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

[D-Dey65]

Traffic Sign - Northeast Corner - Broad Street and Roosevelt Boulevard - April 13, 1932.

Taken from the Old Images Of Philadelphia Facebook group.

A Cadillac-LaSalle dealership in the background... or at least a billboard for one.

[TBKS1]

I have no idea if anyone has posted anything like this yet, and if someone already has, I'm sorry.

But anyways, how common is something like this?

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.1097993,-113.5592197,3a,15y,93.09h,86.86t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sKjN1jxTMXNc3HCKcfd5MPA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.6580354,-93.2229914,3a,75y,125.26h,80.85t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1seiAnTfVNaRmk2EplL442Rg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[Big John]

^^ The keep left is occasionally seen, such as those DDI's.  Though I think they should have additional info saying it is left as it looks too much like a keep right sign.

[jakeroot]

I have no idea if anyone has posted anything like this yet, and if someone already has, I'm sorry.

But anyways, how common is something like this?

As Big John says above, they pop up occasionally. They seem to be becoming more common, as unusual/unique intersection designs become more popular.

Here's an example not at a DDI: https://goo.gl/2gUBkr

[Hurricane Rex]

I have no idea if anyone has posted anything like this yet, and if someone already has, I'm sorry.

But anyways, how common is something like this?

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.1097993,-113.5592197,3a,15y,93.09h,86.86t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sKjN1jxTMXNc3HCKcfd5MPA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.6580354,-93.2229914,3a,75y,125.26h,80.85t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1seiAnTfVNaRmk2EplL442Rg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

The good old ddi. They really need another guide sign explaing drivers what to do, like a drive on left side for 500 ft, or why you are going on the left side.

[Jet380]

Here's an example of the opposite, a 'keep right' sign in Australia where we drive on the left. In this case it's used to mark a seagull island.
https://www.google.com/maps/@-31.8566097,115.7776872,3a,36.3y,191.07h,85.04t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spRaWw2PmsW1p4HhVY9Sy0w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

The good old ddi. They really need another guide sign explaing drivers what to do, like a drive on left side for 500 ft, or why you are going on the left side.

I wonder if that would confuse certain drivers even more! Like at a complex freeway-to-freeway interchange, do you show them the full picture or just tell them to sit in a lane and trust that it will get them to where they're going?

[jeffandnicole]

I have no idea if anyone has posted anything like this yet, and if someone already has, I'm sorry.

But anyways, how common is something like this?

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.1097993,-113.5592197,3a,15y,93.09h,86.86t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sKjN1jxTMXNc3HCKcfd5MPA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.6580354,-93.2229914,3a,75y,125.26h,80.85t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1seiAnTfVNaRmk2EplL442Rg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

The good old ddi. They really need another guide sign explaing drivers what to do, like a drive on left side for 500 ft, or why you are going on the left side.

You simply follow the lane markings.  No additional signage needed. 

[kphoger]

I have no idea if anyone has posted anything like this yet, and if someone already has, I'm sorry.

But anyways, how common is something like this?

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.1097993,-113.5592197,3a,15y,93.09h,86.86t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sKjN1jxTMXNc3HCKcfd5MPA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.6580354,-93.2229914,3a,75y,125.26h,80.85t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1seiAnTfVNaRmk2EplL442Rg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

The good old ddi. They really need another guide sign explaing drivers what to do, like a drive on left side for 500 ft, or why you are going on the left side.

You simply follow the lane markings.  No additional signage needed. 

Agreed.  I've never encountered anyone who seemed confused by a DDI.  And I've driven through them probably at least a dozen times.

[US 89]

I have no idea if anyone has posted anything like this yet, and if someone already has, I'm sorry.

But anyways, how common is something like this?

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.1097993,-113.5592197,3a,15y,93.09h,86.86t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sKjN1jxTMXNc3HCKcfd5MPA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.6580354,-93.2229914,3a,75y,125.26h,80.85t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1seiAnTfVNaRmk2EplL442Rg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

The good old ddi. They really need another guide sign explaing drivers what to do, like a drive on left side for 500 ft, or why you are going on the left side.

You simply follow the lane markings.  No additional signage needed. 

Agreed.  I've never encountered anyone who seemed confused by a DDI.  And I've driven through them probably at least a dozen times.

In the DDIs I've been through, there is so much traffic, lights, etc. that no one really has time to notice that they're on the left side.

[J N Winkler]

MoDOT is still posting "arrow up with crook to left" warning signs at DDIs.  I personally think they are unnecessary, especially with DDIs becoming as common as dirt.

[kphoger]

MoDOT is still posting "arrow up with crook to left" warning signs at DDIs.  I personally think they are unnecessary, especially with DDIs becoming as common as dirt.

I hadn't really noticed those before.  Do you know when they started installing them and why?  Browsing through historical GSV of the DDIs at MO-248 & US-65 (Branson) and at MO-13 & I-44 (Springfield), I've narrowed the erection of those signs to between August 2012 and August 2013.  The DDI at Dorsett Rd & I-270 (Saint Louis) had them at least as early as 2011 (perhaps since construction?)

