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

Started by mass_citizen, December 04, 2013, 10:46:35 PM

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jay8g

WSDOT has put these up in a few places, and they always irritate me. They seem overly technical to the point of being incomprehensible. Wouldn't it be better to just say "Illegal to cross wide yellow line" or, what they really mean, no left turn?


kkt

Quote from: jay8g on February 24, 2016, 08:17:17 PM
WSDOT has put these up in a few places, and they always irritate me. They seem overly technical to the point of being incomprehensible. Wouldn't it be better to just say "Illegal to cross wide yellow line" or, what they really mean, no left turn?

"Excuse me, officer, but if you get out and measure that line, it's 18 1/8 inches."

roadman65

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.9460482,-76.2588005,3a,75y,78.86h,88.88t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1shytLbEGhtk_4RvCSUZXkWQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

This one here on US 460 EB in Norfolk at the VA 168 interchange.  I am guessing the downward arrows for the US 60 and I-64 shields were added as some motorists must of been turning left prematurely into the side street at this intersection.

Nonetheless, I love these shields.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

jeffandnicole

NJDOT put this BGS up last weekend, at the final exit prior to the Trenton Tunnel on NJ 29 North.



(Former sign: https://goo.gl/maps/zZEZ1EWwrht )

FWIW, Duck Island doesn't really have anyhing to do with ducks, and isn't an island. Its mostly home to a PSE&G generation station and Trenton Sewer Dept. You don't realize it because of the trees, but by the time you reach these areas, you actually backtracked to an area just west of I-295.

(apologies for the blur)

SignGeek101

Quote from: jeffandnicole on February 26, 2016, 03:00:30 PM
NJDOT put this BGS up last weekend, at the final exit prior to the Trenton Tunnel on NJ 29 North.



(Former sign: https://goo.gl/maps/zZEZ1EWwrht )

FWIW, Duck Island doesn't really have anyhing to do with ducks, and isn't an island. Its mostly home to a PSE&G generation station and Trenton Sewer Dept. You don't realize it because of the trees, but by the time you reach these areas, you actually backtracked to an area just west of I-295.

(apologies for the blur)

That looks like something from Australia.

https://goo.gl/maps/9QMCXnkJjFC2 - This one is a mouthful to read, and could very easily be replaced with symbols.


cl94

The only flashing warning sign I've ever come across:
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.6698151,-70.0971507,3a,75y,106.54h,75.62t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sVPmgJfMORPzz-OTSsRQYqw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
[/quote]

Take a trip out to Albany at some point. NYSDOT Region 1 loves these things. Most are on expressways and ramps, but there are at least 2 on surface roads.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

roadman65

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0800918,-73.7860766,3a,37.5y,151.1h,85.59t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1soR8apo9zBV6YlfnvSgDoBw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

I like how US 9 gets individual direction shields but NY 50 gets only one.  Both routes are concurrent you would figure some consistency here, but NYSDOT thought otherwise.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

Revive 755

Quote from: jay8g on February 24, 2016, 08:17:17 PM
WSDOT has put these up in a few places, and they always irritate me. They seem overly technical to the point of being incomprehensible. Wouldn't it be better to just say "Illegal to cross wide yellow line" or, what they really mean, no left turn?

Or "Illegal to cross double yellow line?  Or perhaps go more extreme and put some flexible delineators (similar to the ones at the intersection) on the centerline?

cl94

Quote from: roadman65 on February 26, 2016, 10:57:19 PM
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0800918,-73.7860766,3a,37.5y,151.1h,85.59t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1soR8apo9zBV6YlfnvSgDoBw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

I like how US 9 gets individual direction shields but NY 50 gets only one.  Both routes are concurrent you would figure some consistency here, but NYSDOT thought otherwise.

NYSDOT put up the assembly, but it's city-maintained, so that may have had something to do with it. Likely to avoid the visual impact of a 3-high assembly in a historic district. I do question the lack of a trailblazer for NY 9P, as it begins half a block to the south.

