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

Started by mass_citizen, December 04, 2013, 10:46:35 PM

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1995hoo

I saw the white sign seen here in a dashcam video posted on a YouTube channel to which I subscribe, so I asked the guy where it was. The sign in question is the white sign on the median. I found it interesting simply because I do not ever recall having seen such a sign. Maybe they're common out west?

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.139328,-117.093403,3a,75y,39.45h,73.93t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sUz9Ub9BEJTo82UeAHM6bew!2e0
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.


Zeffy

Quote from: 1995hoo on March 04, 2015, 12:06:51 PM
I saw the white sign seen here in a dashcam video posted on a YouTube channel to which I subscribe, so I asked the guy where it was. The sign in question is the white sign on the median. I found it interesting simply because I do not ever recall having seen such a sign. Maybe they're common out west?

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.139328,-117.093403,3a,75y,39.45h,73.93t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sUz9Ub9BEJTo82UeAHM6bew!2e0

We have something similar here, though I don't recall many others:
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.505806,-74.845533,3a,57.6y,67.99h,91.02t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s3mQZR_B6AUIxO56RIij3ww!2e0
Life would be boring if we didn't take an offramp every once in a while

A weird combination of a weather geek, roadgeek, car enthusiast and furry mixed with many anxiety related disorders

jeffandnicole

Seems like a slightly modified version of the standard lane control sign, indicating what each lane is for.  In NJ they usually show a line between each arrow showing the lane divisions, but otherwise I always thought it was a fairly normal sign at intersections. (Like what Zeffy posted)

jakeroot

Is it the location of the sign or the sign itself? I'm very familiar with this version of the lane control sign, but I don't usually see it posted in the central median.

EDIT: Just down the street from me:


hbelkins

Quote from: NE2 on March 03, 2015, 09:59:06 PM
Quote from: upstatenyroads on March 03, 2015, 09:55:07 PM
Personally I think NYSDOT did the dancing arrows the right way: usually at the gore, showing a higher speed ramp or split.
I think NYSDOT did dancing arrow avoidance the right way:

from http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/ny/i-787/

Yeah, I like that one and the other examples I've seen from New York.

As for the Oklahoma example posted, the exit sign for 1E needs to be mounted on the bridge, since that's where it appears the exit ramp actually begins.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

1995hoo

Quote from: jakeroot on March 04, 2015, 01:10:07 PM
Is it the location of the sign or the sign itself? I'm very familiar with this version of the lane control sign, but I don't usually see it posted in the central median.

....

It was the sign itself I found interesting. I had not seen one that looked like that before. The style Zeffy linked looks more typical of what I'm used to seeing, although I can't say off the top of my head I've seen one with a U-turn arrow of that sort (although, having said that, I should acknowledge the weird-looking arrows on the sign outside the Holiday Inn on Eisenhower Avenue in Alexandria: https://www.google.com/maps/@38.801469,-77.073071,3a,75y,359.09h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s_UegbTPEd4rPovajWvBX6Q!2e0 )

Given your location, maybe it's more of a West Coast thing in general? The furthest south I've ever been on the West Coast is YVR Airport.




Regarding dancing arrows, there's this monstrosity in Maryland that provides an extreme example:

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.798236,-77.019072,3a,75y,149.98h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sjGqTlv14IHCmpDdWyTdkiA!2e0
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

myosh_tino

Quote from: Zeffy on March 04, 2015, 12:48:58 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 04, 2015, 12:06:51 PM
I saw the white sign seen here in a dashcam video posted on a YouTube channel to which I subscribe, so I asked the guy where it was. The sign in question is the white sign on the median. I found it interesting simply because I do not ever recall having seen such a sign. Maybe they're common out west?

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.139328,-117.093403,3a,75y,39.45h,73.93t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sUz9Ub9BEJTo82UeAHM6bew!2e0

We have something similar here, though I don't recall many others:
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.505806,-74.845533,3a,57.6y,67.99h,91.02t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s3mQZR_B6AUIxO56RIij3ww!2e0

AFAIK, the sign 1995hoo is talking about is definitely a California thing as it carries its own sign code, R73-5 (spec can be found at www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/engineering/control-devices/specs/R73-5.pdf) and Caltrans notes that it does not have a MUTCD equivalent.  It's possible the sign has been adopted by other states but I am not 100% sure about that.
Quote from: golden eagle
If I owned a dam and decided to donate it to charity, would I be giving a dam? I'm sure that might be a first because no one really gives a dam.

jakeroot

Quote from: myosh_tino on March 04, 2015, 03:01:05 PM
Quote from: Zeffy on March 04, 2015, 12:48:58 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 04, 2015, 12:06:51 PM
I saw the white sign seen here in a dashcam video posted on a YouTube channel to which I subscribe, so I asked the guy where it was. The sign in question is the white sign on the median. I found it interesting simply because I do not ever recall having seen such a sign. Maybe they're common out west?

