Cryptic word messages on traffic signs

[kphoger]

Are there any signs still standing that say "BURN LIGHTS WITH WIPERS"?

North Carolina uses a version of that: "State Law [underscore separator] Burn Headlights When Using Wipers." The signs aren't particularly big nor prominent, either. "Invisible cars" in the rain or snow are a pet peeve of mine and I wish these signs would be made very noticeable.

The Tar Heel State also posts "Motorcycles Burn Headlights" at many (most?) (all?) highways entering the state.

Last night, I saw Missouri's version: "Lights on when wipers required."

This one always presents me with a puzzle.  Am I required to use my wipers when it's raining?  If not, then wipers are never required, ergo I'm not required to turn on my lights when it's raining.  I only use my wipers when it's raining quite hard; when it's lighter rain, I find the wiper blades to be more distracting than the raindrops.

[bugo]

It would be nice if the idiots around here would turn their lights on when it rains.  I've seen it when it was very dark and gloomy and there were plenty of morons with their lights off.  I flash my lights at them but it does no good.  They're probably too busy texting.

[agentsteel53]

It would be nice if the idiots around here would turn their lights on when it rains.  I've seen it when it was very dark and gloomy and there were plenty of morons with their lights off.  I flash my lights at them but it does no good.  They're probably too busy texting.

no, they think that if you flash your lights, you are personally offending them and disturbing their tranquility.  so they just dig in and stay in the dark.

[NE2]

a switch engine was stopped just to the side of the road, and a crewman was waving cars through.  it seems to me that the switch engine tripped the lights automatically, but since it was going back and forth so many times, it made sense for someone to manually wave cars through when it was safe.

Sometimes they have it set up to avoid this problem.

Sikeston - US Highway 61: A rotating white light is located in the southwest quadrant of the crossing which will light, and rotate, after all signals governing vehicular traffic are displaying red aspect.
Trains and engines must approach Highway 61 crossing prepared to stop until rotating white light is seen to be operating. If after waiting two minutes the rotating white light does not operate, before proceeding, a crew member must be on the ground to warn highway traffic until crossing is occupied.
A push button box is located 352 feet west of the crossing. Before switching on the main track between the push button and within 50 feet of the crossing, a member of crew must operate the push button. This will time out the rotating white light at the crossing for 16 minutes and allow the highway traffic to move normally.
If the switching requires more than 16 minutes, the push button must be operated again. If the switching is completed prior to the expiration of the 16 minutes, the train must then stop within 50 feet of the crossing, and wait until such time as the rotating white light begins operating before occupying the crossing.

[1995hoo]

It would be nice if the idiots around here would turn their lights on when it rains.  I've seen it when it was very dark and gloomy and there were plenty of morons with their lights off.  I flash my lights at them but it does no good.  They're probably too busy texting.

no, they think that if you flash your lights, you are personally offending them and disturbing their tranquility.  so they just dig in and stay in the dark.

I think most of those people have no idea of the notion of headlights being as much for other drivers to see you as they are for you to be able to see. "I can see fine, why do I need headlights?" I see more and more cars being driven at night, like after 10 PM, with no lights on at all (meaning not even DRLs), and if you flash your lights at those people they seem oblivious. I actually called the cops once, but I've given up on that sort of thing because it's too common now.

[agentsteel53]

I see more and more cars being driven at night, like after 10 PM, with no lights on at all

please tell me this is at least in an urban environment.  I could probably get away with it if I were suddenly overcome by a cloud of dumbass gas.

rurally, though, there's just no way in Hell.  maybe under a full moon.  maybe.

[kphoger]

It would be nice if the idiots around here would turn their lights on when it rains.  I've seen it when it was very dark and gloomy and there were plenty of morons with their lights off.  I flash my lights at them but it does no good.  They're probably too busy texting.

no, they think that if you flash your lights, you are personally offending them and disturbing their tranquility.  so they just dig in and stay in the dark.

* * * and if you flash your lights at those people they seem oblivious. * * *

I have better luck when I turn my lights completely off, then back on, then on high beams, then completely off again, then back on, then on high beams, and then back to normal.  It takes all of about four seconds, and people are more likely to (a) notice you and (b) get the point.

[deathtopumpkins]

a switch engine was stopped just to the side of the road, and a crewman was waving cars through.  it seems to me that the switch engine tripped the lights automatically, but since it was going back and forth so many times, it made sense for someone to manually wave cars through when it was safe.

Sometimes they have it set up to avoid this problem.

Sikeston - US Highway 61: A rotating white light is located in the southwest quadrant of the crossing which will light, and rotate, after all signals governing vehicular traffic are displaying red aspect.
Trains and engines must approach Highway 61 crossing prepared to stop until rotating white light is seen to be operating. If after waiting two minutes the rotating white light does not operate, before proceeding, a crew member must be on the ground to warn highway traffic until crossing is occupied.
A push button box is located 352 feet west of the crossing. Before switching on the main track between the push button and within 50 feet of the crossing, a member of crew must operate the push button. This will time out the rotating white light at the crossing for 16 minutes and allow the highway traffic to move normally.
If the switching requires more than 16 minutes, the push button must be operated again. If the switching is completed prior to the expiration of the 16 minutes, the train must then stop within 50 feet of the crossing, and wait until such time as the rotating white light begins operating before occupying the crossing.

