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

[vdeane]

The road is no longer a toll, but would it have been correct to sign two junctions on either side of a toll bridge equally as "last exit" options?

201 St/Station Road at Golden Ears Way, Langley, BC

Considering that both roads leave at the same spot, I'm not sure what better way there would be.

[mrsman]

The road is no longer a toll, but would it have been correct to sign two junctions on either side of a toll bridge equally as "last exit" options?

201 St/Station Road at Golden Ears Way, Langley, BC

Considering that both roads leave at the same spot, I'm not sure what better way there would be.

Even if not a toll, it is helpful to have a last exit before bridge sign, particularly if you are crossing a relatively wide river.

I wish there was more warning signage along 14th St in Washington DC that you have to turn before you are forced onto traffic heading over the bridge to Virginia.

Here is the general area:

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.8879073,-77.0320082,3a,75y,182.41h,90.76t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1smbmr1LKz4k-ihNeXxam6ug!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

Now, what is particularly crazy is that there are two tourist attractions along 14th St here, where people may drop off passengers going to the Holocaust Museum or the Bureau of Engraving and Printing while they circle back to look for legal parking.  But it isn't marked well at all that if you don't make the right on Independence, or the left onto C at the next block, you don't have any place to exit until you are in Virigina and your first option is the GW Pkwy.  I made this mistake myself when I was a new resident in the area, dropping off my parents in front of the building and thinking that I would just make a right and a right to stay in town to try to find a metered spot within a few blocks.  (There is still one private driveway that used to be D Street that reaches 15th, but you can't use it if you are not a BEP employee.  There are also no exit ramps in East Potomac Park.)

If you do make this mistake, the best option is to take the ramp for GW Pkwy south towards Reagan Airport which will lead to an option to go back on the bridge towards DC.  But given bridge traffic, this mistake could take you an hour out of your way.

[1995hoo]

If you go just down the road on 14th Street from where you mention, you'll find this sign referring to "PEDESTIRANS" that's either a gem or an abomination, depending on how you feel about misspellings. (At least they spelled "bicycles" correctly. On Friday afternoon I walked past the assembly on Vermont Avenue that has two signs referring to "bicylces." Been that way for several years.)

https://goo.gl/maps/nAWsTVB7WHt6BVNDA

[sprjus4]

If you go just down the road on 14th Street from where you mention, you'll find this sign referring to "PEDESTIRANS" that's either a gem or an abomination, depending on how you feel about misspellings.
https://goo.gl/maps/nAWsTVB7WHt6BVNDA

At least it's only a letter flipped, not severely misspelled.

[Kniwt]

Tucson:


Details:
https://tucson.com/news/local/rare-bad-sign-creates-nightmare-on-st-street-but-only/article_5407507e-dc36-5a4d-a1b9-fa4b167cf8df.html

It runs from one side of Tucson to the other, but 19th Street is at its 19thiest where it crosses a quiet stretch of Campbell Avenue east of Kino Parkway.

There’s a sign for it and everything.

Right at the corner, directly in front of an auto repair shop called Accurate Service, a misprinted city of Tucson street sign identifies the road as “19st St.”

City officials insist such errors are rare, and this one will soon be corrected. But that hasn’t stopped snarky online commenters from having some fun at the city’s expense.

[jakeroot]

^^^^^^
Alright, I'm putting my foot down. Why do road signs even use ordinal indicators? Where I grew up, they are not used. People still say the ordinal indicator, but you don't absolutely need to put them on the sign. I can understand if the legal street names include the ordinal indicator, but otherwise, what's the point? Errors like this are rare, sure, but they can't happen in areas that don't use the indicator!

[Scott5114]

^ Because that's the name of the street? Most places the name of the street is "19th", not "19".

[jakeroot]

^ Because that's the name of the street? Most places the name of the street is "19th", not "19".

Understood, hence my exception for that situation. But I've never understood that to be the norm. Seems quite odd to me, for a legal street name to include fussy things like ordinal indicators.

For example, I live next to "S 4th St", but when doing parcel research, I must write "S 4 St" because the "th" is not legally part of the street name. It's only on the street blade for beautification purposes.

[jeffandnicole]

^ Because that's the name of the street? Most places the name of the street is "19th", not "19".

