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Started by Alex, February 04, 2010, 10:38:53 AM

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Alps

Quote from: agentsteel53 on April 17, 2013, 10:18:43 PM
Quote from: The High Plains Traveler on April 17, 2013, 10:08:51 PMwhen the state went to ABC-1234 sequence plates

so Colorado has used 7 digit plates ... and they went back?
NJ went back partway through the only 7-digit series ever used.


vtk

Ohio started 7-digit plates around 1999-ish when the gold design appeared, then went back to 6 digits for the Bicentennial series, then resumed 7-digits afterwards.

On the gold plates, the spelled-out county name across the bottom was actually a decal, aka a sticker.
Wait, it's all Ohio? Always has been.

signalman

Quote from: Steve on April 17, 2013, 11:58:05 PM
NJ went back partway through the only 7-digit series ever used.
Actually quite early on.  7 character plates in NJ were only issued from AAA1000 to ADJ9999.  No spaces, no dashes.  Any registrants who keep them valid are allowed to continue to display them, but they are no longer being issued sequentially.  Police agencies complained that they were hard to read in the field.  From my personal observations, I agree that they are a bit hard to read on the road.

The High Plains Traveler

Quote from: djsinco on April 17, 2013, 10:28:15 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on April 17, 2013, 10:18:43 PM
Quote from: The High Plains Traveler on April 17, 2013, 10:08:51 PMwhen the state went to ABC-1234 sequence plates

so Colorado has used 7 digit plates ... and they went back?

That is correct, we went from 7 to 6. This is a backwards state in so many ways. In the 1980's, I had a CO plate (similar to) SJH-3119. Now it is something like 622-PGH.
I also remember that they started the current cycle right around the Y2K era. Early in 2000, I saw new plates with AAA-105, etc...
Up until 2000, the letter sequence on Colorado plates was assigned by county. First they used two letters with four numbers, then three-three and finally three-four. Because of the use of county blocks, some counties ran out while others never came close to using their allocations. This caused premature exhaustion of available numbers. That is why the state went to a previously unused three number-three letter combination, with no county allocation. Also, they ceased using various letter-number combinations for the multitude of plate types and special plates, instead drawing from the same pool. The original intent was to call in all the older plates within a couple of years but this never happened due, I think, to budget issues. Thus the current situation of having to reissue plates using a sequence that has some active plates in it. (And for the reasons I cited above, the combination is not flexible). I'm suprised they haven't at least called in the old ABC-123 plates, and I would guess that if you try to transfer one to a new vehicle you won't be able to do it.
"Tongue-tied and twisted; just an earth-bound misfit, I."

vdeane

Wow, that 7th digit sure makes the sequence last longer.  NY started it's last sequence around 1999/2000 (with a mandatory plate change from the previous numbering scheme).  We're still decades away from finishing it.  It takes about three years for a leading letter to change, and we only just started G a few months ago!

We also use a separate numbering scheme for commercial/dealer plates rather than giving them reserved codes on the general scheme.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

signalman

Quote from: vdeane on April 18, 2013, 11:09:13 AM
Wow, that 7th digit sure makes the sequence last longer.  NY started it's last sequence around 1999/2000 (with a mandatory plate change from the previous numbering scheme).  We're still decades away from finishing it.  It takes about three years for a leading letter to change, and we only just started G a few months ago!

We also use a separate numbering scheme for commercial/dealer plates rather than giving them reserved codes on the general scheme.
New York does have a letter series reserved for out of state temporaries...Z.  ZAA-1000 to ZZZ-9999
Originally AAA-ABZ series was saved for out of state temps.  Regular issue 7 character plates began at ACA-1000.  When all the Axx temps were used up, NY switched to the Z series.  The highest series I've seen is ZDK

agentsteel53

Quote from: vdeane on April 18, 2013, 11:09:13 AM
Wow, that 7th digit sure makes the sequence last longer.

indeed.  even California, which has the most car registrations out of any state, has quite a ways to go before exhausting its 7-digit plates.  residentials have the 7ABC123, 8ABC123, and perhaps even 9ABC123 (don't think that is reserved for anything else) before they can flip over to start with 123ABC1, etc.

commercial plates just flipped over (8Z99999 was followed by 00000A1; 9A12345 is reserved for power units - the tractor half of a tractor-trailer).  so they will likely get to 99999Z8 before passengers need a redo, but even that is likely 30 years in the future. 

I'm not sure what is planned for after 99999Z8 and 999ZZZ9.  possibly a run over unused combinations in the same pattern (0A12345 and 12345A0 will be available), or some completely unused letter-number patterns may be opened up.  out of the 99* combinations of 0 to 3 letters, sufficiently many are available that I am too lazy to figure out the exact amount. 