[jwolfer]

MoDOT is still posting "arrow up with crook to left" warning signs at DDIs.  I personally think they are unnecessary, especially with DDIs becoming as common as dirt.

Florida buses them at SPUIs as well.. I will try and get a picture

Z981

[J N Winkler]

MoDOT is still posting "arrow up with crook to left" warning signs at DDIs.  I personally think they are unnecessary, especially with DDIs becoming as common as dirt.

I hadn't really noticed those before.  Do you know when they started installing them and why?  Browsing through historical GSV of the DDIs at MO-248 & US-65 (Branson) and at MO-13 & I-44 (Springfield), I've narrowed the erection of those signs to between August 2012 and August 2013.  The DDI at Dorsett Rd & I-270 (Saint Louis) had them at least as early as 2011 (perhaps since construction?)

The MoDOT signing plan sheet tarball (which is more or less complete back to mid-2007, except for design-builds) is consistent with your observations.  I've been going through the ones since 2009 (earlier ones are in a separate folder), and the oldest DDI project I have found that had this particular design of warning sign as part of the initial construction was US 67/SR 221 in Farmington (plan sheet date of 2011-06-30).  It is still part of new DDI construction, including the latest project, which is currently under advertisement (I-70/SSRs F & H in Jackson County).

I-270/Dorsett has an unusual variation--two arrows instead of just one, and "Diverging Diamond Interchange" on the supplemental plate rather than "All Lanes."

As for motivation, I can only speculate, since I don't have an inside pipeline to MoDOT traffic engineering procedure other than their EPG, which is online.  I think these signs reflect a desire to show an abundance of caution in addressing the complaints of motorist confusion (the whole "temporarily driving on the left" thing) that came out of the first DDI at (I think) I-44/SR 13.

[jakeroot]

This is the sign utilised by SANRAL, South Africa's road agency, at the Kwamashu DDI Interchange north of Durban:

https://goo.gl/vL23rv (no street view yet)

[D-Dey65]

Just when were embossed railroad signs like the ones on display at the former Cold Spring New York Central Railroad station no longer considered part of the standard?

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:06-Old_Cold_Spring_NYC_Station.jpg

[D-Dey65]

Here's an example of the opposite, a 'keep right' sign in Australia where we drive on the left. In this case it's used to mark a seagull island.
https://www.google.com/maps/@-31.8566097,115.7776872,3a,36.3y,191.07h,85.04t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spRaWw2PmsW1p4HhVY9Sy0w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

So, that's what you call those channelized turn lanes in medians in Australia? We use Keep Left symbol signs for those, as you probably might expect.

[jakeroot]

Here's an example of the opposite, a 'keep right' sign in Australia where we drive on the left. In this case it's used to mark a seagull island.
https://www.google.com/maps/@-31.8566097,115.7776872,3a,36.3y,191.07h,85.04t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spRaWw2PmsW1p4HhVY9Sy0w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

So, that's what you call those channelized turn lanes in medians in Australia? We use Keep Left symbol signs for those, as you probably might expect.

I don't know where that style of intersection was first implemented (not exactly groundbreaking design but efficient for sure), but I'm pretty sure the Aussies were the first to coin the term "seagull intersection". As far as I know, it's a term also utilised in the US. In fact, the Wikipedia page on the intersection is called "Seagull Intersection". The term "continuous green T-intersection" is the other term I hear most often. The seagull reference is due to the design of the intersection [very roughly] resembling a mid-flight seagull.

[Hurricane Rex]

Here's an example of the opposite, a 'keep right' sign in Australia where we drive on the left. In this case it's used to mark a seagull island.
https://www.google.com/maps/@-31.8566097,115.7776872,3a,36.3y,191.07h,85.04t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spRaWw2PmsW1p4HhVY9Sy0w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

So, that's what you call those channelized turn lanes in medians in Australia? We use Keep Left symbol signs for those, as you probably might expect.

I don't know where that style of intersection was first implemented (not exactly groundbreaking design but efficient for sure), but I'm pretty sure the Aussies were the first to coin the term "seagull intersection". As far as I know, it's a term also utilised in the US. In fact, the Wikipedia page on the intersection is called "Seagull Intersection". The term "continuous green T-intersection" is the other term I hear most often. The seagull reference is due to the design of the intersection [very roughly] resembling a mid-flight seagull.

I have not seen that type of intersection in a long time and correct me if I'm wrong but Is this pretty rare?

[Eth]

Here's an example of the opposite, a 'keep right' sign in Australia where we drive on the left. In this case it's used to mark a seagull island.
https://www.google.com/maps/@-31.8566097,115.7776872,3a,36.3y,191.07h,85.04t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spRaWw2PmsW1p4HhVY9Sy0w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

So, that's what you call those channelized turn lanes in medians in Australia? We use Keep Left symbol signs for those, as you probably might expect.

I don't know where that style of intersection was first implemented (not exactly groundbreaking design but efficient for sure), but I'm pretty sure the Aussies were the first to coin the term "seagull intersection". As far as I know, it's a term also utilised in the US. In fact, the Wikipedia page on the intersection is called "Seagull Intersection". The term "continuous green T-intersection" is the other term I hear most often. The seagull reference is due to the design of the intersection [very roughly] resembling a mid-flight seagull.

