Practices unusual for your state

[andrepoiy]

The only place I've ever seen this is in London, but I think it makes a lot of sense -- painted in the street is an indication which way to look for traffic at a crosswalk.  Really comes in handy in an area with lots of one-way streets.

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.4975027,-0.1354275,3a,51.5y,348.44h,64.72t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgOICTwT16Z3sRMvAJeWqqw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

That is actually pretty common in Hong Kong

[kphoger]

I went with the Bumble Bee Guy quote from The Simpsons.  Sounded funnier in my head.

¡Qué lástima!

[1995hoo]

....

In the US, of course, all of the road signs are in English or pictogram.  ....

https://goo.gl/maps/drJKqrynrUQAYn3e7

https://goo.gl/maps/mzV1knLLVtGzLyWg7

[kphoger]

Well, heck, if we're still going...

https://goo.gl/maps/f8cZHkRpGzDdasTa9

(Note that all of the examples I've linked to so far also have English-language equivalents posted.)

[ethanhopkin14]

I went with the Bumble Bee Guy quote from The Simpsons.  Sounded funnier in my head.

¡Qué lástima!

Fair enough.  English keyboard.

[jakeroot]

Here's a qn for Canadians:

Do the different Candian driver license tests require knowledge of road signs in both French and English?

In Ontario, no. In fact, our written test can be written in various languages other than English or French. It may even be easier than the US test due to the larger number of pictogram signs vs written signs.

That's not quite what he asked. Here in Washington State, we can take our drivers license exam in just about any language, but the test requires some knowledge of the English language due to certain road signs being just text. Does the Ontario exam require the test-taker to understand English or French? Or does the test not involve any comprehension of textual road signage?

[GaryV]

In the US, of course, all of the road signs are in English or pictogram.

https://goo.gl/maps/vxYZWFQSMNm1eM898   

I thought that might have been one of the signs in Cherokee.  I guess the sombrero should have given me a hint.

[kphoger]

I went with the Bumble Bee Guy quote from The Simpsons.  Sounded funnier in my head.

¡Qué lástima!

Fair enough.  English keyboard.

I'm not using a foreign keyboard either.

But, anyway, my point was that it's a shame it sounded funnier in your head.

In other words, *whoosh* . . .

[ethanhopkin14]

I went with the Bumble Bee Guy quote from The Simpsons.  Sounded funnier in my head.

¡Qué lástima!

Fair enough.  English keyboard.

I'm not using a foreign keyboard either.

But, anyway, my point was that it's a shame it sounded funnier in your head.

In other words, *whoosh* . . .

Damnit. Looks like i messed the joke there too. For shame...Qué lástima.

[rlb2024]

The only place I've ever seen this is in London, but I think it makes a lot of sense -- painted in the street is an indication which way to look for traffic at a crosswalk.  Really comes in handy in an area with lots of one-way streets.

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.4975027,-0.1354275,3a,51.5y,348.44h,64.72t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgOICTwT16Z3sRMvAJeWqqw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

That is actually pretty common in Hong Kong

That makes sense as HK was a British colony for most of the 20th century.

[Dirt Roads]

The only place I've ever seen this is in London, but I think it makes a lot of sense -- painted in the street is an indication which way to look for traffic at a crosswalk.  Really comes in handy in an area with lots of one-way streets.

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.4975027,-0.1354275,3a,51.5y,348.44h,64.72t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgOICTwT16Z3sRMvAJeWqqw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

That still scares me.  Back in my college days, I was walking across the Drillfield at Virginia Tech and crossed the one-way loop (Drillfield Drive) only looking in the direction of traffic.  I nearly got hit by a car backing up in an attempt to find a parking space in front of the old Memorial Gym.  I somehow jumped out of the way.  To this day, I always look both ways on one-way streets.

[jakeroot]

The "Look" messages are pretty common here in Tacoma, although they often just say "LOOK" with arrows rather than specific directions. Example.

I believe these may be a standard of some form. I think I've seen them elsewhere.

[bcroadguy]

Nanaimo, BC has some LOOK pavement markings that are very similar to the Tacoma ones, except they are lime green and are painted on the road instead of the sidewalk.

I remember seeing one of these when I was little and thinking the little dots inside the Os that made them look like eyes were cool.

It looks like the city has allowed them to fade, unfortunately.

[bcroadguy]

Speaking of eyeball-related, road-related things, I've seen this photo on the FHWA website a few times, and was wondering if there are any existing examples of pedestrian signals with animated eyeballs?

[jakeroot]

Speaking of eyeball-related, road-related things, I've seen this photo on the FHWA website a few times, and was wondering if there are any existing examples of pedestrian signals with animated eyeballs?

That's bizarre. Never seen or heard of that before! The image seem low enough res that I have to wonder if even that example still exists. After all, it doesn't even have the often-obligatory countdown timer.

[jakeroot]

Nanaimo, BC has some LOOK pavement markings that are very similar to the Tacoma ones, except they are lime green and are painted on the road instead of the sidewalk.

I remember seeing one of these when I was little and thinking the little dots inside the Os that made them look like eyes were cool.

It looks like the city has allowed them to fade, unfortunately.

Speaking of faded examples...


