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

[kkt]

Found this unusual sign on US 64 Business in Columbia NC last weekend.  Something normally associated with boating...

There was one in each direction.  I guess during heavy rains the high street curb pools a lot of water in the road and there are houses and/or yards that get water being pushed over the curb by fast moving vehicles...

Putting up a sign is cheaper than fixing the storm drains.

[Mapmikey]

Putting up a sign is cheaper than fixing the storm drains.

There don't appear to be many except at the stoplight ahead per 2008 GMSV.  Columbia is tiny as is Tyrell County.

[jbnv]

Tangipahoa Parish seems to like making odd, unusual signs.


Nonstandard Speed Limit Sign by Jay Bienvenu, on Flickr


Altered BUMP Sign by Jay Bienvenu, on Flickr

[formulanone]

Found this unusual sign on US 64 Business in Columbia NC last weekend.  Something normally associated with boating...

There was one in each direction.  I guess during heavy rains the high street curb pools a lot of water in the road and there are houses and/or yards that get water being pushed over the curb by fast moving vehicles...

Putting up a sign is cheaper than fixing the storm drains.

Here's the (standard) maritime version of that sign:



Come to think of it, I need one of these posted alongside my bed.

[jakeroot]

This school zone, near Archbishop Murphy High School (along a 45 MPH-zone of 132 St near Mill Creek, Washington) is 35 MPH, way higher than any other school zone I've ever seen, even outside of Washington (though I'm sure higher limit school zones exist).

My understanding has been that 20 MPH zones near schools were put in place to reduce the likelihood of pedestrian vs car collision being fatal. The chance of a fatal collision between a pedestrian and a car is much higher at 35 (though lower than 45, so it's better than nothing I suppose).

I don't support artificially low limits (the speed of traffic is always the safest), but schools are rife with pedestrian activity, and stupid children. I don't think 35 is the safest speed for a school zone.

Oh, and inb4 someone links a youtube video of Helen Lovejoy squealing about children.

[thenetwork]

In Colorado, I have seen School Zone signs as high as 45 MPH on major arteries.  I have seen a school zone at 35 MPH -- the same speed as the regular speed limit (which pretty much says the fines increase if you go over the regular speed limit during school hours).  I'm sure they determined the speed limits by the proximity of the school (does the road border the actual school property?), the non-school zone limit, the amount of children who actually walk along and/or cross the road in the zone area.

Some states, regardless of the type of road (residential/commercial/expressway) will automatically sign the zone at xx MPH (Ohio is a standard 20 MPH -- even if the regular speed is 55, for example).

Personally, with more parents choosing to have their kids picked-up at school if they don't get to ride a bus, some of these zones not adjacent to school property should be reviewed and either speed-adjusted or removed as the amount of schoolkid traffic has been reduced over the years.  I see more uncontrolled kids in areas where they are picked-up/dropped off en-masse at neighborhood stops than in school zones, but the speeds aren't reduced there, yet the speeds are slower where the kids are more behaved and crossings are more monitored (by adult crossing guards, teachers, parents,...).

[theline]

Just today I passed a 40 MPH school zone on US 20 east of Michigan City, IN. I believe it was for Renaissance Academy Charter School, which actually has a La Porte address. That's the highest limit I recall seeing for a school zone. The school is right on the highway, though I doubt that there are any pedestrians in the area. The limit outside the school zone is 55.

[formulanone]

I don't support artificially low limits (the speed of traffic is always the safest), but schools are rife with pedestrian activity, and stupid children. I don't think 35 is the safest speed for a school zone.

It depends...there's residential neighborhoods with lots of kids crossing the road, and even a few major thoroughfares which even needed crossing guards. Those are the ones that need low (15-20 mph) limits. But there's also many of them that just have a lot of traffic scooting in and out of the school, and slowing it down a bit allows for better traffic flow. In that case, I can understand going towards a 25-30 mph limit.

Schools also used to be placed closer alongside the road, but there's been more of a trend to have some sort of parking lots in front of them nowadays, to facilitate transportation and keep the traffic off the adjacent route, if possible. The elementary school closest to my home has no children crossing the street, because it's a more modern design, and the residential neighborhoods are behind it (so walkers use the side entrances).

Here's a 45 mph speed limit (with a fugly "4") on US 84 in Georgia - somewhere a bit west of Quitman. US 84 has a 65 mph limit around there, but I suppose there's almost no students walking around, so it's all buses/pick-up/drop-offs, because there didn't seem to be much in the way of residents in the immediate area.



I was used to 15-20 mph school speed limits down in much of Florida, which applied no matter what the local speed limit was. Other places seem to drop the limit a set number of miles per hour below the standard posted limit. There's a few places near me on US 72 where it goes from 65 to 35 (when flashing), and even then, I find it hard to wrap my head around a 35-mph school speed limit.

