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

[Alex4897]

"Either Lane" seems a lot more casual than "Both Lanes"

It's like "Oh, you can pick either lane, it doesn't bother me. Go ahead and do what you want."

[Mergingtraffic]

Unique....for NY.  These signs are on the LaGuardia Service Road by the Grand Central Pkwy.  NY's BGSs usually have rounded corners, but these are squared corners with curved borderline.  Plus non-reflectivity and buttons.

[SSOWorld]

Pay careful attention to the washer at the top of the shield...

[PHLBOS]

While these BGS' were recently replaced; the previous BGS on the right showed a quasi-CalTrans approach to exit-tab signage for most of its life.  The BGS predated PennDOT's conversion to mile-marker based exits.

[wisvishr0]

Just saw this while I was walking down Connecticut Avenue in Van Ness, Washington DC: it's a private sign. The guy who designed it must have either been colorblind or an optimist.



Yes it's green, not red.

[freebrickproductions]

Here's an odd one in southern Morgan County, AL:

Curve Ahead Sign by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

[jeffandnicole]

This one was actually a bit creepy. It looks photoshopped but I can assure you it's not. It's actually behind the building where I work. It may have been there a day; it may have been there several months. I may have walked right by it many times. It's on a faded 'No Parking Any Time' sign. Whoever did it definitely took their time.

[machias]

I've often read some joking about that someday a DOT somewhere is going to use Comic Sans on their signs.

Well here you go, courtesy of NYSDOT Region 5.

[cl94]

I've often read some joking about that someday a DOT somewhere is going to use Comic Sans on their signs.

Well here you go, courtesy of NYSDOT Region 5.

Leave it to Region 5 to make a sign that induces vomiting. That might be worse than the relatively new signs on NY 198 and NY 400.

[jakeroot]

A rather interesting roundabout diagram from Sidney, BC (photo courtesy of wjis21 of Flickr):

[hbelkins]

I've often read some joking about that someday a DOT somewhere is going to use Comic Sans on their signs.

Well here you go, courtesy of NYSDOT Region 5.

Is there supposed to be some sort of significance to that? If so, it's lost on me.

[vdeane]

joë' hesta' is the current Great Leader of Nimbya.  The sign is alerting motorists to beware of his presence.

[MillTheRoadgeek]

Just beyond VA 28 on US 50, there is a sign that reads "Lane End Merge Right". I can't find pictures of it, but I noticed it today.

[Big John]

Just beyond VA 28 on US 50, there is a sign that reads "Lane Ends Merge Right". I can't find pictures of it, but I noticed it today.

Like this in WI: https://www.google.com/maps/@44.354048,-89.124371,3a,75y,251.02h,94.16t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sv7Tbl0Q3lKWn9cZeaDLuxw!2e0

Blurry though and a closer shot blurs out the first 2 lines.

[cl94]

I've often read some joking about that someday a DOT somewhere is going to use Comic Sans on their signs.

Well here you go, courtesy of NYSDOT Region 5.

Is there supposed to be some sort of significance to that? If so, it's lost on me.

On the section of NY 17 that runs through the reservation, Region 5 decided to put location names in the native language in addition to English. There's also a sign calling the Allegheny River "Ohiyo".

[cl94]

I now present this LGS, courtesy of GSV and Lancaster, NY, located at the exit of a small industrial park. Sign attempts to direct people south on Central Avenue to US 20. Instead, we get a NJDOT-style shield and an arrow pointing to US 20 south.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.913067,-78.670091,3a,75y,293.96h,79.21t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sjXg-ckdz42hRBeDo0CQXjA!2e0

[hbelkins]

On the section of NY 17 that runs through the reservation, Region 5 decided to put location names in the native language in addition to English. There's also a sign calling the Allegheny River "Ohiyo".

I remember seeing that sign, as well as others, when I drove that section of I-86 a few years ago, but did not know this was one of those signs, as I don't remember the Seneca language signs being in Comic Sans back then. Guess I'll have to  go dig through my pictures for a refresher.

[machias]

On the section of NY 17 that runs through the reservation, Region 5 decided to put location names in the native language in addition to English. There's also a sign calling the Allegheny River "Ohiyo".

