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[Kniwt]

On 800 North in Hurricane UT, this seems to be telling drivers to close their eyes before cresting the hill.

[LilianaUwU]

On 800 North in Hurricane UT, this seems to be telling drivers to close their eyes before cresting the hill.

"yolo" -this sign, probably

[kkt]

The sign is ambiguous.  If I do not have a Zone 1 permit and I park there, can I be ticketed?

Parking enforcement there is very enthusiastic.  I recommend not finding out.

[mrsman]

So normally the area around the UW football stadium in Seattle has these rather unique parking signs that use decals that are stuck on each year that list specific dates and times when parking is prohibited that coincide with that season's schedule for home Huskies football games: https://goo.gl/maps/EoLLePmAgkf7ctYn7

But a couple weeks ago while on a bike ride I noticed that this past year a special decal was applied that simply states "no sports or event parking restrictions until further notice", which a rather bittersweet anomaly.

As this was just mentioned recently, I went back to the sign in qn.

Despite the slighlty ambiguous language, I can clearly see that this sign was meant to restrict access to parking during stadium events, unless you have a zone 1 permit.  Under normal circumstances, of course, there are regularly scheduled football games and perhaps other events (maybe graduation) where the circumstances would apply.  I think the university does a nice thing by actually posting the schedule right on the sign for the benefit of those who may not be familiar with the schedule.

During COVID, (or perhaps during the football off-season) a lot of the regularly scheduled events have been cancelled.  So instead of leaving the sign blank (basically telling parkers that you are on your own regarding finding out what is being scheduled at the stadium) they are telling you that there is no scheduled events any time soon, so the parking restriction simply does not apply. 

Of course, the green sign above, with a 2 hour restriction from 7AM - 10 PM would still apply, even if the stadium-specific restrictions do not.

I wish something like this was done more.  There are plenty of parking signs of ambiguous duration, and it is not always well known if the restrictions apply currently.  "School hours" is a hard one, because if you park near a school but are otherwise unconnected to it, do you really know the full schedule and understand which days are OK to park and which days aren't.  Another aspect is to know which holidays would be exempt from parking restrictions.  Practically everywhere the big holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving would be exempt from these restrictions (unless the restrictions were "all times" or "every day"), but what about a day like today (MLK day).  As most businesses are open and most people do work today, there is a good argument for normal parking restrictions, although I do know of a lot of places that exempt street cleaning and parking meters today.

So I like the idea of posting a specific schedule right on the sign.  Another acceptable means, IMO, would be a website link that is direct and specific to the parking restrictions.  Even though websites are not normally allowed on road signs, to prevent using internet while driving, I'd make an exception for parking signs, since a person can stop, check the website, and then continue driving if needed.  Heck, so many places with parking meters allow for parkmobile (or similar apps) that basically using internet while parking on the street is becoming a pretty regular thing anyway.

[roadman65]

https://goo.gl/maps/gLqHXvgii4Kh2Prs8
Not so much in the real world, but it is interesting GSV got double vision of an I-78 shield.

[tolbs17]

https://goo.gl/maps/gLqHXvgii4Kh2Prs8
Not so much in the real world, but it is interesting GSV got double vision of an I-78 shield.

Not too far where my Dad works but I can see the same with the trees too.

[jakeroot]

I thought this was some interesting signage. At the Boul. Alfred-Nobel and Av. Marie Curie roundabout in Montreal, the signage is exceptionally French-looking.

The roundabout was opened some time in the 1990s (not sure exactly when), well before there was any standardization of signage for roundabouts. I'm guessing the roundabout designers looked to France for signage assistance, although used Highway Gothic as would have been the rule.

The most French-looking thing about them is definitely the style of the sign; they are very thick. Not sure if they are backlit. But every original sign at the roundabout is of the same style, including the "roundabout ahead" signs on approach to the roundabout.

There is also this interesting graphic on the backside of the fingerpost-style directional signs.


French-style Signage in Quebec by Jacob Root, on Flickr


Cedez Le Passage Sign by Jacob Root, on Flickr

[riiga]

Interesting find indeed. Some of the other signs nearby are also similarly thick and the give way signs (which are normally without text in Canada to my knowledge) have the text "CEDEZ LE PASSAGE" underneath, just like in France.

[jakeroot]

Interesting find indeed. Some of the other signs nearby are also similarly thick and the give way signs (which are normally without text in Canada to my knowledge) have the text "CEDEZ LE PASSAGE" underneath, just like in France.

Great point! I thought I remembered Quebec using that sign but upon further examination, it seems they do not. I edited my original post to add a picture of the sign.

Anyone know why road signs in France are so thick? Are they backlit?

[J N Winkler]

Anyone know why road signs in France are so thick? Are they backlit?

Sometimes they are, but I think recent installs tend to use retroreflective sheeting instead--this is a general trend within the EU (and the UK) to save power and avoid the costs of installing and maintaining electrical service.

Signs tend to be presented as closed cases in urban streetscapes (regardless of whether internal lighting is used) to avoid the negative aesthetic impacts from exposed hardware.  This is true not just in France, but also in Spain.  In rural areas in both countries, non-designable signs also tend to have flanged edges to enhance the overall stiffness of the sign panel even when the hardware on the back side is uncovered.

[Scott5114]

That's got to be pretty expensive to go to those lengths just to hide a few bolts. I imagine if a road agency tried that in the US the anti-government-spending crowd would have a cow.

