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

[cjk374]

Somervell County (TX) Road 305:

Is it just me or is that sign unusually tall?

Most signs are taller than they seem from the road, but when you get up close, you realize they can be a good 8-10 feet in the air.

That CR shield still seems kind of tall. This reassurance assembly near me couldn't be more than 6 or 7 feet up.

Maybe the shield is just a little small, so it's an illusion?

It really was a bit too tall, especially for a local road off another minor road.

Found it tricky to compose with a 55mm lens.

And the shield is mounted on a pole (in my mind this is done for signs at interstate interchanges) instead of a "standard" u-channel sign post. That also makes this unique to me.

[Tom958]

And the shield is mounted on a pole (in my mind this is done for signs at interstate interchanges) instead of a "standard" u-channel sign post. That also makes this unique to me.

It's so tall that a strong wind might bend a U channel. 

[formulanone]

And the shield is mounted on a pole (in my mind this is done for signs at interstate interchanges) instead of a "standard" u-channel sign post. That also makes this unique to me.

It's so tall that a strong wind might bend a U channel. 

Here's a similar sign just up the road -->  https://www.google.com/maps/@32.2632755,-97.7013916,3a,20.1y,346.34h,86.88t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s2DBABke09I2Uh0mMx-Q1rw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

It's kind of odd to find anything but pole-mounted posts or "goal posts" for route signage in Texas, except the odd county road signs, where U-channels are more common.





Lavaca County had some square-channel posts, something you see a lot in Georgia:

[jakeroot]

I just saw this cool automated flagger sign on Imgur.

That seems needlessly complicated, when they could have just used traffic signals.

[US 89]

I just saw this cool automated flagger sign on Imgur.

That seems needlessly complicated, when they could have just used traffic signals.

I wonder if they figured the novelty of the sign would encourage compliance.

[jakeroot]

I just saw this cool automated flagger sign on Imgur.

That seems needlessly complicated, when they could have just used traffic signals.

I wonder if they figured the novelty of the sign would encourage compliance.

Certainly possible. Although I'm not sure how many people knowingly blow through red lights.

[Scott5114]

I just saw this cool automated flagger sign on Imgur.

That seems needlessly complicated, when they could have just used traffic signals.

In fact, most of the time when there's a need for temporary automated traffic control, I've seen portable traffic signal trailers put into service.



(KDOT example)

[MNHighwayMan]

In fact, most of the time when there's a need for temporary automated traffic control, I've seen portable traffic signal trailers put into service.

Yep, this is what I've seen for at least the last few years in both Iowa and Minnesota. Here's one I came across last Wednesday (10/18) at the Iowa 92 bridge across the Des Moines River.



P.S. It's kind of unnerving to be the front vehicle at the signal before the in-use lane at one of these. (As in the above picture.) All it takes is one inattentive driver to plow right into you, head-on.

[kphoger]

I just saw this cool automated flagger sign on Imgur.

That seems needlessly complicated, when they could have just used traffic signals.

I wonder if they figured the novelty of the sign would encourage compliance.

Certainly possible. Although I'm not sure how many people knowingly blow through red lights.

At small bridge replacements in the middle of nowhere, where visibility of oncoming traffic is excellent, I've seen plenty of people blow through the temporary red light.  Heck, I've done it myself.

[jakeroot]

I just saw this cool automated flagger sign on Imgur.

That seems needlessly complicated, when they could have just used traffic signals.

I wonder if they figured the novelty of the sign would encourage compliance.

Certainly possible. Although I'm not sure how many people knowingly blow through red lights.

At small bridge replacements in the middle of nowhere, where visibility of oncoming traffic is excellent, I've seen plenty of people blow through the temporary red light.  Heck, I've done it myself.

Sounds like a chicane setup. Depending on the physical length of the closure, and the amount of traffic, I'm surprised they wouldn't just post "yield to oncoming traffic". I'd probably go through a red light in that situation myself.

[kphoger]

I just saw this cool automated flagger sign on Imgur.

That seems needlessly complicated, when they could have just used traffic signals.

I wonder if they figured the novelty of the sign would encourage compliance.

Certainly possible. Although I'm not sure how many people knowingly blow through red lights.

At small bridge replacements in the middle of nowhere, where visibility of oncoming traffic is excellent, I've seen plenty of people blow through the temporary red light.  Heck, I've done it myself.

Sounds like a chicane setup. Depending on the physical length of the closure, and the amount of traffic, I'm surprised they wouldn't just post "yield to oncoming traffic". I'd probably go through a red light in that situation myself.

In the past, I used to see this kind of setup with a Yield sign at both approaches.  I can understand an agency preferring to avoid that kind of ambiguity.

[kphoger]

I was poking around GSV and found this interesting street blade thing in Reagan, TN. Seem to be a bunch of them around Reagan. Any idea why places would use these difficult-to-read signs?

Leon, Kansas, apparently uses a cheaper version of this setup.  I was there with my family during the town's recent Harvest Home Festival (my wife had a Scentsy vendor booth), and I noticed the town uses PVC pipe filled with concrete.  As you can see in the linked GSV, the letters can and do fall off.  It appears they must have replaced these old stones, which I don't recall seeing during my time there recently.

[US 89]

I was poking around GSV and found this interesting street blade thing in Reagan, TN. Seem to be a bunch of them around Reagan. Any idea why places would use these difficult-to-read signs?