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.139328,-117.093403,3a,75y,39.45h,73.93t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sUz9Ub9BEJTo82UeAHM6bew!2e0

We have something similar here, though I don't recall many others:
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.505806,-74.845533,3a,57.6y,67.99h,91.02t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s3mQZR_B6AUIxO56RIij3ww!2e0

AFAIK, the sign 1995hoo is talking about is definitely a California thing as it carries its own sign code, R73-5 (spec can be found at www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/engineering/control-devices/specs/R73-5.pdf) and Caltrans notes that it does not have a MUTCD equivalent.  It's possible the sign has been adopted by other states but I am not 100% sure about that.

Most definitely. In Washington, when there is two left turn lanes and one lane allows U-turns, this is the only sign (so far as I know) that is used.

6a

This is an extreme example, I know...



Edit: some version of that u-turn sign has been popping up here in a handful of places they're actually allowed


djsinco

Quote from: 6a on March 04, 2015, 05:40:19 PM
This is an extreme example, I know...



Edit: some version of that u-turn sign has been popping up here in a handful of places they're actually allowed


Until I realized that truck was being towed, I thought it was going the wrong way!
3 million miles and counting

cl94

Quote from: 6a on March 04, 2015, 05:40:19 PM
This is an extreme example, I know...



Yeah, I remember seeing those things. Until the mid-2000s, there was an Exit Only sign for US 33 East over on the EB side a couple miles east of here with a down arrow slanting to the left (until the patch seen here was installed).
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

roadfro

Quote from: myosh_tino on March 04, 2015, 03:01:05 PM
Quote from: Zeffy on March 04, 2015, 12:48:58 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 04, 2015, 12:06:51 PM
I saw the white sign seen here in a dashcam video posted on a YouTube channel to which I subscribe, so I asked the guy where it was. The sign in question is the white sign on the median. I found it interesting simply because I do not ever recall having seen such a sign. Maybe they're common out west?

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.139328,-117.093403,3a,75y,39.45h,73.93t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sUz9Ub9BEJTo82UeAHM6bew!2e0

We have something similar here, though I don't recall many others:
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.505806,-74.845533,3a,57.6y,67.99h,91.02t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s3mQZR_B6AUIxO56RIij3ww!2e0

AFAIK, the sign 1995hoo is talking about is definitely a California thing as it carries its own sign code, R73-5 (spec can be found at www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/engineering/control-devices/specs/R73-5.pdf) and Caltrans notes that it does not have a MUTCD equivalent.  It's possible the sign has been adopted by other states but I am not 100% sure about that.

There are a couple different styles of that sign in use in Nevada. I think NDOT has a standard sign for it, and some municipalities have their own slight variation (some versions, possibly including NDOT's, include the unnecessary and slightly erroneous text "on left arrow only").
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.

freebrickproductions

It's all fun & games until someone summons Cthulhu and brings about the end of the world.

I also collect traffic lights, road signs, fans, and railroad crossing equipment.

(They/Them)

Zeffy

Life would be boring if we didn't take an offramp every once in a while

A weird combination of a weather geek, roadgeek, car enthusiast and furry mixed with many anxiety related disorders

1995hoo

Quote from: Zeffy on March 05, 2015, 10:55:05 AM
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.634332,-74.01607,3a,32.7y,2.03h,91.48t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sti3LOsLGF3p5YzA4tqAkPQ!2e0

...thanks for letting us know?

The "Off-Topic" forum has that thread about "old" names you may use unintentionally.

I suspect most people either don't know, or couldn't care less, about the Battery Tunnel's "renaming."
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Zeffy

Quote from: 1995hoo on March 05, 2015, 11:02:34 AM
The "Off-Topic" forum has that thread about "old" names you may use unintentionally.

I suspect most people either don't know, or couldn't care less, about the Battery Tunnel's "renaming."