* 7c0 + 7c1 + 7c2 + 7c3 = 1 + 7 + 21 + 70 = 99
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

The High Plains Traveler

Quote from: agentsteel53 on April 18, 2013, 06:01:07 PM
Quote from: vdeane on April 18, 2013, 11:09:13 AM
Wow, that 7th digit sure makes the sequence last longer.

indeed.  even California, which has the most car registrations out of any state, has quite a ways to go before exhausting its 7-digit plates.  residentials have the 7ABC123, 8ABC123, and perhaps even 9ABC123 (don't think that is reserved for anything else) before they can flip over to start with 123ABC1, etc.

commercial plates just flipped over (8Z99999 was followed by 00000A1; 9A12345 is reserved for power units - the tractor half of a tractor-trailer).  so they will likely get to 99999Z8 before passengers need a redo, but even that is likely 30 years in the future. 

I'm not sure what is planned for after 99999Z8 and 999ZZZ9.  possibly a run over unused combinations in the same pattern (0A12345 and 12345A0 will be available), or some completely unused letter-number patterns may be opened up.  out of the 99* combinations of 0 to 3 letters, sufficiently many are available that I am too lazy to figure out the exact amount. 

* 7c0 + 7c1 + 7c2 + 7c3 = 1 + 7 + 21 + 70 = 99
By that time license plates will be old school. Cops will have an info-beam that will positively identify all vehicles and their owner.
"Tongue-tied and twisted; just an earth-bound misfit, I."

vdeane

Quote from: signalman on April 18, 2013, 04:59:02 PM
Quote from: vdeane on April 18, 2013, 11:09:13 AM
Wow, that 7th digit sure makes the sequence last longer.  NY started it's last sequence around 1999/2000 (with a mandatory plate change from the previous numbering scheme).  We're still decades away from finishing it.  It takes about three years for a leading letter to change, and we only just started G a few months ago!

We also use a separate numbering scheme for commercial/dealer plates rather than giving them reserved codes on the general scheme.
New York does have a letter series reserved for out of state temporaries...Z.  ZAA-1000 to ZZZ-9999
Originally AAA-ABZ series was saved for out of state temps.  Regular issue 7 character plates began at ACA-1000.  When all the Axx temps were used up, NY switched to the Z series.  The highest series I've seen is ZDK

Never seen a Z series myself.  Axx was general plates before the switch to 7 digits (mine's APD) so it must have changed before then.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

signalman

Quote from: vdeane on April 19, 2013, 11:32:18 AM
Never seen a Z series myself. 
You'd have to look at temporaries.  New York only issues temps to non-residents who buy a vehicle from a dealer in NY.  If you are a resident, you leave the dealer with NY plates on your vehicle.

thenetwork


djsinco

Forgive me, as I am far from an expert on Superman, but I thought he was born on Krypton. Also, did he not live in Metropolis, and hasn't the city of that name in IL claimed him as their own?

Ohio, really?
3 million miles and counting

vtk

I think the original creators of the character were living in Cleveland at the time or something.
Wait, it's all Ohio? Always has been.

djsinco

I believe they modeled the skyline visible through the windows of the TV show after Cleveland, and threw in some other clues pointing to the city I call "The Mistake on the Lake." It was referenced as being in the midwest; but personally I always thought of it more like Chicago.
3 million miles and counting

elsmere241

Apparently, Metropolis was originally based on Toronto - either Siegel or Schuster (don't remember which) was from there.

thenetwork

Quote from: djsinco on April 20, 2013, 03:37:51 AM
I believe they modeled the skyline visible through the windows of the TV show after Cleveland, and threw in some other clues pointing to the city I call "The Mistake on the Lake." It was referenced as being in the midwest; but personally I always thought of it more like Chicago.



This was the building (The Ohio Bell/Ameritech/SBC Building) in Cleveland that was the basis for the Daily Planet building...Just a block or so away from Progressive Field and The Quicken Loans Arena.

swbrotha100

Quote from: signalman on April 18, 2013, 03:29:52 AM
Quote from: Steve on April 17, 2013, 11:58:05 PM
NJ went back partway through the only 7-digit series ever used.
Actually quite early on.  7 character plates in NJ were only issued from AAA1000 to ADJ9999.  No spaces, no dashes.  Any registrants who keep them valid are allowed to continue to display them, but they are no longer being issued sequentially.  Police agencies complained that they were hard to read in the field.  From my personal observations, I agree that they are a bit hard to read on the road.

