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

[jeffandnicole]

[Billy F 1988]

I'm getting tired of all these variations...how about a standard sign?

And thus, the heretic has spoken. 

[1995hoo]

Spotted this recently on US-50 east of Aldie, Virginia, near the truck scales. Sign makes eminent sense, but I've never seen one like this before. I found myself wondering whether, if you had to change direction to reach the hospital, it might make sense to put the "H" to the appropriate side of the sign to underscore where the arrowhead is, given that it's rather smaller than most arrows.

[vtk]

I think that needs to be just a simple through-roundabout arrow, not a full roundabout diagram with an arrowhead on one exit.

[jakeroot]

I don't mind the initial sign, but it seems awfully small...here's my alternative:

[wisvishr0]

I don't mind the initial sign, but it seems awfully small...here's my alternative:

Very pretty! I love it!

[Revive 755]

Not sure this variant on the "freeway entrance" sign has been posted before:

WI 74 at WI 190

[jeffandnicole]

I don't mind the initial sign, but it seems awfully small...here's my alternative:

It still doesn't make it clear which way the hospital is...especially for those that are already concerned about a love one and trying to get to the hospital, and may easily be confused.  Just use a design with a 'thru' arrow.

[wisvishr0]

I don't mind the initial sign, but it seems awfully small...here's my alternative:

It still doesn't make it clear which way the hospital is...especially for those that are already concerned about a love one and trying to get to the hospital, and may easily be confused.  Just use a design with a 'thru' arrow.

I believe it's a UK thing to put destinations on roundabouts like that, whereas here in the US, we're used to the signmakers making it totally unambiguous. Yeah,  I wouldn't post that sign here, but it's nonetheless pretty. It would be clear in the UK.

I'm sorry but I'm in love with UK road signs in general. They're simple and consistent, two of my favorite things.

[1995hoo]

I don't mind the initial sign, but it seems awfully small...here's my alternative:

I like it (but then, I like British signs), but I think the diagram ought to be bigger because the text kind of swamps it to the point where some people would focus more on the words than on their position relative to the roundabout.

[Zeffy]

It still doesn't make it clear which way the hospital is...especially for those that are already concerned about a love one and trying to get to the hospital, and may easily be confused.  Just use a design with a 'thru' arrow.

I think how New Jersey signs it close to major hospitals is how I would go with it here:

[english si]

I believe it's a UK thing to put destinations on roundabouts like that, whereas here in the US, we're used to the signmakers making it totally unambiguous.

We in the UK would view that as totally unambiguous...

Though we'd also go an extra step and not have arrows on arms without destinations listed - eg here where the first sign with the major destinations has two stubs, but the second sign with the local destinations has one, and an extra arrow, as that local road has a local destination.

[1995hoo]

It still doesn't make it clear which way the hospital is...especially for those that are already concerned about a love one and trying to get to the hospital, and may easily be confused.  Just use a design with a 'thru' arrow.

I think how New Jersey signs it close to major hospitals is how I would go with it here:

[image omitted]

I think the thought process is some people might not understand a straight-ahead arrow in the context of a roundabout, although the particular roundabout referred to by the sign I posted does have the second exit essentially straight across on the far side. Funny thing is, though, the initial guide sign for the roundabout doesn't list destinations, just route numbers (Street View here: http://goo.gl/maps/fJ9DM ) and the second sign closer to the roundabout that does give destinations just uses traditional arrows instead of the roundabout diagram (Street View here: http://goo.gl/maps/W3iSU ). The second sign could have the blue hospital "H" on the same line as "Washington." I'd have to dig through my deleted videos to verify if this is still the case, but as of the time the Street View car went through there was no "H" sign anywhere at or on the roundabout (nor at either of the other two roundabouts you encounter within the next mile or two after exiting the first one).

Edited to add: I restored the deleted videos. There are still no "H" signs at or on any of the three roundabouts on US-50; we didn't go through the one further south on US-15 on this trip, but I assume it's the same. (Having an "H" sign at the correct exit with a conventional diagonal arrow seems like it'd make sense.) There are two more of the sorts of signs I posted above in advance of the second and third roundabouts, though. I'd love to see how they configured the sign on northbound US-15 approaching the fourth roundabout, but I won't be using that road anytime soon to go check.

Incidentally, the following sign appears just before the third roundabout ("third" as you head east on US-50). It kind of amuses me because the guide sign approaching that roundabout only shows two exits, one to continue on Route 50 and the other to make a left turn onto Watson Road. The exit shown on this sign doesn't appear at all on the advance guide sign. It all kind of makes me think VDOT is still figuring out roundabout signage. They'd do better just to send someone to the UK for a while, though of course some adaptations would be needed to conform to US requirements.

[vdeane]

Roundabouts have their own arrow designs here:

[1995hoo]

Never seen that before. Neat idea. Seems plenty clear to me. What do they do for the "straight-thru" movement?

[vdeane]

It varies by location (I get the feeling that NYSDOT roundabout standards are recent).  I'm afraid I don't have any pictures, and the one I know has one has outdated street view, so here's the symbol on the pavement.

Right is just a normal right arrow (mostly... see below) everywhere.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.6486923,-73.8482775,3a,75y,11.64h,72.87t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sL9ozJlgIwaO-1Ljye07hZA!2e0

Also note the erroneously orange sign:
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.3091743,-73.6436849,3a,75y,327.57h,62.3t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1som98W52_W6pdm7KqVwbZ3g!2e0

[hbelkins]

I would just get rid of the roundabout. Multiple problems solved! 

[cl94]

It's NYSDOT. Always a fish-hook.

[1995hoo]

I would just get rid of the roundabout. Multiple problems solved! 

The ones in my photos have made travel through that area (Gilbert's Corner, Virginia) substantially faster than it used to be when there was just a crossroads with a traffic light. There was the usual bleating and squawking from local residents when VDOT announced the plan to replace the light with a system of four roundabouts (two of those connect to a road providing a bypass around the roundabout located where the light used to be), but also as usual, everyone found it's much more efficient than the stupid light ever was.

[spooky]

It's NYSDOT. Always a fish-hook.

I really like the fish-hook arrows in place of the traditional left/through/right arrows. I believe the MUTCD allows both for directional signage in advance of a roundabout. Using those same arrows on an arrow plaque like in the hospital signage shown above seems natural.

[Zeffy]

Has anyone ever posted pictures of signs on the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut here?



Interesting how they designed the borders, but that font is pretty barf.

[MillTheRoadgeek]

Has anyone ever posted pictures of signs on the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut here?



Interesting how they designed the borders, but that font is pretty barf.

The font looks like Walmart's old 2000s font, eh? Oh, and I also noticed a little cut in the bottom left corner. Wow, was this put in by a contractor that makes weird variations on signs, or is it by a major commercial who is still attempting to give a damn about MUTCD standards? (Remember that post from a bit ago...)

[jakeroot]

Increasingly British-Canadian, this version...

[vdeane]

Has anyone ever posted pictures of signs on the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut here?



Interesting how they designed the borders, but that font is pretty barf.

The font looks like Walmart's old 2000s font, eh? Oh, and I also noticed a little cut in the bottom left corner. Wow, was this put in by a contractor that makes weird variations on signs, or is it by a major commercial who is still attempting to give a damn about MUTCD standards? (Remember that post from a bit ago...)

It's specifically designed to emulate the original wooden signs as much as possible while still paying lip service to the MUTCD.

[wisvishr0]

Increasingly British-Canadian, this version...

That's awesome.