemingly just because there was money to burn, but this one goes beyond amateurish design errors and into the category of things that could well do more harm than good by confusing people heading into what's already an unusual situation (this is one of a very small number of center-lane merges in the whole state).

[jakeroot]

Left lane ends, move left? 

I suppose this is technically sort of correct since there's a center lane merge condition ahead, but still, this is absolutely not the correct way for anything to be signed.

I could go on and on about all of the trash signage installed as part of the West Seattle Bridge repair project, much of which replaced far superior existing signage seemingly just because there was money to burn, but this one goes beyond amateurish design errors and into the category of things that could well do more harm than good by confusing people heading into what's already an unusual situation (this is one of a very small number of center-lane merges in the whole state).

I can only think of one other center merge, southbound 405 coming out of Bellevue, where the HOV lane comes in from SE 8th and maintains itself on the right, with the GP lane merging into traffic (Google Maps). From what I can tell, there is no signage, which I think may be preferable. After all, the ideal situation should be one that is least confusing, and a "left lane ends, merge left" is non-standard and indeed quite confusing.

[Declan127]

Also of note is the "BEAR MOUNTAIN BRIDGE" inside the NY state route shield silhouette.

That's just the Bear Mountain Bridge shield. The SR shield is actually common for the Hudson River bridges.

[Declan127]

https://goo.gl/maps/xshaQCLumZZcu9n2A

Plus the lack of a SOUTH banner for the Palisades Parkway along with using New Jersey over New York City as its control city is odd. The Parkway ends at the GWB into NYC, that would make better sense.

Actually, in the context of where the sign is, both make perfect sense (at least from my POV): The PIP is starting here; while a SOUTH might make sense for directionality, there's no other way to go on the Parkway. As for the destination, most people will be taking the Thruway into NYC (and of course that makes people pay more money to the state via the Thruway Authority), while the PIP is mainly for local access in NY and NJ and henceforth not signed to NYC.

[roadman65]

Neat one in Anchorage.
https://goo.gl/maps/3jSJUZ3btSoSLtRB8

[interstatefan990]

I didn't think so many people would be scared of driving across a bridge that something like this would be necessary.

Also of note is the "BEAR MOUNTAIN BRIDGE" inside the NY state route shield silhouette.

That's just the Bear Mountain Bridge shield. The SR shield is actually common for the Hudson River bridges.

I know, I'm just saying that it's not usually a black-and-white, plain text design. Most of them look something like this or this instead.

[Rothman]

PANYNJ used to provide escorts for scared people.  Not sure if they still do. 

Believe it was the New York Times that found some lady who was born and raised on Staten Island that was petrified of bridges about a decade ago.

[Mapmikey]

I didn't think so many people would be scared of driving across a bridge that something like this would be necessary.

That's for wide loads
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.2196179,-73.8333506,3a,15y,278.64h,86.57t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sFKu-x0cSLuBlBf74djp8Uw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[interstatefan990]

I didn't think so many people would be scared of driving across a bridge that something like this would be necessary.

That's for wide loads
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.2196179,-73.8333506,3a,15y,278.64h,86.57t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sFKu-x0cSLuBlBf74djp8Uw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

Oh. I wonder why that sign wasn't there in the October 2019 GSV capture of that location.

[Mapmikey]

I didn't think so many people would be scared of driving across a bridge that something like this would be necessary.

That's for wide loads
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.2196179,-73.8333506,3a,15y,278.64h,86.57t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sFKu-x0cSLuBlBf74djp8Uw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

Oh. I wonder why that sign wasn't there in the October 2019 GSV capture of that location.

there was no escort area sign in the 2019 view either.  The july 2022 view from NY 23 EB showed the wide load sign covered up.

[roadman65]

https://goo.gl/maps/3VHF5j3B2KZB6XjX8
A very interesting way to distinguish the ambiguity of the two Chatham municipalities in Morris County, NJ. Just tack on the word Borough to the guide sign as here in this caption.

[hbelkins]

Welcome to our 51st state -- the Commonwealth of Turnpike.

2018 Ohio River bridges-US 522 trip Day 2 - 098 by H.B. Elkins, on Flickr

[ClassicHasClass]

Does BROWN DETOUR go to the public restrooms?