[cjk374]

20170516_173552 by Jess Kilgore, on Flickr

[jeffandnicole]

Most of NJ's school zones are 25, 30 or 35 mph. In general, the limit drops 15 mph for elementary schools; 10 mph for high schools, with 25 usually being the mininum school zone speed. Thus, a 25 mph school zone may exist when the road is normally 25 mph.

[D-Dey65]

I was used to 15-20 mph school speed limits down in much of Florida, which applied no matter what the local speed limit was. Other places seem to drop the limit a set number of miles per hour below the standard posted limit. There's a few places near me on US 72 where it goes from 65 to 35 (when flashing), and even then, I find it hard to wrap my head around a 35-mph school speed limit.

Moon Lake Road just south of Florida SR 52 used to have a 50-mph school speed limit until around 15 years ago or so. I used to think 35 was pretty fast for a school zone.

[Mapmikey]

Here's the (standard) maritime version of that sign:



Come to think of it, I need one of these posted alongside my bed.

Would make a terrific waterbed pillow...

[tckma]

https://flic.kr/p/UPbsES

A church moving at 25 MPH, I'd think, would be a fast church.  Don't those things normally "move" at 0 MPH?

Or, are they insulting the congregation before suggesting a speed of 25 MPH?

[jay8g]

Not your normal low clearance sign. Probably a Spokane install, but could be WSDOT (it's on a city portion of a state highway, and those tend to be somewhat of a mix when it comes to signs and markings).

[GenExpwy]

On NY 245, just outside the village of Rushville in Yates County, there's a 45 mph school zone on an otherwise 55 mph 2-lane road.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.7553883,-77.243807,3a,66.8y,91.55h,87.23t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1si7RmTfhPe6lCUO34hV5OBQ!2e0

[chays]

Not your normal low clearance sign. Probably a Spokane install, but could be WSDOT (it's on a city portion of a state highway, and those tend to be somewhat of a mix when it comes to signs and markings).

Check your link- doesn't appear to be pointing at what you want.

[Big John]

Not your normal low clearance sign. Probably a Spokane install, but could be WSDOT (it's on a city portion of a state highway, and those tend to be somewhat of a mix when it comes to signs and markings).

Check your link- doesn't appear to be pointing at what you want.

I think this is what he meant: https://www.google.com/maps/@47.6618436,-117.3870671,3a,75y,130.3h,85.05t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1sPLqOWx1bStK-Sf_i3LS6wA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DPLqOWx1bStK-Sf_i3LS6wA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D91.5%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100?hl=en

[vdeane]

I don't think that link is working either.  The first is the brown building, the second is the industrial building and surrounding area.  Neither link has a single road sign.

[jakeroot]

WashDOT recently replaced some signage along the southbound I-5 C/D lanes south of Seattle (near the I-90 interchange). One of the replaced signs contained one of the few instances of the word "OK" being used on a BGS. Two other examples of this practice exist (Hwy 18 approaching I-5 (here) (itself a relatively new sign), and I-5 SB approaching the 101 (here)).

Interestingly, the new signage maintains the use of the word "OK". The new sign is below, and a link to the old sign is here.

The new sign does have a couple of issues. First, the down arrows aren't right. The stems are too narrow. The bigger issue, though, is the use of "TO" in the label. This sign is pointing drivers towards the on-ramp to I-90. It's not really a "TO" situation. It's more of a "IS" situation.

Note that "Spokane" was dropped as a control city.

[Mapmikey]

I don't think that link is working either.  The first is the brown building, the second is the industrial building and surrounding area.  Neither link has a single road sign.

I think this is what they were trying to point to...

https://goo.gl/maps/h62ZXNsjeyH2

[SignGeek101]

I don't think that link is working either.  The first is the brown building, the second is the industrial building and surrounding area.  Neither link has a single road sign.

I think this is what they were trying to point to...

https://goo.gl/maps/h62ZXNsjeyH2

I like it a lot. Put a height tab below it, and you're set IMO.

[Mr. Matté]

Didn't get a photo of the sign (stupid Google Camera app on my phone is too slow with the shutter button) but on I-84 in CT, I saw an orange construction sign that said "Exit 25 local traffic only, police take notice." So if someone with out of state plates takes the exit, are cops supposed to tail them if they were off to a drug deal or something?

Also seen on I-287 in White Plains:

Wonder if the city of Right Lane, NY would be a good place to live?

[cl94]

NYSTA and NYSDOT have a few signs that are variations of the above scattered around the state, all of which are at lane drops where the extra attention is warranted.

[D-Dey65]

Has anyone else seen the yellow Speed Limit 40 sign on Sumter County Road 48 in Bushnell, Florida east of I-75 and west of the furthest east entrance to Wal-Mart. If I can't get a picture of it tonight (due to an approaching thunderstorm), I'll try to post my own pic of it on Wikimedia Commons and show the link to you people in another post either tomorrow or after the weekend.


Or, you could just look for it on the most recent Google Street View.

[noelbotevera]

Since when was "Trnpk" an acceptable abbreviation?

But, then again, I've seen this in Oklahoma, so draw your own conclusions here.