Understood, hence my exception for that situation. But I've never understood that to be the norm. Seems quite odd to me, for a legal street name to include fussy things like ordinal indicators.

For example, I live next to "S 4th St", but when doing parcel research, I must write "S 4 St" because the "th" is not legally part of the street name. It's only on the street blade for beautification purposes.

The legal name is South Four Street, not South Fourth Street?

[MNHighwayMan]

What an odd thing to get worked up about.

Then again, I must remember the userbase I'm talking about...

[ipeters61]

^ Because that's the name of the street? Most places the name of the street is "19th", not "19".

Understood, hence my exception for that situation. But I've never understood that to be the norm. Seems quite odd to me, for a legal street name to include fussy things like ordinal indicators.

For example, I live next to "S 4th St", but when doing parcel research, I must write "S 4 St" because the "th" is not legally part of the street name. It's only on the street blade for beautification purposes.

The legal name is South Four Street, not South Fourth Street?

How does NYC do it?  I know they always use just the direction, number, and street type (e.g. 3 Av, E 68 St).  Does that mean something like 129 W 81st St is legally 129 W 81 St?

[jakeroot]

^ Because that's the name of the street? Most places the name of the street is "19th", not "19".

Understood, hence my exception for that situation. But I've never understood that to be the norm. Seems quite odd to me, for a legal street name to include fussy things like ordinal indicators.

For example, I live next to "S 4th St", but when doing parcel research, I must write "S 4 St" because the "th" is not legally part of the street name. It's only on the street blade for beautification purposes.

The legal name is South Four Street, not South Fourth Street?

Actually, I'm wrong! Things have changed. The county auditor used to be quite strict about not using the ordinal indicator, but things have changed. Legal documents online now use the ordinal indicator. This is definitely not how things used to be. I don't know what this means as far as what the "legal street name" actually is, but it's long been accepted that the ordinal indicator was optional (at least in my area).

That said, most street signs, at least in unincorporated areas around me, do not use the ordinal indicator on signage, and a fair number of freeway signs (in Pierce County) omit the ordinal indicators as well. I understood this to be acceptable because the street numbers don't legally use the ordinal indicator, but my research on that matter is less than conclusive.

[Kniwt]

And this one from Reno:


https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2019/11/01/oops-reno-makes-unfortunate-spelling-error-new-virginia-st-signs/4134695002/

If a Reno contractor were to, say, forget the letter 'i' when printing new signs for the reconstructed Virginia Street through Midtown, you'd hope it would be the first 'i' or maybe the second 'i.'

Sadly, it forgot the third one, resulting in a slightly R-rated spelling error for signs on three popular intersections.

The misspelling came to light when the owner of Craft Wine and Beer, on the corner of Martin and South Virginia streets, posted a photo of it on Instagram.

"I would like to thank the City of Reno for the Virgina Street Rebrand," the bar's post read.

[roadfro]

^^^^^^
Alright, I'm putting my foot down. Why do road signs even use ordinal indicators? Where I grew up, they are not used. People still say the ordinal indicator, but you don't absolutely need to put them on the sign. I can understand if the legal street names include the ordinal indicator, but otherwise, what's the point? Errors like this are rare, sure, but they can't happen in areas that don't use the indicator!

In Reno, they are part of the street name. In fact, most of our signs spell it out. I've always thought that was a little weird, especially when you get to "Fourteenth" (why not "14th"?)

[jakeroot]

^^^^^^
Alright, I'm putting my foot down. Why do road signs even use ordinal indicators? Where I grew up, they are not used. People still say the ordinal indicator, but you don't absolutely need to put them on the sign. I can understand if the legal street names include the ordinal indicator, but otherwise, what's the point? Errors like this are rare, sure, but they can't happen in areas that don't use the indicator!

In Reno, they are part of the street name. In fact, most of our signs spell it out. I've always thought that was a little weird, especially when you get to "Fourteenth" (why not "14th"?)

I could learn to live with the ordinal indicator, but I'm not sure I could handle spelled-out numbers like that ("fourteenth", etc). Just so...gaudy, and almost certainly less helpful at-speed. Glad I can't think of any cities in my area that do that.

[jakeroot]

The road is no longer a toll, but would it have been correct to sign two junctions on either side of a toll bridge equally as "last exit" options?