Leon, Kansas, apparently uses a cheaper version of this setup.  I was there with my family during the town's recent Harvest Home Festival (my wife had a Scentsy vendor booth), and I noticed the town uses PVC pipe filled with concrete.  As you can see in the linked GSV, the letters can and do fall off.  It appears they must have replaced these old stones, which I don't recall seeing during my time there recently.

My guess is the town didn't have much of a budget for better street blades. I think it's not a good solution, due to the problems stated above as well as the fact that most people wouldn't realize that it was a street sign. If I saw these (especially the PVC pipes), I would assume they were some kind of utility post.

[kphoger]

I was poking around GSV and found this interesting street blade thing in Reagan, TN. Seem to be a bunch of them around Reagan. Any idea why places would use these difficult-to-read signs?

Leon, Kansas, apparently uses a cheaper version of this setup.  I was there with my family during the town's recent Harvest Home Festival (my wife had a Scentsy vendor booth), and I noticed the town uses PVC pipe filled with concrete.  As you can see in the linked GSV, the letters can and do fall off.  It appears they must have replaced these old stones, which I don't recall seeing during my time there recently.

My guess is the town didn't have much of a budget for better street blades. I think it's not a good solution, due to the problems stated above as well as the fact that most people wouldn't realize that it was a street sign. If I saw these (especially the PVC pipes), I would assume they were some kind of utility post.

OTOH, something is better than nothing.

[freebrickproductions]

I was poking around GSV and found this interesting street blade thing in Reagan, TN. Seem to be a bunch of them around Reagan. Any idea why places would use these difficult-to-read signs?

Leon, Kansas, apparently uses a cheaper version of this setup.  I was there with my family during the town's recent Harvest Home Festival (my wife had a Scentsy vendor booth), and I noticed the town uses PVC pipe filled with concrete.  As you can see in the linked GSV, the letters can and do fall off.  It appears they must have replaced these old stones, which I don't recall seeing during my time there recently.

My guess is the town didn't have much of a budget for better street blades. I think it's not a good solution, due to the problems stated above as well as the fact that most people wouldn't realize that it was a street sign. If I saw these (especially the PVC pipes), I would assume they were some kind of utility post.

OTOH, something is better than nothing.

I agree. Try driving around Dora, AL sometime. The town doesn't have a single street blade, it seems.

[MCRoads]

Yep, this is what I've seen for at least the last few years in both Iowa and Minnesota. Here's one I came across last Wednesday (10/18) at the Iowa 92 bridge across the Des Moines River.



P.S. It's kind of unnerving to be the front vehicle at the signal before the in-use lane at one of these. (As in the above picture.) All it takes is one inattentive driver to plow right into you, head-on.

ive always wondered how they fold those up, the mechanism must be pretty complicated...

[jakeroot]

This is the kind of temporary signal I keep seeing pop up around my area. For some reason, they all have all-yellow backplates and cutaway visors, so they definitely stick out compared to other signals in the area:

[KEVIN_224]

Along the Berlin Turnpike (US 5/CT 15) southbound in Berlin, CT. I swear the sign is from 1990, when CT Route 9 opened from that junction east to I-91 in Cromwell.

[D-Dey65]

In fact, most of the time when there's a need for temporary automated traffic control, I've seen portable traffic signal trailers put into service.



(KDOT example)

I remember seeing those when FDOT was widening SR 54. I'm sorry I never had the chance to take a picture of the thing... or at least a good picture.

[jakeroot]

Along the Berlin Turnpike (US 5/CT 15) southbound in Berlin, CT. I swear the sign is from 1990, when CT Route 9 opened from that junction east to I-91 in Cromwell.

That's lovely. I haven't been through Connecticut for a long time, but I seem to recall a lot of remaining button copy. They were one of the last states to switch to E(M) sans button copy, right? (along with AZ, OH, CA)

[KEVIN_224]

The junction sign for CT 9 and CT 372 after this has no button copy. The state route shields are simple white squares with no black borders. I don't know what E(M) is...the reflective material more recent signs have?

[jakeroot]

I don't know what E(M) is...the reflective material more recent signs have?

E(M) meaning Highway Gothic Series E(M), the typeface used for many messages on highway signs (and the typeface that was replaced by Clearview in many states).

Because someone is bound to point it out, E(M) is actually the typeface invented to accommodate button copy, but states continued to use it because it was found to be more legible than regular Series E in all caps, if I remember correctly.

[Scott5114]

That, and E(M) was the only FHWA font to include lower-case letters until the 21st century.

[Takumi]

I've never seen those temporary traffic signal things. Around here the temporary signals I've seen have been set up with span wire.

[SectorZ]

I just saw this cool automated flagger sign on Imgur.

That seems needlessly complicated, when they could have just used traffic signals.

I wonder if they figured the novelty of the sign would encourage compliance.

Certainly possible. Although I'm not sure how many people knowingly blow through red lights.

At small bridge replacements in the middle of nowhere, where visibility of oncoming traffic is excellent, I've seen plenty of people blow through the temporary red light.  Heck, I've done it myself.

Sounds like a chicane setup. Depending on the physical length of the closure, and the amount of traffic, I'm surprised they wouldn't just post "yield to oncoming traffic". I'd probably go through a red light in that situation myself.

In the past, I used to see this kind of setup with a Yield sign at both approaches.  I can understand an agency preferring to avoid that kind of ambiguity.

Connecticut has had one with stop signs on each side, and signs noting that 3 vehicles at a time could go through in a cluster. Don't know if they still use it, as I saw it about a decade ago on US 44 somewhere between Hartford and I-395. It seemed like a recipe for disaster in that it expected way too much faith in the driving public to not screw it up.