Quote from: Revive 755 on February 26, 2016, 11:18:40 PM
Quote from: jay8g on February 24, 2016, 08:17:17 PM
WSDOT has put these up in a few places, and they always irritate me. They seem overly technical to the point of being incomprehensible. Wouldn't it be better to just say "Illegal to cross wide yellow line" or, what they really mean, no left turn?

Or "Illegal to cross double yellow line?  Or perhaps go more extreme and put some flexible delineators (similar to the ones at the intersection) on the centerline?

Or do what every other state does and let the "no left turn" signs speak for themselves.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

jakeroot

Quote from: cl94 on February 26, 2016, 11:23:23 PM
Quote from: Revive 755 on February 26, 2016, 11:18:40 PM
Quote from: jay8g on February 24, 2016, 08:17:17 PM
WSDOT has put these up in a few places, and they always irritate me. They seem overly technical to the point of being incomprehensible. Wouldn't it be better to just say "Illegal to cross wide yellow line" or, what they really mean, no left turn?

Or "Illegal to cross double yellow line?  Or perhaps go more extreme and put some flexible delineators (similar to the ones at the intersection) on the centerline?

Or do what every other state does and let the "no left turn" signs speak for themselves.

WSDOT has been using the single, wide, yellow line for some years now, in multiple locations. Rather than post "no left turn" signs at every location, it's easier to install reminder signs such as the one seen here to help solidify the meaning of the line.

thenetwork

Quote from: SignGeek101 on February 26, 2016, 04:34:32 PM
https://goo.gl/maps/9QMCXnkJjFC2 - This one is a mouthful to read, and could very easily be replaced with symbols.

In Colorado, we shorten it to OPEN RANGE.

roadman65

Quote from: cl94 on February 26, 2016, 11:23:23 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on February 26, 2016, 10:57:19 PM
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0800918,-73.7860766,3a,37.5y,151.1h,85.59t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1soR8apo9zBV6YlfnvSgDoBw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

I like how US 9 gets individual direction shields but NY 50 gets only one.  Both routes are concurrent you would figure some consistency here, but NYSDOT thought otherwise.

NYSDOT put up the assembly, but it's city-maintained, so that may have had something to do with it. Likely to avoid the visual impact of a 3-high assembly in a historic district. I do question the lack of a trailblazer for NY 9P, as it begins half a block to the south.

Quote from: Revive 755 on February 26, 2016, 11:18:40 PM
Quote from: jay8g on February 24, 2016, 08:17:17 PM
WSDOT has put these up in a few places, and they always irritate me. They seem overly technical to the point of being incomprehensible. Wouldn't it be better to just say "Illegal to cross wide yellow line" or, what they really mean, no left turn?

Or "Illegal to cross double yellow line?  Or perhaps go more extreme and put some flexible delineators (similar to the ones at the intersection) on the centerline?

Or do what every other state does and let the "no left turn" signs speak for themselves.
NY 9P you say has no signage here, look at the signage on GSV where it turns north on Circular Street from Union Avenue.  The four lane arterial ends at the two lane side street, but has no trailblazing to get you to its western terminus via Circular and even Spring as the intersection of Circular and Spring is unsigned following it NB.

The weird signage on NY 29 at least informs you of NY 29 turning left to change alignments, but NY 9P has motorists clueless of what they are to do at the end of Union Avenue.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

FrCorySticha

Quote from: thenetwork on February 27, 2016, 01:28:53 AM
Quote from: SignGeek101 on February 26, 2016, 04:34:32 PM
https://goo.gl/maps/9QMCXnkJjFC2 - This one is a mouthful to read, and could very easily be replaced with symbols.

In Colorado, we shorten it to OPEN RANGE.

In Montana, at least, marking it open range has a specific legal definition which brings with it legal responsibilities for the driver that don't exist if it's not considered open range.