[J N Winkler]

That's got to be pretty expensive to go to those lengths just to hide a few bolts. I imagine if a road agency tried that in the US the anti-government-spending crowd would have a cow.

It does use more materials, but they are reusable (the sheeting can be lifted with high-pressure water, a technique that is also extensively used in sign shops in the US), and the signs come in standard sizes and shapes.  The French are pretty inventive about manipulating intercharacter spacing and using fraction-like abbreviations (e.g., "^S/" for sur, "/_S" for sous, "^S/_L" for sur la) to get destinations to fit.

As for the anti-government types in the US, what they don't know doesn't hurt them.  They'd get really excited if they knew how short our replacement cycles for retroreflective signs can be.

[PurdueBill]

That's got to be pretty expensive to go to those lengths just to hide a few bolts. I imagine if a road agency tried that in the US the anti-government-spending crowd would have a cow.

One could hide the bolts from view like they did (not on purpose) in West Lafayette, Indiana, with a new adhesive, reflective face applied to an existing mounted sign still on the pole.  And it will start peeling almost instantly!

[ErmineNotyours]

I can't say for sure, but it looks like they put vinyl reflective letters over button copy in Pasco, Washington.

[formulanone]

Was wandering at Flickr and found this oddity from dougtone; this dated from 2012 on Morris County (NJ) 626. Personally, it's creative enough for exclusion from the Worst of Signs, but it's also a lot of information on a warning to digest at once (except from a stop), among its several design violations.

It appears to have modified a little in 2019, though somewhat covered by a tree.

Here's another example, with the diagram flipped when arriving from the opposite direction.



Morris County Route 626 - New Jersey by Doug Kerr, on Flickr

[roadman65]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/51830763236/in/photostream/
I see here they left out the mileage for Tillman, but both Charleston and Hilton Head have distance info on it.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/51832094748/in/dateposted-public/
In two places too. Not just one sign.

[LilianaUwU]

One of the longest "NEXT XX km" distances: 67 km for curves on QC-389 NB just past Fire Lake.

https://goo.gl/maps/y6wJL9piVk6Dce1p9

[bassoon1986]

One of the longest "NEXT XX km" distances: 67 km for curves on QC-389 NB just past Fire Lake.

https://goo.gl/maps/y6wJL9piVk6Dce1p9

Reminds me of the one on AR 7 just north of I-40. Anyone know how many mile that caution sign reads?


iPhone

[LilianaUwU]

One of the longest "NEXT XX km" distances: 67 km for curves on QC-389 NB just past Fire Lake.

https://goo.gl/maps/y6wJL9piVk6Dce1p9

Reminds me of the one on AR 7 just north of I-40. Anyone know how many mile that caution sign reads?

67 km is 41.5 miles.

[bassoon1986]

One of the longest "NEXT XX km" distances: 67 km for curves on QC-389 NB just past Fire Lake.

https://goo.gl/maps/y6wJL9piVk6Dce1p9

Reminds me of the one on AR 7 just north of I-40. Anyone know how many mile that caution sign reads?

67 km is 41.5 miles.

Yes. I meant does anyone know how many miles the sign on AR 7 reads.


iPhone

[SidS1045]

On 800 North in Hurricane UT, this seems to be telling drivers to close their eyes before cresting the hill.

There used to be a sign in Yonkers NY on the Saw Mill River Parkway southbound that said "Limited Sight Distance - 40 MPH" (normal speed limit was 55).

[J N Winkler]

Here are a few examples from a contract advertised just this week to show how the French use standard sizes on their case signs.

Here each line has intercharacter spacing adjusted by different amounts--109% (!!!) and 125%:



And each line on this one has a 125% adjustment, except for the bottom one, which has by far the longest destination and thus uses smaller letters for "connecting" words as well as a 70% adjustment:



Both lines have an 80% adjustment even though it's not actually required for the second ("MGNE" = montagne = mountain)--the width, a round 1600 mm, also matches all of the flag signs in the previous design:



On the basis of this particular cahier de décors, I'd say 1300 mm, 1600 mm, and 2200 mm are standard widths for case signs.  (I suspect 1900 mm may also exist as a standard width.)

These designs are pattern-accurate and have been produced in Kadri Signal, which is one of three sign design packages in regular use in France--the others are Sherpa and Corine.  I don't know what name the owning agency uses these days (every two or three years the French seem to change the name of the ministry that holds the transport portfolio--I think now it's "Ecological transition" or some such nonsense), but it still has its HQ at the Hôtel Roquelaure in Paris, the traditional seat of the transport ministry, with most of the civil servants in the Grande Arche at La Défense.

[jakeroot]

Thank you for sharing -- and thank you for the information earlier that I did not reply to, the explanation is greatly appreciated.

Are those fingerpost-style signs always in increments of 300 mm? edit: missed that part of your post; disregard!

Clearly the roundabout designers in Quebec (for that roundabout that I shared earlier) took the same-width-for-all-signs idea and ran with it. I have to wonder if they straight-up borrowed signs from the French and applied their own face.

[machias]

On 800 North in Hurricane UT, this seems to be telling drivers to close their eyes before cresting the hill.

There used to be a sign in Yonkers NY on the Saw Mill River Parkway southbound that said "Limited Sight Distance - 40 MPH" (normal speed limit was 55).

NYSDOT was big on “Limited Sight Distance” with an advisory speed in the 80s and early 90s. They appeared all over the place upstate and then it suddenly stopped.

[jakeroot]

"Limited Sight Distance" makes sense but "limit sight ahead" less so.