Yeah, I thought of that topic immediately. I'm not calling it the new name. It's always going to be the Battery for me.
Life would be boring if we didn't take an offramp every once in a while

A weird combination of a weather geek, roadgeek, car enthusiast and furry mixed with many anxiety related disorders

Zeffy

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.902453,-77.058198,3a,15y,97.89h,102.39t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sX5LrWAp-4X9cmaFxVt0fUg!2e0

I don't know, maybe it's best-of material, maybe it's not. It uses that custom font, and it's a DC-US shield. Don't know how many of those still exist.
Life would be boring if we didn't take an offramp every once in a while

A weird combination of a weather geek, roadgeek, car enthusiast and furry mixed with many anxiety related disorders

1995hoo

Quote from: Zeffy on March 05, 2015, 11:49:58 PM
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.902453,-77.058198,3a,15y,97.89h,102.39t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sX5LrWAp-4X9cmaFxVt0fUg!2e0

I don't know, maybe it's best-of material, maybe it's not. It uses that custom font, and it's a DC-US shield. Don't know how many of those still exist.

Off the top of my head I can think of two DC-US shields on the outbound Roosevelt Bridge. Both are on LGSs telling you which lane to use for westbound 50 and both are arguably erroneous since 50 is no longer in DC as soon as you cross the shoreline. The shield on the sign you've linked is unique because it just says "DC," not "DC-US."

I know there are others, but those are the two that immediately come to mind without having to stop and think about it.

That custom font on the I-66 shield on the Whitehurst is unique, though. Another oddity you didn't mention is the use of periods after the street names ("K. Street" and "E. Street"). That's technically an error, since neither letter is an abbreviation and the street names don't include the periods.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

PHLBOS

Quote from: 1995hoo on March 06, 2015, 07:29:11 AM
Quote from: Zeffy on March 05, 2015, 11:49:58 PM
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.902453,-77.058198,3a,15y,97.89h,102.39t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sX5LrWAp-4X9cmaFxVt0fUg!2e0

I don't know, maybe it's best-of material, maybe it's not. It uses that custom font, and it's a DC-US shield. Don't know how many of those still exist.

Off the top of my head I can think of two DC-US shields on the outbound Roosevelt Bridge. Both are on LGSs telling you which lane to use for westbound 50 and both are arguably erroneous since 50 is no longer in DC as soon as you cross the shoreline. The shield on the sign you've linked is unique because it just says "DC," not "DC-US."

I know there are others, but those are the two that immediately come to mind without having to stop and think about it.

That custom font on the I-66 shield on the Whitehurst is unique, though. Another oddity you didn't mention is the use of periods after the street names ("K. Street" and "E. Street"). That's technically an error, since neither letter is an abbreviation and the street names don't include the periods.
The font on both of those shields looks similar to a font (not sure of its exact name) that adorned many route shields in MA, ME and one or two other northeastern states up until the 1970s/80s.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

PurdueBill

Harry S. Truman disagrees on the period thing.  :P

I am kidding....there is indeed no reason (or excuse) for K. and E. Streets.

SignGeek101

Is it unusual to have the word ONLY under the word NORTH? I don't recall ever seeing it around on BGSes.



GMSV: http://goo.gl/maps/a8CXt

thenetwork

Quote from: SignGeek101 on March 07, 2015, 11:22:03 AM
Is it unusual to have the word ONLY under the word NORTH? I don't recall ever seeing it around on BGSes.



GMSV: http://goo.gl/maps/a8CXt


That is an Ohio Turnpike practice.  They did (or used to do) that on EB I-80 where I-90 splits off to join SR-2 East (Exit 142).  That exit made a little sense as you could not directly access SR-2 West from I-90 East.  Since I-680 ends at the Turnpike, there is no reason why to have the extra ONLY.

roadfro

Quote from: thenetwork on March 07, 2015, 01:06:45 PM
Quote from: SignGeek101 on March 07, 2015, 11:22:03 AM
Is it unusual to have the word ONLY under the word NORTH? I don't recall ever seeing it around on BGSes.



GMSV: http://goo.gl/maps/a8CXt


That is an Ohio Turnpike practice.  They did (or used to do) that on EB I-80 where I-90 splits off to join SR-2 East (Exit 142).  That exit made a little sense as you could not directly access SR-2 West from I-90 East.  Since I-680 ends at the Turnpike, there is no reason why to have the extra ONLY.

This one also falls into the bad design category, with the arrow in the relative center of sign (instead of on the bottom or right side) and the lack of a standard black on yellow exit only panel.
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.

PurdueBill

Also Ohio Turnpike peculiarities.  EXIT ONLY often appeared where there was no need for it--the exit lane appeared normally, then departed.  They have gotten away from it with the newest signs but there are plenty of weirdo ones like this around.

renegade

Don’t ask me how I know.  Just understand that I do.



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