New York

[74/171FAN]

Interesting thing I notice today: all the rest areas and parking areas on the Northway now say they're sponsored by Geico.

The signs went up a month or two ago. Money grab.

I am pretty sure that has been the case in VA since 2012 if not before.

[amroad17]

What's next?  "This interchange sponsored by State Farm"?

[kalvado]

What's next?  "This interchange sponsored by State Farm"?

HELP truck sponsored by State Farm? Oh, wait..

[machias]

Interesting thing I notice today: all the rest areas and parking areas on the Northway now say they're sponsored by Geico.

That's depressing. Wait until all bridges are sponsored by Pepsi.

[Jim]

I am thinking that I can live with a Geico sign at the rest area if some of the cost of its maintenance is paid for by Geico instead of my tax dollars.

[Flyer78]

Interesting thing I notice today: all the rest areas and parking areas on the Northway now say they're sponsored by Geico.

That's depressing. Wait until all bridges are sponsored by Pepsi.

Twin Spans will be Left Twix vs Right Twix... (Up for debate on if the L/R branding changes based on travel direction)

[kalvado]

I am thinking that I can live with a Geico sign at the rest area if some of the cost of its maintenance is paid for by Geico instead of my tax dollars.

I think that exact thought helped me to switch away from Geico last year - after dealing with them for 10+ years... 20% bill hike  with no apparent reason was another factor... I mean, now the reason is fairly apparent..

[Jim]

I am thinking that I can live with a Geico sign at the rest area if some of the cost of its maintenance is paid for by Geico instead of my tax dollars.

I think that exact thought helped me to switch away from Geico last year - after dealing with them for 10+ years... 20% bill hike  with no apparent reason was another factor... I mean, now the reason is fairly apparent..

For a company that does a massive amount of advertising like Geico, the cost of a rest area "sponsorship" must be a drop in the bucket.

[cl94]

I am thinking that I can live with a Geico sign at the rest area if some of the cost of its maintenance is paid for by Geico instead of my tax dollars.

I think that exact thought helped me to switch away from Geico last year - after dealing with them for 10+ years... 20% bill hike  with no apparent reason was another factor... I mean, now the reason is fairly apparent..

For a company that does a massive amount of advertising like Geico, the cost of a rest area "sponsorship" must be a drop in the bucket.

Stuff like that is why I stick with USAA. None of the BS.

Interesting thing I notice today: all the rest areas and parking areas on the Northway now say they're sponsored by Geico.

That's depressing. Wait until all bridges are sponsored by Pepsi.

Twin Spans will be Left Twix vs Right Twix... (Up for debate on if the L/R branding changes based on travel direction)

The Twin Bridges are already the right color for this.

[vdeane]

HELP truck sponsored by State Farm? Oh, wait..

Were there even HELP trucks before State Farm started operating them?  My impression was they were a service State Farm decided to do and got NYSDOT to put signs on the roads for.

[SectorZ]

I am thinking that I can live with a Geico sign at the rest area if some of the cost of its maintenance is paid for by Geico instead of my tax dollars.

I think that exact thought helped me to switch away from Geico last year - after dealing with them for 10+ years... 20% bill hike  with no apparent reason was another factor... I mean, now the reason is fairly apparent..

For a company that does a massive amount of advertising like Geico, the cost of a rest area "sponsorship" must be a drop in the bucket.

From around 2010-ish, of the 4 biggest personal auto insurers (State Farm, Allstate, GEICO, Progressive - in that order), GEICO outspent the other 3 combined in ads. Insane given how much especially Progressive spends, and amazing they spend so much to be 3rd and 4th.

[Jim]

HELP truck sponsored by State Farm? Oh, wait..

Were there even HELP trucks before State Farm started operating them?  My impression was they were a service State Farm decided to do and got NYSDOT to put signs on the roads for.

In the past, I'm thinking maybe even 30 years ago now, there were the "CVS Samaritan" motorist aid trucks in the Capital District (and I assume many other places as well), so the idea of these kinds of things being sponsored or operated by a private company has been around a long time.

[kkt]

What's next?  "This interchange sponsored by State Farm"?

Or "sponsored by County General Hospital Emergency Department"

[Flyer78]

From around 2010-ish, of the 4 biggest personal auto insurers (State Farm, Allstate, GEICO, Progressive - in that order), GEICO outspent the other 3 combined in ads. Insane given how much especially Progressive spends, and amazing they spend so much to be 3rd and 4th.

Geico is unique in that they run multiple ad campaigns at the same time. And they do it so well, when another company tries to move in on their turf (Esurance tried a few years ago "That's not how this works"), and people still thought they were Geico ads.

State Farm sponsors PA Turnpike Safety patrols.

Sometimes marketing can become so ingrained in a community, it is forgotten that it is actually a corporate name. The Carrier Dome in Syracuse comes to mind, as it was (one of?) the first marketing deals on a college campus. Of course that may also go with the fact that many do not remember when Carrier had a large presence off... Carrier Circle.

