New York

[PHLBOS]

Hmm, what's dumber, this "Text Stop" thing or "Adopt-A-Highway"...?

The "Text Stop" thing is an attempt to get drivers to pull over rather than text and drive. I saw that at the Brewster and Bedford rest areas on I-684 in June, and for the past few years I've heard of Region 10 using the old pay phone stops in the interchanges along the Southern State/Heckscher State Parkway for text stops.

Almost every limited-access highway rest and parking area in the state has been rebranded as a "text stop". A couple "parking areas" still exist on I-87 north of Queensbury, but that's about it. Surface roads have not been rebranded.

So why not call it "Rest Area", or as the PTC likes to say "Emergency Stopping Area"?

Those PTC's Emergency Stopping Areas are not intended to be treated like rest or service areas.  Parking in the former is extremely limited is supposed to be on a very short-term basis.

[mariethefoxy]

I once saw someone literally have a picnic out there at one of those PA Tpke emergancy stopping areas. And quite a few trucks use them as a space to take a nap.

[Buffaboy]

Are they similar to Crash Investiugation Sites?

[PHLBOS]

I once saw someone literally have a picnic out there at one of those PA Tpke emergancy stopping areas. And quite a few trucks use them as a space to take a nap.

Prior to a decade(?) ago, PTC's Emergency Stoppings/Pull-Offs were indeed used as small rest or picnic areas (there used to be a concrete picnic table or two) since its inception; but were changed to the current configuration (a glorified breakdown shoulder) due to (guess on my part) safety reasons.

[roadman]

I once saw someone literally have a picnic out there at one of those PA Tpke emergancy stopping areas. And quite a few trucks use them as a space to take a nap.

Prior to a decade(?) ago, PTC's Emergency Stoppings/Pull-Offs were indeed used as small rest or picnic areas (there used to be a concrete picnic table or two) since its inception; but were changed to the current configuration (a glorified breakdown shoulder) due to (guess on my part) safety reasons.

At the urging of the NTSB, PTC changed the designation of the majority of their 'informal' rest and picnic pulloff areas to Emergency Stopping Only after a serious accident in 1998 where a Greyhound bus driver fell asleep, drifted off the road and crashed into two tractor trailers parked in one of these areas.  Other toll roads, including the MassPike, took heed of the NTSB recommendations and followed suit with their pulloff areas.

http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/HAR0001.pdf

[cl94]

As mentioned earlier, the EB Cuomo signs near Exit 25 on the Thruway have been taken down. As of last night, they were not back up.

On a different note, I clinched NY 309 last night. That road is almost as useless as NY 421.

[Jim]

As mentioned earlier, the EB Cuomo signs near Exit 25 on the Thruway have been taken down. As of last night, they were not back up.

I hadn't noticed yesterday on my way in.  I did notice that there's a set WB beyond 25 now that I don't remember being there a few days ago.

Good to know the state is so rich that they can afford to put up, move, and take down signs on seemingly a daily basis.

[vdeane]

For the amount of money they've been spending on this, they could probably have converted the state to mileage-based exit numbers.  I hope someone at FHWA is reading this thread.  Should make life interesting the next time the state claims it has no money for a conversion.

(personal opinion emphasized)

[cl94]

For the amount of money they've been spending on this, they could probably have converted the state to mileage-based exit numbers.  I hope someone at FHWA is reading this thread.  Should make life interesting the next time the state claims it has no money for a conversion.

(personal opinion emphasized)

I've been thinking the same thing

[roadman]

For the amount of money they've been spending on this, they could probably have converted the state to mileage-based exit numbers.  I hope someone at FHWA is reading this thread.  Should make life interesting the next time the state claims it has no money for a conversion.

(personal opinion emphasized)

I agree these signs (and the silly "I Love NY" median treatments) are a colossal waste of resources.  However, which budget is the money for the NY Tourism signs coming from, DOT, Thruway, or the State Tourism Office?  And is the money for these signs earmarked for that purpose by the Legislature, or is the expenditure based on a Legislative mandate?  When it comes to cheezy feel good signing that serves no real purpose, remember that Warrant 14 (the political warrant) trumps (pardon the pun) all else.

As most of us on this forum know all too well, actions like these are hardly a new thing.  In 2001 and 2002, MassHighway installed approximately 100 six-panel Attractions LOGO signs, and about 40 other tourism-related signs, statewide at the request of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT).  The Legislature had earmarked money in the MOTT budget for highway signing.  Having no such experience, MOTT then transferred the money to MassHighway, who then prepared and let two separate contracts (one in 2001 and one in 2002) to fabricate and install the signs.  IIRC, the entire program cost over $1 million.  It also stirred up a bit of controversy at the time because, although the tourist-related attractions placed on the signs were chosen by the regional tourism councils, those councils never bothered to consult with the actual facilities before submitting the names to MOTT.  As a result, some larger local attractions that could have used the additional publicity were passed over in favor of others that were too small to really justify having highway signing.

