The Best of Road Signs

[Jim]

No runaway truck ramps, but MA 2 has some similar signs in the Berkshires.

Westbound before descending from Florida into North Adams:



And this one eastbound out of Florida before the great ride down along the Cold River toward Charlemont:

[Roadsign199qc]

Funny and ugly.

[roadfro]

Curious as to why those steep hill signs are not black on yellow warning signs...

[Duke87]

Well, the curve diagram is. And that would be less noticeable if the whole sign was.

Can't speak for MA 2, but the hill on MA 57 is certainly a fun hill. Even moreso when taking into account I stumbled across all this completely unexpectedly!

The overhead sign is nothing short of awesome (especially since - easter egg - the curve is actually accurate to the shape of the road ahead. Didn't notice that when driving by!), although I do have one critique of MassDOT's handling of this particular situation: there is a "stop ahead" sign posted way up at the top of the hill, almost a mile before the actual stop sign. I saw that and, along with the fact that the previous sign said "prepare to stop", was thinking "wait... so, maybe there's a stop sign at the top of the hill, they expect people to stop so that they go into the hill traveling slowly?". And when I didn't encounter a stop sign, I arrived at the conclusion that that warning sign must have been incorrect. Then I got to the bottom and all of a sudden I understood. Fortunately, I was driving a car and not a loaded semi or I would have ended up in the trees on the opposite side of the road!

The problem here is that the sign is too far in advance for the typical interpretation of "ahead" in this context. It needs to be posted further down. I get why it was put further up, but for that application I would suggest spelling out more explicitly "THERE IS A STOP SIGN AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS HILL". No confusion then!

[hbelkins]

The problem here is that the sign is too far in advance for the typical interpretation of "ahead" in this context. It needs to be posted further down. I get why it was put further up, but for that application I would suggest spelling out more explicitly "THERE IS A STOP SIGN AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS HILL". No confusion then!

I've seen auxiliary plates saying "1 Mile" or "1/2 Mile" mounted below the standard "Stop Ahead" signs. That conveys the message.

[SSOWorld]

PA Turnpike BIG trailblazer by ssoworld, on Flickr

Now that is a big [sign]

[jjakucyk]

These aren't exactly falling apart, but they're definitely old and soon to be replaced. The Waldvogel Viaduct here in Cincinnati kind of sort of maybe is like a freeway.    It's an early 1940's version of a semi-directional "T" interchange, only with a design speed of about 30 mph, many other intersections with surface streets, blind (and thus closed) ramps, sidewalks, stairs, and lots of columns on the streets underneath it.  It's slated for replacement very soon, maybe even starting this year.  Anyway, there's some backlit sign goodness, and these are oooold ones.  Backlit signs are pretty common here, but they're quickly disappearing outside downtown.

[Alps]

No runaway truck ramps, but MA 2 has some similar signs in the Berkshires.

Westbound before descending from Florida into North Adams:


And this one eastbound out of Florida before the great ride down along the Cold River toward Charlemont:

MA 2 signs have been replaced unfortunately with new ones. The MA 57 is still out there to my knowledge.

[Alps]

PA Turnpike BIG trailblazer by ssoworld, on Flickr

Now that is a big [sign]

Yeah, but it's not button copy (scroll toward the bottom).

[Duke87]

MA 2 signs have been replaced unfortunately with new ones. The MA 57 is still out there to my knowledge.

As of last Saturday, yup, still there.

Too bad about the MA 2 ones, though... I was itching to go check them out.

[relaxok]

Wow, those are beautiful!

I'd like the wiring to be a little tighter and cleaner but the signs themselves are great.

[Central Avenue]

Wow, those are beautiful!

I'd like the wiring to be a little tighter and cleaner but the signs themselves are great.

Agreed, they are beautiful. Though I thought the sloppy wire added to the charm, myself.

[Kacie Jane]

I wasn't sure where to post this (Best?  Worst?  Erroneous?), but I'll explain why I chose here...



It's the same assembly featured in the third line down on http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/wa/i-5/ , but I just took my own (sadly, almost equally blurry) pic of it today.  (I live approximately 5 blocks from it.)

What's amazing to me is that I looked at the back of the sign, and two of them had stickers on them, both from the City of Bellingham.  The shield was replaced in '06, and the visitor info sign in '10.  The arrow was apparently replaced sometime recently as well.