IMO, this sign doesn't imply that the driver is entering open range, but a part of the road where there is a heavier concentration of wildlife and livestock. Perhaps the better way is one of the wildlife crossing signs (W11-3, W11-16, W11-18, W11-20, or W11-21 in the US MUTCD) and one of the livestock crossing signs (W11-4 is common here in Montana).

cl94

Signals have since been replaced, but new signs identical to these went up in Troy on NY 66 at the intersection with Spring Avenue/former NY 154
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

jakeroot

Quote from: cl94 on February 29, 2016, 12:22:07 AM
Signals have since been replaced, but new signs identical to these went up in Troy on NY 66 at the intersection with Spring Avenue/former NY 154

Any idea whether Pawling Ave operates with split-phasing? I'm wondering because, if the cars moved up to the "waiting zone" (the "keep left" lane, in this case), they wouldn't be able to tell when the light goes to yellow, so as to know when it's safe to complete their maneuver.

cl94

Quote from: jakeroot on February 29, 2016, 12:55:33 AM
Quote from: cl94 on February 29, 2016, 12:22:07 AM
Signals have since been replaced, but new signs identical to these went up in Troy on NY 66 at the intersection with Spring Avenue/former NY 154

Any idea whether Pawling Ave operates with split-phasing? I'm wondering because, if the cars moved up to the "waiting zone" (the "keep left" lane, in this case), they wouldn't be able to tell when the light goes to yellow, so as to know when it's safe to complete their maneuver.

Pawling Avenue / NY 66 does not operate with split phasing and it is currently a 2-phase signal. New lights went in within the past year and a set of McCain programmable visibility signals was added to the far side facing the end of the left turn lanes. It is worth noting that the far side signals only show green (at least as far as I have seen). It isn't too big of an issue, as there isn't much traffic from the north (most cars going that far south cut down to Spring in downtown Troy to avoid the traffic on NY 2) and left turns are banned off of Spring Avenue.

The rough terrain creates a lot of intersections like this. Think of a smaller version of Pittsburgh or Seattle, except most of the major roads like this probably date back well over 300 years, long before there was any mass vehicular traffic. Most don't have signage that is this clear. This intersection at the far NE corner of the city has similar signage. The signals themselves are an oddity because double permissive lefts are very rare in New York and I cannot think of another off the top of my head that doesn't involve 2 one-way streets.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

Rothman

Quote from: cl94 on February 29, 2016, 01:33:33 AM
The signals themselves are an oddity because double permissive lefts are very rare in New York and I cannot think of another off the top of my head that doesn't involve 2 one-way streets.

Not a double permissive left, but I hate this setup:

https://goo.gl/maps/i7gLzt1Lxh22

When the lights show a green ball instead of the protected left, you have the situation where a car may want to turn left from that middle lane.  Although the right lane is provided to go around such cars (which also merges back in just beyond the intersection), it still annoys people when a car sits there to wait to be able to turn left when it's a green ball.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

roadfro

Quote from: Rothman on February 29, 2016, 07:48:55 AM
Quote from: cl94 on February 29, 2016, 01:33:33 AM
The signals themselves are an oddity because double permissive lefts are very rare in New York and I cannot think of another off the top of my head that doesn't involve 2 one-way streets.

Not a double permissive left, but I hate this setup:

https://goo.gl/maps/i7gLzt1Lxh22

When the lights show a green ball instead of the protected left, you have the situation where a car may want to turn left from that middle lane.  Although the right lane is provided to go around such cars (which also merges back in just beyond the intersection), it still annoys people when a car sits there to wait to be able to turn left when it's a green ball.

This kind of setup should use split phasing, to avoid the situation you describe.
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.

jeffandnicole

Quote from: Rothman on February 29, 2016, 07:48:55 AM
Quote from: cl94 on February 29, 2016, 01:33:33 AM
The signals themselves are an oddity because double permissive lefts are very rare in New York and I cannot think of another off the top of my head that doesn't involve 2 one-way streets.

