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

[Sam]

I caught a glimpse of this Thruway sign with just a white NY state outline on Saturday night.  I had to double-check in Street View to make sure I saw what I thought I did.  I don't think I've ever seen a Thruway sign with just a white outline instead of having the NY state outline filled in with white.

Also at the northbound approach of the intersection, and on reassurance assemblies along NY 233.

That state outline looks like someone tore it out by hand.

That's the logo of the New York State Thruway Authority. I've seen a few of those signs where they used the wrong logo and lettering style. There's even this masterpiece in Geneva. The "Thruway Trailblazer" should have the solid white state and the words "New York Thruway" in the blocky letters.

[Rothman]

I caught a glimpse of this Thruway sign with just a white NY state outline on Saturday night.  I had to double-check in Street View to make sure I saw what I thought I did.  I don't think I've ever seen a Thruway sign with just a white outline instead of having the NY state outline filled in with white.

Also at the northbound approach of the intersection, and on reassurance assemblies along NY 233.

That state outline looks like someone tore it out by hand.

That's the logo of the New York State Thruway Authority. I've seen a few of those signs where they used the wrong logo and lettering style. There's even this masterpiece in Geneva. The "Thruway Trailblazer" should have the solid white state and the words "New York Thruway" in the blocky letters.

My favorite thing about the Thruway logo is that they had to add and remove I-84 from the "map" on it due to the accounting shenanigans that moved the maintenance back and forth between NYSDOT and the Thruway.  Both variations are very common.

[jakeroot]

Unique "arrow per lane" sign along Seaway Blvd in Everett, WA. This sign has been installed for at least ten years.

The sign's pretty cool, but I wish they'd put a separator line between "Visitors" and "Employees".

[jakeroot]

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/276/32619635042_dd3e6a6528_b.jpg

Buses are allowed to use the ramp to bypass traffic in the HOV lane, while all other HOV traffic has to turn into the transit center's parking lot.

Hmm. Doesn't exiting and re-entering a freeway create unnecessary merge congestion, (in this case) causing the HOV lane to slow down?

[cjk374]

20170210_155845 by Jess Kilgore, on Flickr

This was put up yesterday just down the road from my house (I live on the top of the hill in the background). I first saw this sign in Tallulah about 2 years ago. IMO, a '48 spec US highway shield being where the black "route 80" shield is would have made this sign pop.

This site lists all of Louisiana's byways:  http://www.louisianabyways.com

[Michael]

Yet another GeoGuessr find: this multi-state detour sign.  The font used on the numbers looks like the Supreme clothing font.

[D-Dey65]

I scanned a copy of the image, but back around 2013, there was an unusual sign on NY 9A near Cortlandt Metro-North station. It looks like it was swiped and used on somebody's property, and has a white field with a black circle and a white triangle pointing up. On top of that sign is a banner reading "Outback."

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.2402212,-73.9231641,3a,30y,72.07h,83.5t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sOU_2r-tiIu0vScaMwpPGng!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

Anyone know what that sign is all about?

[kphoger]

A sign on the HOV-only ramps at Lynnwood Transit Center near Seattle:


Lynnwood TC ramp sign by SounderBruce, on Flickr

Buses are allowed to use the ramp to bypass traffic in the HOV lane, while all other HOV traffic has to turn into the transit center's parking lot.

This photo was taken from the upper level of a double-decker bus during yesterday's snowy conditions. Commuting was a breeze.

I don't think "MAY  NOT" should be acceptable verbiage on a road sign.  It could either imply "shall never" or "might or might not."

[formulanone]

Yet another GeoGuessr find: this multi-state detour sign.  The font used on the numbers looks like the Supreme clothing font.

It's possibly Futura, but italic.

OBEY

[ColossalBlocks]

Oh man, Missouri has everything!

http://www.billburmaster.com/rmsandw/missouri/images/us61bgs170a.jpg

http://www.billburmaster.com/rmsandw/missouri/images/mo40mis0909.jpg

http://www.billburmaster.com/rmsandw/missouri/images/mo40mis0909a.jpg

http://www.billburmaster.com/rmsandw/missouri/images/mosec40mis0909.jpg

http://www.billburmaster.com/rmsandw/missouri/images/w64400911.jpg

Source: http://roads.billburmaster.com/

Then again, i wonder what a SR Route 40 would be like...

[Bruce]

A sign on the HOV-only ramps at Lynnwood Transit Center near Seattle:



Buses are allowed to use the ramp to bypass traffic in the HOV lane, while all other HOV traffic has to turn into the transit center's parking lot.

This photo was taken from the upper level of a double-decker bus during yesterday's snowy conditions. Commuting was a breeze.

I don't think "MAY  NOT" should be acceptable verbiage on a road sign.  It could either imply "shall never" or "might or might not."

I agree. It should have read "Buses from Left May Continue Right" or something similar.