I have not seen that type of intersection in a long time and correct me if I'm wrong but Is this pretty rare?

Though I don't think I've ever heard this term before, I've seen the intersection design in use in Maryland; there's one on US 301 just a few miles north of the Nice Bridge (at MD 234), and I think I remember a few along US 50 on the Eastern Shore.

[jeffandnicole]

Here's an example of the opposite, a 'keep right' sign in Australia where we drive on the left. In this case it's used to mark a seagull island.
https://www.google.com/maps/@-31.8566097,115.7776872,3a,36.3y,191.07h,85.04t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spRaWw2PmsW1p4HhVY9Sy0w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

So, that's what you call those channelized turn lanes in medians in Australia? We use Keep Left symbol signs for those, as you probably might expect.

I don't know where that style of intersection was first implemented (not exactly groundbreaking design but efficient for sure), but I'm pretty sure the Aussies were the first to coin the term "seagull intersection". As far as I know, it's a term also utilised in the US. In fact, the Wikipedia page on the intersection is called "Seagull Intersection". The term "continuous green T-intersection" is the other term I hear most often. The seagull reference is due to the design of the intersection [very roughly] resembling a mid-flight seagull.

I have not seen that type of intersection in a long time and correct me if I'm wrong but Is this pretty rare?

Relatively speaking, they're rare.  I think I know of 1 true one in NJ - in Manchester at the entrance to the MDL Joint Base. https://goo.gl/maps/Fincc2kKt6J2

[US 89]

Here's an example of the opposite, a 'keep right' sign in Australia where we drive on the left. In this case it's used to mark a seagull island.
https://www.google.com/maps/@-31.8566097,115.7776872,3a,36.3y,191.07h,85.04t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spRaWw2PmsW1p4HhVY9Sy0w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

So, that's what you call those channelized turn lanes in medians in Australia? We use Keep Left symbol signs for those, as you probably might expect.

I don't know where that style of intersection was first implemented (not exactly groundbreaking design but efficient for sure), but I'm pretty sure the Aussies were the first to coin the term "seagull intersection". As far as I know, it's a term also utilised in the US. In fact, the Wikipedia page on the intersection is called "Seagull Intersection". The term "continuous green T-intersection" is the other term I hear most often. The seagull reference is due to the design of the intersection [very roughly] resembling a mid-flight seagull.

I have not seen that type of intersection in a long time and correct me if I'm wrong but Is this pretty rare?

They are fairly common in Utah. I can think of at least 10 signalized ones off the top of my head, and I’m sure there are more, with and without signals.

According to Wikipedia, Utah and Nevada call them High-T intersections, but I don’t think I’ve ever actually heard that term used.

[jakeroot]

Unsignalised variations are extremely common all across the US, as far as I know. Signalised variations seem to pop up in Washington rather often. These are all the ones that I know of off-hand (I'm sure there are more)...

- Meridian @ 31 Ave SE, Puyallup: https://goo.gl/Ms8U28
- East Main @ Shaw Rd, Puyallup: https://goo.gl/apPXq6
- West Valley Hwy @ Valley Freeway, Sumner: https://goo.gl/Cbtrkm
- South Orchard St @ Hwy 16, Tacoma: https://goo.gl/y5Lznp
- South Cloverdale St @ Hwy 509, Seattle: https://goo.gl/6fWwPR
- Broadway @ 41 St Connector Road, Everett: https://goo.gl/sYAA4i
- North Mill Rd @ West Hastings, Spokane: https://goo.gl/ZZuRSd

[roadfro]

According to Wikipedia, Utah and Nevada call them High-T intersections, but I don't think I've ever actually heard that term used.

Being from Nevada, my earliest memory of this type of intersection being referred to by a name was indeed "high-T intersection". City of Las Vegas has actually put this wording on some warning sign plaques at a few locations.

[Hurricane Rex]

Unsignalised variations are extremely common all across the US, as far as I know. Signalised variations seem to pop up in Washington rather often. These are all the ones that I know of off-hand (I'm sure there are more)...

- Meridian @ 31 Ave SE, Puyallup: https://goo.gl/Ms8U28
- East Main @ Shaw Rd, Puyallup: https://goo.gl/apPXq6
- West Valley Hwy @ Valley Freeway, Sumner: https://goo.gl/Cbtrkm
- South Orchard St @ Hwy 16, Tacoma: https://goo.gl/y5Lznp
- South Cloverdale St @ Hwy 509, Seattle: https://goo.gl/6fWwPR
- Broadway @ 41 St Connector Road, Everett: https://goo.gl/sYAA4i
- North Mill Rd @ West Hastings, Spokane: https://goo.gl/ZZuRSd

I don't know if I'm confusing this with another type od intersection but the Mineke (misspelled) rd, Tualatin Sherwood Road, and Langer Farms road intersection all have dedicated right turn lanes to yield with a useful type island.

I may be overthinking this again though.

[Mapmikey]

South Carolina has had these since back to around 1980 or so...

The ones on US 52 in North Charleston go back that far.