But they kept the lowercase banner!

I figured that made it quirky enough to be "best" instead of "worst". 

[Michael]

I wasn't sure where to post this (Best?  Worst?  Erroneous?), but I'll explain why I chose here...



It's the same assembly featured in the third line down on http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/wa/i-5/ , but I just took my own (sadly, almost equally blurry) pic of it today.  (I live approximately 5 blocks from it.)

What's amazing to me is that I looked at the back of the sign, and two of them had stickers on them, both from the City of Bellingham.  The shield was replaced in '06, and the visitor info sign in '10.  The arrow was apparently replaced sometime recently as well.

But they kept the lowercase banner!

I figured that made it quirky enough to be "best" instead of "worst". 

That looks like a Series F digit "5".

[Ian]

I dunno, I'm not a huge fan of the mixed case direction banner and the non-cutout I-5 shield.

[Kacie Jane]

Pretty sure it's E series.

I'm neither a fan nor not-a-fan of the non-cutout.  It's just something unique that Washington and Rhode Island do.  (Here they almost always use cutouts on the freeway itself -- although I-82 seems to have a bunch of white squares -- but signs on side streets tend to be squares if they're not on LGSs.)  The mixed case banner... if it became the standard (which I guess it may if Clearview becomes more pervasive) I'd hate it, but in this rogue case, I find it quirky and endearing.

[agentsteel53]

the digit is E.

Washington has had the non-cutout interstate markers since the very very very beginning.  Here is a 1956-spec (extra large state name) non-cutout that dates back to the mid-1960s.



I-182 also has a lot of non-cutout route markers. 

[Scott5114]

I hate non-cutout shields, but if you are going to do it, do it like WI and give the shield a black background. The white just looks tacky to me.

[agentsteel53]

for the interstates, white does look a bit silly, especially because it negates the white outer margin.  but I do like the outline US shields for historic value.

Floridachrome - some colors would look better with black background.  for example, yellow - really, if a number uses black digits, it should get a black background.  that is how Mississippi did it.

[Quillz]

See, when states at least use nice colors, then non-cutouts are at least decent.

And in reference to that non-cutout I-5 shield posted earlier, I'm actually a fan of Series E being used for single digit numbers. I like how the Quebec Autoroutes use Series B, D and E(M) for their digits.

[WillWeaverRVA]

An original RMA Expressway shield in Richmond (referring to VA 76, the Powhite Parkway):


What's That Up There? (Old RMA Expressway Shield) by Will Weaver, on Flickr

I will need to return here and get a closeup of this, but it'll be hard because there's nowhere to pull over nearby.

[agentsteel53]

that's a hell of a find!  must have that on the shield gallery

[WillWeaverRVA]

that's a hell of a find!  must have that on the shield gallery

Once I get the close-up (probably this weekend), you'll be the first person who gets it.

[jjakucyk]

Here's a few more Cincinnati goodies.  I've passed these great turn/straight only signs in Eden Park in front of Krohn Conservatory any number of times while bike riding towards downtown, and I just had to get a few shots.  I love their stylized arrows and chunky font, and there's two of them!  They have an interesting speckled/dotted pattern that runs horizontally across them, what's the deal with that?









Then there's this unfortunate thing.



And an old speed limit sign that appears to be about the same vintage as the lane signs. 





Also in Pleasant Ridge and Kennedy Heights there's these two adorable little directional arrows. 

[agentsteel53]

They have an interesting speckled/dotted pattern that runs horizontally across them, what's the deal with that?

that is old heat-transfer Silver Scotchlite.  Sometimes the reflective sheeting was applied all at once, but other times - while it was a single sheet - it was applied in strips, with a smaller machine applying heat to one horizontal strip at a time.  The dots are from the edge of the machine. 

I have not ever seen one in person so I do not know why the machine applied the dots as opposed to having a smooth edge or whatnot, but I am told that is what causes it.

lots of old signs have this feature.  here is a Kansas US route that has it, and a state route that does not.  One shop must've had an all-at-once machine and the other a striper. 



Both are heat-transfer Scotchlite, as can be seen by the brown backing, especially on the 178.  It is this brown layer that melted into a glue, adhering the sheeting to the metal substrate.  (On the 50, it is the sheeting itself that has turned brown - must've been a shitty batch.)