Wait, where's the toilet!? by Jacob Root, on Flickr

[bcroadguy]

lol

[roadfro]

Speaking of eyeball-related, road-related things, I've seen this photo on the FHWA website a few times, and was wondering if there are any existing examples of pedestrian signals with animated eyeballs?

That's bizarre. Never seen or heard of that before! The image seem low enough res that I have to wonder if even that example still exists. After all, it doesn't even have the often-obligatory countdown timer.

I'm fairly certain that one of these was tested in the Las Vegas area some time ago. If I recall correctly, the eyes were blue LEDs. I think the intersection was either Tropicana Ave or Flamingo Road at its intersection with Koval Lane–but I also don't think they've been there for a while.

[J N Winkler]

Why does Quebec not use bilingual signs? Aren't about half of the Québécois able to speak English? Never mind all those travelling through.

Québec used to have bilingual guide signs on the autoroute network in Montréal.  I remember seeing a few (including the classic St. James St./Rue St.-Jacques) when I visited in 1998.  However, when I followed A-15 on the western side in 2017 to make the connection between A-50 near Mirabel and the US border at Rouses Point, I didn't see any bilingual signs at all.  I suspect most of the ones I remember from the earlier visit have been replaced.

Lawrence, MA doesn't have road signs in Spanish, and as far as I know, neither does the Rio Grande Valley or South Florida.

We do use bilingual signs in border areas in the US, but only very sporadically.  I-19 in Arizona had a number (including bilingual tourist information signs and a Spanish-language version of the then standard Arizona welcome sign) that were installed in 1981 and removed in 1999.  There are still bilingual signs warning of Mexico's firearms and ammunitions laws on the approaches to border crossings.

But Canada requires double language signage everywhere else, it seems.

On federal property, yes (Government Property Traffic Regulations).  The general approach is to adapt the standard signing used in the province in question to add the other language.

[NoGoodNamesAvailable]

Why does Quebec not use bilingual signs? Aren't about half of the Québécois able to speak English? Never mind all those travelling through.

Québec used to have bilingual guide signs on the autoroute network in Montréal.  I remember seeing a few (including the classic St. James St./Rue St.-Jacques) when I visited in 1998.  However, when I followed A-15 on the western side in 2017 to make the connection between A-50 near Mirabel and the US border at Rouses Point, I didn't see any bilingual signs at all.  I suspect most of the ones I remember from the earlier visit have been replaced.

Bilingual signs, including ARRÊT STOP signs, used to be common in heavily English areas of the province. Nowadays that kind of thing is absolutely prohibited, except in very limited cases near border crossings.

In my dad's hometown where Autoroute 5 was recently extended, there was a controversy over the BGS destinations. Wakefield, the most important village/hamlet/center in the municipality La Pêche, was not allowed to be included on any sign because only the French municipality name can be used, not an English hamlet name. This is despite the fact that the vast majority of people in the area, even French speakers, refer to the area as "Wakefield" rather than "La Pêche." According to my family members the sign had to be replaced because somebody graffitied "Wakefield" onto it at some point. Eventually a compromise was reached where the municipality renamed Ch. de la Vallée to Ch. de la Vallée-de-Wakefield so that Wakefield could be included on the signs as part of the road name.

[andrepoiy]

I visited Wakefield a few weeks ago and was a bit confused why the QC government built A-5 to there. A-5 was completed deserted north of Gatineau and Wakefield didn't seem to be anything worth visiting for. I probably missed something.

[NoGoodNamesAvailable]

I visited Wakefield a few weeks ago and was a bit confused why the QC government built A-5 to there. A-5 was completed deserted north of Gatineau and Wakefield didn't seem to be anything worth visiting for. I probably missed something.

Wakefield is a fairly popular tourist destination, Gatineau Park and Chelsea also draw a reasonable amount of traffic. If you saw 105 before the extension was built you'd probably agree that it was warranted.

[andrepoiy]

Thing is, I drove 105 back to Gatineau to clinch it, and it was even more deserted

[kphoger]

lol

You spelled 'loo' wrong.

[mrsman]

In the US, of course, all of the road signs are in English or pictogram.

https://goo.gl/maps/vxYZWFQSMNm1eM898   

Que lastima

What's a pity?

If you read the comments in order, mrsman stated all US signs are in English.  You debunked that.  I went with the Bumble Bee Guy quote from The Simpsons.  Sounded funnier in my head.

Point taken!

But seriously, in the US, even though there may be a handful of Spanish signs near the border or other areas where there is a heavy Spanish-speaking population, those signs are always supplemented with an English sign with the exact same message.

So as someone who speaks English and very little Spanish and basically no French, I can drive all around the US being able to understand all of the signs.  But that would not be the case in Quebec.

To me I find it a bit odd.  If you are going to post a sign about a road danger, the sign should be in the language that most of the drivers understand.  And while in most of the US. English is sufficient, around the border they will post signs in Spanish (or French near parts of the Canadian border) so that foreign nationals driving in can understand the sign.

I would think that the Montreal area, and the roads leading to Montreal from Ontraio or New York, would have enough English-only tourists that it would probably make sense to have warning signs be signed in English as well.  Even if not required, it is probably a good idea.  And if a French-only law prohibits it, then the law should provide an exception for signs that provide a safety message.