Not a double permissive left, but I hate this setup:

https://goo.gl/maps/i7gLzt1Lxh22

When the lights show a green ball instead of the protected left, you have the situation where a car may want to turn left from that middle lane.  Although the right lane is provided to go around such cars (which also merges back in just beyond the intersection), it still annoys people when a car sits there to wait to be able to turn left when it's a green ball.

https://goo.gl/maps/vJGYquLtshk

If you advanced the GSV one click forward, you would've noticed the green arrows, meaning the green ball situation you worried about doesn't exist here.

cl94

Quote from: jeffandnicole on February 29, 2016, 10:23:34 AM
Quote from: Rothman on February 29, 2016, 07:48:55 AM
Quote from: cl94 on February 29, 2016, 01:33:33 AM
The signals themselves are an oddity because double permissive lefts are very rare in New York and I cannot think of another off the top of my head that doesn't involve 2 one-way streets.

Not a double permissive left, but I hate this setup:

https://goo.gl/maps/i7gLzt1Lxh22

When the lights show a green ball instead of the protected left, you have the situation where a car may want to turn left from that middle lane.  Although the right lane is provided to go around such cars (which also merges back in just beyond the intersection), it still annoys people when a car sits there to wait to be able to turn left when it's a green ball.

https://goo.gl/maps/vJGYquLtshk

If you advanced the GSV one click forward, you would've noticed the green arrows, meaning the green ball situation you worried about doesn't exist here.

He is well aware of that. Issue is that this intersection does not have split phasing, so there's a red left arrow and a green up arrow showing at the same time. Region 1 loved doing this in the 90s, even though it is a clear violation of the MUTCD. Go to the left and you can see the issue, except the left turn has green and straight has red.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

Travel Mapping (updated weekly)

slorydn1

Quote from: kkt on February 24, 2016, 09:27:32 PM
Quote from: jay8g on February 24, 2016, 08:17:17 PM
WSDOT has put these up in a few places, and they always irritate me. They seem overly technical to the point of being incomprehensible. Wouldn't it be better to just say "Illegal to cross wide yellow line" or, what they really mean, no left turn?

"Excuse me, officer, but if you get out and measure that line, it's 18 1/8 inches."


Hmmm, good. Maybe when you explain it to the judge, he may listen! License, registration, and proof of insurance, please. Oh and press hard, 3 copies.  :)
Please Note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of any governmental agency, non-governmental agency, quasi-governmental agency or wanna be governmental agency

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freebrickproductions

It's all fun & games until someone summons Cthulhu and brings about the end of the world.

I also collect traffic lights, road signs, fans, and railroad crossing equipment.

(They/Them)

Mr. Matté

From the same state as above: https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0128454,-74.7960524,3a,33.4y,242.06h,82.15t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1syy2WCfJ7b46zZ6NJJsUL9g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

How does one get away with that approaching an NJDOT-maintained road? I know the governor said North Wildwood doesn't flood, but this assembly needs to be floated out to sea and sunk at the Mariana Trench.

WillWeaverRVA

Quote from: Mr. Matté on March 01, 2016, 05:31:43 PM
From the same state as above: https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0128454,-74.7960524,3a,33.4y,242.06h,82.15t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1syy2WCfJ7b46zZ6NJJsUL9g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

How does one get away with that approaching an NJDOT-maintained road? I know the governor said North Wildwood doesn't flood, but this assembly needs to be floated out to sea and sunk at the Mariana Trench.

I was looking around that area and noticed this...seems rather unusual for a surface street without interchanges to have a sign reading "next X exits", let alone "next 26 exits!"

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0086008,-74.7939998,3a,37.5y,233.97h,77.29t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sohwg5yXsYVSC6z2qGq9S2w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Will Weaver
WillWeaverRVA Photography | Twitter

"But how will the oxen know where to drown if we renumber the Oregon Trail?" - NE2



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