Situations like this are more common than you'd think, and I see some of them regularly up here in Mass.
The Topsfield Rd grade crossing adjacent to the commuter rail station in Ipswich is operated for outbound trains by either a push button (located at the top of a pole that curves toward the track so it's less than a foot away from the window of the locomotive on a stopped train) or dialing a specific frequency on the radio (which is really helpful for me because the overpass I'm working on is less than a mile up the tracks so when we hear that tone on the radio we know a train's coming. Inbound trains have the traditional automated approach.
In Cambridge, MA the rail line connecting Boston's north and south side commuter rail lines (plus Amtrak's Downeaster to the rest of the Amtrak system), which also carries the occasional night CSX freight, has crossings that aren't exempt, but lack gates or lights, and trains must yield to cars. This works because when CSX switches its few customers on the line, it does so in the middle of the night so can cross in a gap between traffic with flaggers, and Amtrak and the MBTA rarely use the line, only to transfer equipment that is either new or needing to go to the engine terminal for maintenance/repairs in non-revenue moves. Here's an Amtrak loco crossing Main St on it courtesy of Wikipedia.

[cpzilliacus]

Some of these tracks are so seldom used that I've seen some of them marked as "exempt" even though they are still active tracks - meaning when the trains come through, the train has to be flagged by a crew member and actually yield to road traffic until road traffic stops.  There is one such crossing in Vancouver on S.E. Columbia Way; unfortunately the Google Maps car hasn't driven down that road...

There is a similar crossing in White Plains, Charles County, Md. where U.S. 301 crosses an abandoned spur that was built to serve Naval Support Facility Indian Head (Google Street View here), and there used to be signs saying "exempt," but I don't know if they are still there (and it's not obvious from Street View).

[agentsteel53]

there's a connection between North Station and South Station?  dang, I never knew that, actually.

[PurdueBill]

Steve's Storrow Drive page has a good pic of the overpass of that line crossing Storrow, with trees growing on the unused half of the bridge. 

It would be nice to be able to connect between the northern and southern lines of the commuter rail and Amtrak without a ride on the subway or taxi, but doubtful that will ever actually happen.

[Alps]

there's a connection between North Station and South Station?  dang, I never knew that, actually.

Well... there's a single rail link. At one point it was considered for I-695. It would make more sense to walk than to try to go between the stations via any routing incorporating this link.

[deathtopumpkins]

Steve's Storrow Drive page has a good pic of the overpass of that line crossing Storrow, with trees growing on the unused half of the bridge. 

It would be nice to be able to connect between the northern and southern lines of the commuter rail and Amtrak without a ride on the subway or taxi, but doubtful that will ever actually happen.

It's proposed to build tunnels connecting the two via new lower-level north and south stations, and a 200ft deep central station, with most trains being through-routed. Parts of these tunnels were included in the big dig, but to complete the connection would still cost billions of dollars, and require the MBTA to electrify the commuter rail fleet.

there's a connection between North Station and South Station?  dang, I never knew that, actually.

Well... there's a single rail link. At one point it was considered for I-695. It would make more sense to walk than to try to go between the stations via any routing incorporating this link.

Yeah, emphasis on the fact that I said non-revenue movements. The track's speed is like 5 mph, so no revenue train could realistically use this connection, since they would have to take the Worcester line all the way out to Allston, then use the aforementioned link through Cambridge, and back across the Charles to North Station - a movement that would easily take 30 minutes.

[NE2]

Parts of these tunnels were included in the big dig,

If I'm not mistaken, all they did in the Big Dig was to preserve the corridor.

[deathtopumpkins]

Parts of these tunnels were included in the big dig,

If I'm not mistaken, all they did in the Big Dig was to preserve the corridor.

I may be mistaken, but I believe that at least part of the tunnels included space for a rail line (i.e. tunnel infrastructure exists, but unfinished with no track or anything).

[NE2]

You may be right - I'm finding hearsay message board posts that say the walls of the Dig go below the highway to where the North-South Rail Link would go.

[deathtopumpkins]

You may be right - I'm finding hearsay message board posts that say the walls of the Dig go below the highway to where the North-South Rail Link would go.

I was offered a tour of the Central Artery sometime in the next few weeks by a contact of mine in MassDOT Highway Operations, so when I do that I'll try and see if he knows anything about the rail link.

[kphoger]

Texas has these; maybe other states do too.
If it's just a warning, then exactly what am I supposed to obey?

For example, if I see this warning sign, what am I required to bump?

Or, if I see this warning sign, am I required to get out and start walking along the road?

How about this warning sign?  Should I keep tobacco in my car just in case?

And how on earth am I supposed to obey this warning sign?

Enquiring minds want to know.....

[NE2]

Older wording?

[kphoger]

Older wording?

Ah.  Well.  Due to the multiple meanings of 'observe', I could simply park and watch the sign for a while.

[vtk]

Are they trying to make those advisory speed plaques (such as on curves) legally enforceable?

[The High Plains Traveler]

These are only posted in advance of construction zones. Having crossed Texas twice in the past two weeks I've become very familiar with them. But, I had exactly the same question about obeying or observing a warning sign versus a regulatory sign.

[national highway 1]

Older wording?

Ah.  Well.  Due to the multiple meanings of 'observe', I could simply park and watch the sign for a while.

[Scott5114]

And how on earth am I supposed to obey this warning sign?

You must get out and chip-seal the road at once.

[BiggieJohn]

Texas has these; maybe other states do too.
If it's just a warning, then exactly what am I supposed to obey?

For example, if I see this warning sign, what am I required to bump?

Or, if I see this warning sign, am I required to get out and start walking along the road?

How about this warning sign?  Should I keep tobacco in my car just in case?

And how on earth am I supposed to obey this warning sign?

Enquiring minds want to know.....

I generally see these posted near construction zones
I always assumed it was referring to the  temporary construction zone speed limits
I never have been 100% sure exactly what it's supposed to mean