[kalvado]

What's next?  "This interchange sponsored by State Farm"?

Or "sponsored by County General Hospital Emergency Department"

Harley-Davidson sales event sponsored by County General Hospital Emergency Department 

[Michael]

This "YOUR SPEED" sign in Fairmount is sponsored by Walmart.

[mtantillo]

HELP truck sponsored by State Farm? Oh, wait..

Were there even HELP trucks before State Farm started operating them?  My impression was they were a service State Farm decided to do and got NYSDOT to put signs on the roads for.

Help trucks are generally associated with traffic management centers (TMCs) or state police, for incident management purposes. Help trucks are great for when you break down, but the primary purpose is to get you off the side of the road as fast as possible before someone crashes into you. In that respect, the insurance industry is more than happy to have more help trucks on the roads.

NYSDOT Region 10 had Help trucks run by the INFORM TMC in Happague back in 1998 to help me the first time I ran out of gas on Northern State Parkway.

Rest Area sponsorships, same thing. It's an operation expense for the DOT, many DOTs want to close them. But the insurance industry realizes that tired drivers are a bad thing, as are texting drivers, so they've take on some sponsorship to reduce crashes. In Virginia, Gov. Kaine shut the rest areas, and Gov. McDonnell reopened them as a campaign promise with the understanding that a corporate sponsor would be found so scarce VDOT funds could be used to build roads. GEICO stepped in.

As an interesting aside about highway help trucks....State Farm is very protective of their trademarks in their help truck program. It is one of the few times where FHWA is explicitly allowed to acknowledge the branding of services provided by a private enterprise. Normally in Federal reports published by FHWA, we modify photos to eliminate corporate logos. There is a specific exception for State Farm logos on help trucks on photos in FHWA publications, since FHWA approves of the corporate sponsorship model of providing help trucks.

[machias]

Thruway version. It looks very faded even though the sign is brand new.

The "New York State Experience" signs on the Thruway in both directions near Exit 34A have been replaced within the last week. The "faded" looking signs have been replaced with a standard blue color, with the logo sign strip a darker than the normal service area/services blue color.

From what I heard from friends at the Thruway apparently the faded blue was not well received and the Thruway authority replaced them immediately

[kalvado]

4 sets on thruway near Utica - before and after, east and westbound. Actually some of those were in progress around 11 AM today.
Someone must feel those are really high priority to have crews doing installation on weekend... I wonder who foots the bill - state or NYSTA?
Installation before exit 25 eastbound is real nice with ugly blue squeezed between bunch of real signs. Almost qualifies for a salad - especially nice with that "lane ends in 1 mile" clusterfuck.
I wonder if engineering got to sign those off, or nobody cares anyway?

[Jim]

The ones NB heading into 23 are also all interleaved with other signs in a stretch that probably had too many signs in too short a distance already.

[cl94]

The ones NB heading into 23 are also all interleaved with other signs in a stretch that probably had too many signs in too short a distance already.

I noticed those yesterday. They weren't up a week ago and they are ridiculous.

[mariethefoxy]

theres more of those signs on the LIE Westbound past Exit 40W, its ridiculous already. How much is the DOT wasting putting these signs up, instead of fixing some of the moon crater potholes we have in some spots out here.

[sparker]

From the looks of it, it won't be long before these info signs switch from blue to British Racing Green -- and NASCAR-like logos are plastered randomly over the face.  I know costs have to be offset somehow, but some sort of limits need to be established. 

[machias]

4 sets on thruway near Utica - before and after, east and westbound. Actually some of those were in progress around 11 AM today.
Someone must feel those are really high priority to have crews doing installation on weekend... I wonder who foots the bill - state or NYSTA?
Installation before exit 25 eastbound is real nice with ugly blue squeezed between bunch of real signs. Almost qualifies for a salad - especially nice with that "lane ends in 1 mile" clusterfuck.
I wonder if engineering got to sign those off, or nobody cares anyway?

Apparently Cuomo wanted the signs up yesterday so whoever is paying for these signs authorized overtime, whatever, to get them up as soon as possible.  I know the bigger of the signs are $2500 in materials.

[cl94]

4 sets on thruway near Utica - before and after, east and westbound. Actually some of those were in progress around 11 AM today.
Someone must feel those are really high priority to have crews doing installation on weekend... I wonder who foots the bill - state or NYSTA?
Installation before exit 25 eastbound is real nice with ugly blue squeezed between bunch of real signs. Almost qualifies for a salad - especially nice with that "lane ends in 1 mile" clusterfuck.
I wonder if engineering got to sign those off, or nobody cares anyway?

Apparently Cuomo wanted the signs up yesterday so whoever is paying for these signs authorized overtime, whatever, to get them up as soon as possible.  I know the bigger of the signs are $2500 in materials.

Yet they can't put up county line signs? Flipping ridiculous.