201 St/Station Road at Golden Ears Way, Langley, BC

Considering that both roads leave at the same spot, I'm not sure what better way there would be.

Even if not a toll, it is helpful to have a last exit before bridge sign, particularly if you are crossing a relatively wide river.

Yeah, this all makes sense. I think with both exits being equal, there's really no way to sign just one. My thought was that they both can't be the "last exit", so something else might be needed. Perhaps like "NO TOLL" or something along those lines. I don't know if that kind of wording would be allowed in the US, but the TAC seems pretty forgiving.

[Rothman]

I believe in Watervliet, NY, they also spell out the numbers.

[Eth]

I believe in Watervliet, NY, they also spell out the numbers.

There's a set of numbered avenues in Decatur, GA, which are spelled out on signs (First through Fifth), but when they cross the border into Atlanta, that city signs them as ordinals (1st through 5th).

[hotdogPi]

In the GIS database for Massachusetts, street names are spelled out in full, so a street blade of "S Tarbur St" would be in the database as "SOUTH TARBUR STREET". For numbered streets, numbers 10 and above have the numeral, while 1-9 are spelled out.

[jeffandnicole]

...For numbered streets, numbers 10 and above have the numeral, while 1-9 are spelled out.

This is also proper writing style, I believe.  In books, magazines, newspapers, etc, you're supposed to write out one thru nine, but just use numbers starting with 10.

On the street, I think it's easier to comprehend just using numbers.

[MNHighwayMan]

This is also proper writing style, I believe.  In books, magazines, newspapers, etc, you're supposed to write out one thru nine, but just use numbers starting with 10.

I was taught one through ten should be spelled out, and eleven and above can be numerals (unless it starts the sentence, in which case you're supposed to write out all numbers.) Out of habit, though, I write out all numbers zero through twelve, just because I think it looks nicer. Arbitrary, I know.

[J N Winkler]

This is also proper writing style, I believe.  In books, magazines, newspapers, etc, you're supposed to write out one thru nine, but just use numbers starting with 10.

This varies.  For most journalism (newspapers, magazines, etc.), the divide is two digits, but for books it is commonly three digits (100 and above).

[Brandon]

^ Because that's the name of the street? Most places the name of the street is "19th", not "19".

Understood, hence my exception for that situation. But I've never understood that to be the norm. Seems quite odd to me, for a legal street name to include fussy things like ordinal indicators.

For example, I live next to "S 4th St", but when doing parcel research, I must write "S 4 St" because the "th" is not legally part of the street name. It's only on the street blade for beautification purposes.

In northeastern Illinois, it is legally part of the street name, i.e. 135th Street or 96th Avenue, and is always on the street signs and in the addresses.  It's strange not to have it, IMHO.

Examples:
I-355 at 159th Street: https://goo.gl/maps/8PgDdgHbDZczemzr8
159th Street and 94th Avenue: https://goo.gl/maps/DZ8SeGaYM3jcMbyHA & https://goo.gl/maps/f5EoCrNENQUi42xK8
Halsted and 95th Street: https://goo.gl/maps/8Bk9Mtny5WfGE2TC6
Vernon Avenue and 63rd Street: https://goo.gl/maps/daqNMSxjsjW2PVSv6
63rd Street Metra Electric Station: https://goo.gl/maps/9eEs8Th2F3Egt4kq8
87th Street CTA Red Line Station: https://goo.gl/maps/kPZTtCqWvGnsTE8H7

[jakeroot]

In northeastern Illinois, it is legally part of the street name

I'm well aware that many municipalities do include the ordinal indicator as part of the legal street name. I said as much in my original post:

....you don't absolutely need to put them on the sign. I can understand if the legal street names include the ordinal indicator, but otherwise....

Though, to be honest, it doesn't seem like the ordinal indicator is absolutely necessary on signage, even if the legal street name includes it (at least not in my area). Judging by tax records and parcel information available to me online through both King County and Pierce County websites (Washington's two largest counties), the legal street names around here do include the ordinal indicator, but in unincorporated areas, as well as in some cities, the ordinal indicator is not used on street blade signage.

[MNHighwayMan]

Though, to be honest, it doesn't seem like the ordinal indicator is absolutely necessary on signage, even if the legal street name includes it

IMO, if it's part of the legal name, it should be on the sign, period.