[route17fan]

I was briefly in upstate NY over the weekend and may I say how welcome I felt!  Not only on the Thruway, but even the New York State experience signs going in to Thatcher Park on NY 157 - very reminiscent of the "entering Erie Canalway Heritage Corridor" signs in which you are always entering and never leaving. (if that fact has been mentioned before in this thread, I apologize - I am just reiterating)

General observations:

> Generally speaking, old signs are quickly disappearing (I'm glad I lived there when I did - most of the old stuff is gone)

> With few exceptions, most of the new stuff doesn't look too bad

> The I-81/I-86/NY 17 interchange is coming along nicely - I've been following from pictures on Facebook and here on the forum - but it's entirely another to see it in person and experience things yourself.

I-88 observations:

> I-88 has new "emergency stopping only" areas in Schenectady County where there is room on the berm for a) a shoulder and b) a place to pull off

> GEICO sponsorship to rest areas and/or parking areas are not posted (yet)

Again, most already know all of this - I'm just adding a few things I noted while I was there.

[Jim]

Just drove 27 to 24 on the Thruway and the silly signs that were removed approaching 26 EB are back!  But now a couple miles further west.  I'd say it's an improvement over having them interspersed with everything else coming up on 26.

I don't care which state agency's budget it comes from, this is such a waste.

[machias]

For the amount of money they've been spending on this, they could probably have converted the state to mileage-based exit numbers.  I hope someone at FHWA is reading this thread.  Should make life interesting the next time the state claims it has no money for a conversion.

(personal opinion emphasized)

I've been thinking the same thing

Perhaps someone should make the FHWA aware of this thread. Maybe two people.

[cl94]

For the amount of money they've been spending on this, they could probably have converted the state to mileage-based exit numbers.  I hope someone at FHWA is reading this thread.  Should make life interesting the next time the state claims it has no money for a conversion.

(personal opinion emphasized)

I've been thinking the same thing

Perhaps someone should make the FHWA aware of this thread. Maybe two people.

I'm writing an email now. I had to get out of class first.

[cl94]

Email sent. I mentioned the little MUTCD thing as well as the sheer cost of the signs ($25 million).

[vdeane]

So for the amount of money spent on the signs, we could have upgraded every single millimeter of sidewalk in Region 1 to meet ADA standards...

[cl94]

Precisely my point. $25 million of my tax dollars could have been spent better.

[KEVIN_224]

I-278 East in Staten Island, coming off of the Goethals Bridge from Elizabeth, NJ...


(Picture taken September 7, 2016)

[Roadgeek Adam]

I have no problem with the Welcome to NY signs. I have problems with the signs that follow it.

[cu2010]

I also have a problem with them being posted in the middle of the damn state...

[Buffaboy]

For the amount of money they've been spending on this, they could probably have converted the state to mileage-based exit numbers.  I hope someone at FHWA is reading this thread.  Should make life interesting the next time the state claims it has no money for a conversion.

(personal opinion emphasized)

I never thought of that. And we talk about wasted tax dollars in NY...well here is a case study folks.

And as you said, all it could take in a later conversation is a "well, we blew $25 million on those confusing billboards in 2015, why not xxxxxx?"

[jemacedo9]

I'm sure there is a study out there that says that for every dollar spent on in-state tourism advertising, there is an x % increase in tourism spending, which will be used for budgetary justification.  (And as with most studies, I'm sure there are wild assumptions that aren't on the surface but could be easily picked apart.)

Back in July, on a hillside within the I-390 Exit 12 interchange (Thruway), a large "I (heart) NY symbol" was painted/created in the grass.

[machias]

I-278 East in Staten Island, coming off of the Goethals Bridge from Elizabeth, NJ...


(Picture taken September 7, 2016)

Does that sign really have square corners with a rounded border? Wow, it's very rare to see that in New York (at least Upstate), since NYSDOT doesn't allow that.

[Roadgeek Adam]

I also have a problem with them being posted in the middle of the damn state...

That too, as well.

[cl94]

I also have a problem with them being posted in the middle of the damn state...

That too, as well.

My favorite for this are the ones on the Thruway in Syracuse. No matter where you came from, you've already been in New York for 2 hours. With the ones on the SB Thruway in Albany, somebody passing them would have been in New York for at least 3-4 hours. At that point, a good portion of travelers are getting off at the Berkshire Spur and going straight to MA.