[jakeroot]

A sign on the HOV-only ramps at Lynnwood Transit Center near Seattle:



Buses are allowed to use the ramp to bypass traffic in the HOV lane, while all other HOV traffic has to turn into the transit center's parking lot.

This photo was taken from the upper level of a double-decker bus during yesterday's snowy conditions. Commuting was a breeze.

I don't think "MAY  NOT" should be acceptable verbiage on a road sign.  It could either imply "shall never" or "might or might not."

I agree. It should have read "Buses from Left May Continue Right" or something similar.

I'm not so hot on "may". Perhaps "Watch for buses from left"?

[D-Dey65]

Took this thing on a local street in Lake Panasoffkee, FL last weekend:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Parent_Drop-Off_and_Pick-Up_turn_sign;_Lake_Panasoffkee.jpg

I'd kind of like to see if it's MUTCD compliant or not.

[roadfro]

Took this thing on a local street in Lake Panasoffkee, FL last weekend:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Parent_Drop-Off_and_Pick-Up_turn_sign;_Lake_Panasoffkee.jpg

I'd kind of like to see if it's MUTCD compliant or not.

You could look through the MUTCD then... But I'll save you the trouble and confirm it's a custom sign that wouldn't have anything similarly specified in the MUTCD.

[D-Dey65]

You could look through the MUTCD then... But I'll save you the trouble and confirm it's a custom sign that wouldn't have anything similarly specified in the MUTCD.

Yeah, but I was thinking there might've been some update that I missed.

[MNHighwayMan]

Is this assembly MUTCD compliant?



Saw this yesterday on Anoka CR-17/Lexington Ave in the Circle Pines, MN area. Never seen anything like it before.

[J N Winkler]

Took this thing on a local street in Lake Panasoffkee, FL last weekend:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Parent_Drop-Off_and_Pick-Up_turn_sign;_Lake_Panasoffkee.jpg

I'd kind of like to see if it's MUTCD compliant or not.

You could look through the MUTCD then... But I'll save you the trouble and confirm it's a custom sign that wouldn't have anything similarly specified in the MUTCD.

I don't think it complies with the MUTCD, but only because the message is informatory or regulatory in nature, instead of cautionary.  It would probably fall under the text-message exemption if the signs had white background.

Is this assembly MUTCD compliant?



Saw this yesterday on Anoka CR-17/Lexington Ave in the Circle Pines, MN area. Never seen anything like it before.

This definitely falls under the text-message exemption.  It might fall foul of the clause that prohibits the use of a custom sign when there is a sign already in the MUTCD.  The vanilla MUTCD approach to signing this situation is simply to give the new speed limit, not to add another sign to "cancel" the old limit.

[jeffandnicole]

You could look through the MUTCD then... But I'll save you the trouble and confirm it's a custom sign that wouldn't have anything similarly specified in the MUTCD.

Yeah, but I was thinking there might've been some update that I missed.

Not every sign will be in the MUTCD. There's a 6 legged intersection near me, with a few signs denoting what movements are permitted from the 2 approach lanes. That sign isn't in the MUCTD either because the MUTCD can't provide for every unique situation.

[MNHighwayMan]

Is this assembly MUTCD compliant?
snip

This definitely falls under the text-message exemption.  It might fall foul of the clause that prohibits the use of a custom sign when there is a sign already in the MUTCD.  The vanilla MUTCD approach to signing this situation is simply to give the new speed limit, not to add another sign to "cancel" the old limit.

Hmm, alright. To me it seems like it is excessively "wordy"/too much information at once. Seems like it's more likely to be confused than just having the new speed limit posted.

Edit to add: Here are two other interesting signs I found earlier today, on MN-95 along the St. Croix River, a short distance north of Stillwater:




There HAS to be a reason they're doubled... but why? They're posted like this in both directions, too, so it's clearly intentional. I did notice that it looks like the signs are made of two different kinds of sheeting, but again: why?

[hbelkins]

There HAS to be a reason they're doubled... but why? They're posted like this in both directions, too, so it's clearly intentional. I did notice that it looks like the signs are made of two different kinds of sheeting, but again: why?

Possibly a field test for the sheeting?

[MNHighwayMan]

Yesterday, I found this in Deep River, IA.

[J N Winkler]

There HAS to be a reason they're doubled... but why? They're posted like this in both directions, too, so it's clearly intentional. I did notice that it looks like the signs are made of two different kinds of sheeting, but again: why?

Possibly a field test for the sheeting?

I cannot think of a more plausible theory.  In the case of the curve warning signs, it looks like they are comparing regular yellow with fluorescent yellow.  (Colorado DOT already specifies fluorescent yellow for warning signs on two-lane state highways and for bottom "Exit Only" panels on freeway guide signs, but I know of few, if any, states that have followed its example.)

[plain]

Yesterday, I found this in Deep River, IA.

Nice!!!

[noelbotevera]

I'm going to be posting this in the city photo game soon, so here's a sneak peek at what it is...

[vtk]

Nice Series D Modified