Signs you would add to the MUTCD from outside North America

[MikeTheActuary]

I think instead of a specific sign to mark a freeway, that information could have been conveyed by the shield. Right now shields basically convey who maintains the road and how it was funded. The average traveler couldn't care less about that. Back when the system of US highways was created, the US shield served a useful purpose. It meant the road will take you to a faraway destination with minimum inconveniences. When Interstates were introduced the Interstate shield now meant that instead, but the US system was never retired. The state and county systems were added too. Now a US or state route can be a freeway, an expressway, a 2-lane surface road, and there is no way to tell. What if instead you had a freeway shield shape, maybe keep the US shield for non-freeway long-distance routes, and the states can do whatever for their non-freeway routes. The same number can change shields if freeway status of the route changes. Much more useful.

Kind of related to this, I have always imagined a Red White and Blue US highway sign for freeway sections. A divided (Expressway) could have another, then put the 2-5 lane city sections as another.

How would US 4 between Concord NH and Portsmouth NH be handled?

1. Is a red-white-blue US 4 shield redundant with I-93 and I-393 already having an Interstate shield with those colors?
2. Where does the expressway begin on the east end? NH 125? NH 155A? Is the section from NH 125 to NH 16 not an expressway at all despite interchanges?

Several years ago, I hypothesized up a great renumbering of the Interstate/US highway system.

The basic premise was that having two separate federal numbering systems was redundant, especially given the political importance given to having red-white-and-blue interstate shields on local roads versus black-and-white US highway shields, even though the road itself might be unchanged or a logical upgrade.  Put another way, is there any real value to renumbering a road as "22" with a different-colored shield when "78" works just as well?

Highway numbers within the system would be somewhat British in flavor:

X### = a road that is "interstate class", connecting to another "interstate class" highway, which is completely "interstate class" between two X/A/B highways or its terminus. (I.e., a random patch of freeway out in the middle of nowhere wouldn't get an X-class number/shield.)

A### = a road that is an expressway or sub-standard freeway, connecting to another X/A class road, which is X or A class between two X/A/B highways or its terminus (excluding roads that meet X-class criteria).

B### = a normal highway meeting some basic standards, connecting to another X/A/B class road, which is X/A/B class between two X/A/B highways or its terminus (excluding roads that meet X- or A-class criteria).

C### = other roads forming part of the highway system; likely substandard facilities included only to designate links to points of national importance or highways expected to be upgraded to a higher class when demand and resources permit.

Trailblazers could also be color-coded to help designate class.

Highways could change class, but retain their number over long distances.  So, for example, rather than having I-99, perhaps the residents of Altoona PA would have been happy with B220 having been upgraded to X220.

(I imagined this as a great renumbering, so 220 wouldn't actually have been the number involved.  But going further into those details is way beyond the scope of this thread, aside from mentioning that all federal highways would be 3di's, to reduce the potential impact caused today by politicians seeking one of the limited number of 2di's for their constituents.)

[jakeroot]

It will help eliminate confusion if we ever do switch over.

Which we won't. I wish we would but there's just no push for it anymore.

[vdeane]

Speed limit signs with a red circle are already standard in the US for metric speeds, although they are rarely used.

I don't see any metric speed limit signs diagrammed in the 2009 MUTCD; I believe the 2003 MUTCD used a black circle.

[Big John]

^^ Correct, all Metric references were removed in the 2009 edition

[realjd]

Speed limit signs with a red circle are already standard in the US for metric speeds, although they are rarely used.

I don't see any metric speed limit signs diagrammed in the 2009 MUTCD; I believe the 2003 MUTCD used a black circle.

Didn't know it was removed as an option and didn't remember it using a black circle. There are metric speed limits posted occasionally here in FL and usually they use a supplemental red circle below the regular speed limit sign.

[riiga]

Yeah, Florida used (uses?) these:


Here taken from a Swedish travel program in the late 80s showing them as a curiosity and a way for Europeans to feel at home when visiting Florida.

[vdeane]

This is the MUTCD one used at the Ogdensburg-Prescott Bridge (had to see unless you zoom in): http://nysroads.com/images/gallery/NY/ny812/100_6498.JPG

[jakeroot]

Here taken from a Swedish travel program in the late 80s showing them as a curiosity and a way for Europeans to feel at home when visiting Florida.

Please send me a link to that video. I probably won't understand any of it, but I'd still like to see it.

[riiga]

Here taken from a Swedish travel program in the late 80s showing them as a curiosity and a way for Europeans to feel at home when visiting Florida.

Please send me a link to that video. I probably won't understand any of it, but I'd still like to see it.

Unfortunately the video is only available online to those with a Swedish IP, but I've managed to save a copy of the video and can send it to you through Skype if you want. 

[Big John]

Also a green circle is used to indicate a "hazardous Materials" route and a red circle with a slash circle through it indicates where hazardous materials are not permitted, each with the letters "HM" inside them.

[jakeroot]

...Ohio uses a green circle to indicate when a movement is allowed.

Indeed they do! I was not aware of municipalities that used green circles to indicate permissive movements:

https://goo.gl/iqVH2w

In Seattle, and other places nearby, the white arrow on black background can be seen on some overhead arrow-per-lane installations:

https://goo.gl/MFp60p

[TXtoNJ]

Count me in the pro-red circle for speed limits crowd.

[J N Winkler]

I doubt this will happen anytime soon, but I would like to see climate zone boundary signs tried somewhere, even if they are not added to the MUTCD straight away.  I live in Cfa but am within 150 miles' driving distance of BSk and Dfa.

[Rothman]

I doubt this will happen anytime soon, but I would like to see climate zone boundary signs tried somewhere, even if they are not added to the MUTCD straight away.  I live in Cfa but am within 150 miles' driving distance of BSk and Dfa.

O.o