Signs directing traffic to use specific gears

[Max Rockatansky]

We were talking about this subject in one of the many Illinois flatness threads.  While signs indicating use of "lower gears" are common out my way it isn't often I see those which direct drivers to use specific gears.  Mineral King Road in particular departing Sequoia National Park has two specific gear signs heading down grade westbound.

2nd Gear

IMG_7188 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

1st Gear

IMG_7223 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

[wanderer2575]

On the downhill side of the road to Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs:

[WNYroadgeek]

US 20A just outside Warsaw:




(Top is West, bottom is East)

[Max Rockatansky]

The employee who installed the signs I posted for Mineral King Road in Sequoia National Park actually replied to the Gribblenation Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/gribblenation/posts/pfbid0aAchYw5MTBryEv1ScpaY9zBYfaogrq3Afh6qC5VQXtxA4rvAHWaDqhLq233UL2Dcl

What he (Steve Esson) wrote about the sign and others like it on nearby Generals Highway:

Well, I can tell you all about that sign because I'm the one who conceived it, designed it, and installed it, and the story of how it came about is kind of funny. I'm retired from a wonderful job as a Sign Maker, and occasional Artist, in National Parks; 10 years in Yosemite and 15 in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The 2 signs on the Mineral King Road came after making the first two for the Generals Highway in Sequoia. That highway is unique in that it ascends 4,000 feet in 17 miles, and most drivers aren't used to that. It became a huge problem years ago when we had road construction that involved vehicle stops, and motorists with super-hot brakes from going down that mountain would sit for 15 minutes with their foot on the brake, melting the brake pads. When they started up again, they had no brakes and would drive off a steep mountain road or into other vehicles. There were signs at the top of the hill saying "Use Lower Gears", buy they weren't working.

One day I saw a Japanese couple in a parking lot, and the guy was trying to pour water on his brakes because they were actually smoking. I tried to explain about using lower gears to him, but I didn't speak a word of Japanese and he didn't speak a word of English, so I got in his car and demonstrated the shift lever to him. He got that, and I thought, "Why don't I just put that on a sign?" So I did. I never meant for the gears to be that specific; all cars are geared differently, but people got the concept. It was extremely rewarding to be following a vehicle pumping and pumping their brakes as I was starting down the hill and, as they passed my sign, they slowed down, the brakes weren't being pumped, and I'd think, "They GOT it!", and eventually there was a drastic reduction in accidents. My supervisor was a pretty perceptive guy and said, "You might have saved lives with that". I hadn't thought of it in that way, but I liked it.

[Henry]

We were talking about this subject in one of the many Illinois flatness threads.  While signs indicating use of "lower gears" are common out my way it isn't often I see those which direct drivers to use specific gears.  Mineral King Road in particular departing Sequoia National Park has two specific gear signs heading down grade westbound.

2nd Gear

IMG_7188 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

1st Gear

IMG_7223 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

The messages on these signs are pretty straightforward for drivers who use both automatic and manual transmissions, since 1 and 2 are the same for both. But how would someone with a CVT-equipped vehicle know which gear to use, since there is no defined gear in this instance?

[Max Rockatansky]

We were talking about this subject in one of the many Illinois flatness threads.  While signs indicating use of "lower gears" are common out my way it isn't often I see those which direct drivers to use specific gears.  Mineral King Road in particular departing Sequoia National Park has two specific gear signs heading down grade westbound.

2nd Gear

IMG_7188 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

1st Gear

IMG_7223 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

The messages on these signs are pretty straightforward for drivers who use both automatic and manual transmissions, since 1 and 2 are the same for both. But how would someone with a CVT-equipped vehicle know which gear to use, since there is no defined gear in this instance?

You can do what I did my Impreza.  Stop at a one of those signs and just throw the shifter into L.  It isn't like 30 MPH is really achievable on much of Mineral King Road anyways.  The Subaru CVT will kick down to a lower ratio with L engaged.

[Rothman]

The CVT in my Nissan Rouge simulates shifting gears with the autostick.