I wonder if NJ personalized plates with 7 characters are difficult to read also. I always figured that someday NJ would eventually figure out a way to issue standard 7 character plates.

Alps

Quote from: swbrotha100 on April 22, 2013, 03:57:02 PM
Quote from: signalman on April 18, 2013, 03:29:52 AM
Quote from: Steve on April 17, 2013, 11:58:05 PM
NJ went back partway through the only 7-digit series ever used.
Actually quite early on.  7 character plates in NJ were only issued from AAA1000 to ADJ9999.  No spaces, no dashes.  Any registrants who keep them valid are allowed to continue to display them, but they are no longer being issued sequentially.  Police agencies complained that they were hard to read in the field.  From my personal observations, I agree that they are a bit hard to read on the road.

I wonder if NJ personalized plates with 7 characters are difficult to read also. I always figured that someday NJ would eventually figure out a way to issue standard 7 character plates.
It's really not that tough to read, says someone with a 7 character plate. I have no idea what the griping is about, but staring at my wall o' plates, I see that NY has a narrower font, both in stroke width and letter width. So that's probably the solution.

signalman

Quote from: Steve on April 22, 2013, 06:34:40 PM
Quote from: swbrotha100 on April 22, 2013, 03:57:02 PM
Quote from: signalman on April 18, 2013, 03:29:52 AM
Quote from: Steve on April 17, 2013, 11:58:05 PM
NJ went back partway through the only 7-digit series ever used.
Actually quite early on.  7 character plates in NJ were only issued from AAA1000 to ADJ9999.  No spaces, no dashes.  Any registrants who keep them valid are allowed to continue to display them, but they are no longer being issued sequentially.  Police agencies complained that they were hard to read in the field.  From my personal observations, I agree that they are a bit hard to read on the road.

I wonder if NJ personalized plates with 7 characters are difficult to read also. I always figured that someday NJ would eventually figure out a way to issue standard 7 character plates.
It's really not that tough to read, says someone with a 7 character plate. I have no idea what the griping is about, but staring at my wall o' plates, I see that NY has a narrower font, both in stroke width and letter width. So that's probably the solution.
That most definitely is the solution.  Narrower dies need to be used in order to incorporate a dash or NJ map to break up the letters and numbers on regular issue passenger and non passenger plates.  I agree that on personalized plates I've never had an issue with reading the plate itself.  Trying to figure out the message it's trying to convey can be a whole nother story.  Some can be quite creative.  I think the coolest one I've seen from NJ (and I'm not sure how it snuck through Trenton)  FUKLUZN.  It was on some Japanese sports car, I forget which one.  I assume he was going for fuck losing the race.  As far as NJ going to narrower dies, don't hold your breath.  NJ was still using wider 6 character dies up until 1990 or so when they first played with 7 character dies.  I have two test plates from when Trenton first messed with 7 character dies in my collection...1234567 and ABCDEFG.

vtk

Every now and then I see a bible-thumpy plate.  One of these days I'll see someone who had to spell it G-ZU5 or something because more obvious spellings were taken.
Wait, it's all Ohio? Always has been.

tdindy88

Quote from: vtk on April 22, 2013, 08:53:39 PM
Every now and then I see a bible-thumpy plate.  One of these days I'll see someone who had to spell it G-ZU5 or something because more obvious spellings were taken.

Bible-thumpy plate...from the west perhaps? Too bad the IGWT plates are ABC123 (or AB123) over in Indiana.

kphoger

Quote from: djsinco on April 19, 2013, 07:11:08 PM
Forgive me, as I am far from an expert on Superman, but I thought he was born on Krypton. Also, did he not live in Metropolis, and hasn't the city of that name in IL claimed him as their own?

Ohio, really?

I've seen the Superman statue in front of the Metropolis, IL, courthouse many times.  Or in front of the jail, depending on your point of reference.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

andrewkbrown

Saw a new Ohio license plate for the first time in Arlington, VA today. From a car-length, it resembled a diplomatic plate, which I initially thought it was, since it's more apt to see diplomatic plates than a new Ohio standard issue.
Firefighter/Paramedic
Washington DC Fire & EMS

Bruce

Washington State will be offering new Seahawks and Sounders license plates for $40 beginning January 1, 2014, with proceeds going to three local charities.

Source - Announcement Video

Here are the actual plates themselves:



kphoger

Those designs look more appropriate for soda/pop cans than license plates.  Sorry, they're just a bit too "slick" for my liking.  (And hopefully they'll change the font in real life.)
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.



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