I remember seeing that sign, as well as others, when I drove that section of I-86 a few years ago, but did not know this was one of those signs, as I don't remember the Seneca language signs being in Comic Sans back then. Guess I'll have to  go dig through my pictures for a refresher.

Only the signs installed on the recent contract are in Comic Sans, otherwise they're in Helvetica/Arial.  I appreciate the fact that they're doing that on the reservation, but I don't know why they can't use the FHWA lettering or Clearview, albeit with some added accents and such.

[KEK Inc.]

Saw this yesterday in Seattle. Must be like an early version of an FYA:



Everything you see has since been replaced by a new set of signs and signals, but the "stop on red" concept still continues. Why not just use an FYA like the rest of the country?

Here's a silly one:
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.656216,-122.317911,3a,15.2y,166.14h,88.97t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sCGcBqJt9RAAZWmTmrC5bog!2e0

[agentsteel53]

Region 5 decided to put location names in the native language in addition to English.

I refuse to believe that Comic Sans is anything but a white people affectation.

[agentsteel53]

Saw this yesterday in Seattle. Must be like an early version of an FYA:



Everything you see has since been replaced by a new set of signs and signals, but the "stop on red" concept still continues. Why not just use an FYA like the rest of the country?

why use a FYA at all?  why make the driver stop?  "you may turn left on solid green ball after yielding to oncoming traffic" is probably even in the Vienna Convention; that's how universal it is.

[mass_citizen]

Just beyond VA 28 on US 50, there is a sign that reads "Lane Ends Merge Right". I can't find pictures of it, but I noticed it today.

Like this in WI: https://www.google.com/maps/@44.354048,-89.124371,3a,75y,251.02h,94.16t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sv7Tbl0Q3lKWn9cZeaDLuxw!2e0

Blurry though and a closer shot blurs out the first 2 lines.

I'm confused, does the one you posted have some kind of error? This is a fairly common sign in Massachusetts. Assuming its an old standard.

Here is one that reads "Lane Ends Merge Left"

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.226304,-71.031832,3a,15y,11.37h,85.31t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s4baw3RHpHli99LQC5i9Ykg!2e0?hl=en

[jakeroot]

Saw this yesterday in Seattle. Must be like an early version of an FYA:

Everything you see has since been replaced by a new set of signs and signals, but the "stop on red" concept still continues. Why not just use an FYA like the rest of the country?

why use a FYA at all?  why make the driver stop?  "you may turn left on solid green ball after yielding to oncoming traffic" is probably even in the Vienna Convention; that's how universal it is.

The signal has a protected phase, so I'm not sure how you could work in a solid green ball, other than by using a signal like (this).

[cl94]

Saw this yesterday in Seattle. Must be like an early version of an FYA:

Everything you see has since been replaced by a new set of signs and signals, but the "stop on red" concept still continues. Why not just use an FYA like the rest of the country?

why use a FYA at all?  why make the driver stop?  "you may turn left on solid green ball after yielding to oncoming traffic" is probably even in the Vienna Convention; that's how universal it is.

The signal has a protected phase, so I'm not sure how you could work in a solid green ball, other than by using a signal like (this).

Or just use a doghouse signal.

[jakeroot]

Here's something that isn't a sign but in fact an interesting intersection: a traffic circle . . . in the Pacific Northwest?

It's in downtown Longview, WA, about 2 hours south of Seattle. It is legally referred to as R A Long Square. The circle hasn't always been painted with "modern" roundabout lines, and the second photo illustrates the former design. Honestly, the only thing they changed was the RIRO exit-only design into a yield-point entry with shark teeth. Not as obvious are new crosswalks that are the "hump" type. This angered cyclists who participate in the annual Tour-de-Cowlitz County (or whatever it's called) who said it made their life difficult or something.

Saw this yesterday in Seattle. Must be like an early version of an FYA:

Everything you see has since been replaced by a new set of signs and signals, but the "stop on red" concept still continues. Why not just use an FYA like the rest of the country?

why use a FYA at all?  why make the driver stop?  "you may turn left on solid green ball after yielding to oncoming traffic" is probably even in the Vienna Convention; that's how universal it is.

The signal has a protected phase, so I'm not sure how you could work in a solid green ball, other than by using a signal like (this).

Or just use a doghouse signal.

Isn't the use of doghouse signal-heads more or less discouraged nowadays?