Old state abbreviation usage

[Big John]

"Walk on the Wild Side" lyric says Miami F-L-A

[TheHighwayMan3561]

"Walk on the Wild Side" lyric says Miami F-L-A

But that was for the sake of a rhyme, just like the Beach Boys "Californ-Eye-Yay"

[jp the roadgeek]

What drives me crazy is when a state's DOT uses a 2 letter abbreviation, but the 2nd letter is lower case.  A couple of examples:

On the Baltimore Beltway:

https://goo.gl/maps/PtiSXjN2ucy4p8m98

where is York Ma? (and I don't mean Massachusetts)

On US 6 in Providence:

https://goo.gl/maps/eTQEaJigjZBBKyKLA

Is there a street named Hartford Court?

[Brandon]

^^ In that same vein, IDOT themselves will use "Il"  instead of Ill or IL on the signage.

[1995hoo]

Of course, an exception would be where the "traditional" abbreviation had two letters, such as "Va" or "Md," in which case the lowercase letter is acceptable.

I find it mildly amusing how the abbreviations differ in different contexts. The main legal citation guide (the "Bluebook") uses "Cal." for California, for example.

[hbelkins]

What drives me crazy is when a state's DOT uses a 2 letter abbreviation, but the 2nd letter is lower case.

That's routine for West Virginia. Ky, Md, Pa, and Va are commonly seen.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I've seen "Minn."  on some signs in Iowa recently on IA 4 and IA 60.

[jay8g]

WSDOT often uses "Wash." (sometimes without the period on newer signs) in the context of the University of Washington.

[sbeaver44]

I know that the approaches to the Fort Steuben Bridge in Steubenville were signed "Weirton, W.Va.," but it's been demolished and I can't find any other examples.

Years ago, I seem to recall some Indiana I-70 signage having a control city of "Columbus, O.H.," which isn't old school so much as just incorrect.

"Huntington. W. Va." is in use on either US 52 or OH 7, or both, just north of the river.

At the beginning of US 48 at I-81, the signs on the ramp list "Wardensville W Va" as the control city

[briantroutman]

What drives me crazy is when a state's DOT uses a 2 letter abbreviation, but the 2nd letter is lower case.

Abbreviations like Pa. and Md. are arguably not incorrect. Abbreviations aren't all caps; acronyms are. And the fact that the U.S.P.S. standardized two-letter capitalized state codes in 1963 to make room for a ZIP code on envelopes and to make mail sorting easier shouldn't necessarily have a bearing on how the English-speaking world abbreviates states names in visual communications. Most people merely accept the Postal Service's state codes because mailing labels are likely the most common context in which they either write or read state abbreviations. But a document drafted by the Government Printing Office or the Associated Press would still abbreviate Pennsylvania as Pa. or Maryland as Md.

On the other hand, what drives me crazy is when people needlessly print an abbreviation of a single word in all capital letters. A Macintosh is not a MAC, an avenue is not an AVE, and a mister is not a MR.

[1995hoo]

....

On the other hand, what drives me crazy is when people needlessly print an abbreviation of a single word in all capital letters. A Macintosh is not a MAC, an avenue is not an AVE, and a mister is not a MR.

There are people here in the DC area who insist on writing the word "Metro," referring to the transit system, as "METRO." It's neither an abbreviation nor an acronym–it's simply the name. (The acronym for the transit agency is "WMATA.") I suspect some of them may be older people who saw BART and MARTA, both of which opened their rail systems in the 1970s (Metro opened in 1976), and just assumed these things are written in all-caps.

Then there are some people and media outlets that just do weird things. The New York Times strangely and wrongly insists on inserting periods in even the most standard abbreviations (example: they inexplicably think the NHL and the NFL are the "N.H.L." and the "N.F.L."). But that would lead to very awkward results on acronyms like "NASCAR," so on that one they omit the periods and turn it into a word instead ("Nascar").

[Ian]

Not a state, but MaineDOT uses the former abbreviation for Quebec (PQ) along I-95 northbound approaching exit 133 in Fairfield.

[kphoger]

There are people here in the DC area who insist on writing the word "Metro," referring to the transit system, as "METRO." It's neither an abbreviation nor an acronym–it's simply the name.

For Chicago's commuter rail network, I'm torn.  I want to write it as MetRa as an allusion to the fact that its name comes from Metropolitan Rail.  However, as far as I'm aware, the agency has never stylized its name that way:  it's always been a lowercase r.

[bemybear]

Penna works my nerves for some reason. 

Not totally related but old US-6 between Scranton and Carbondale is marked on many signs as Scr-C'Dale Hwy.  We like to say it (skurr-ka-dale) but it's pretty awkward looking and sometimes its on enormous signs where the shortening of the name seems superfluous.

[webny99]

There used to be an overhead LGS pull-through sign on the former I-95 near Trenton that used "Penna" as the control "city."

There's also the "New York City - VIA PENNA"   signage at the I-80/I-76 "bump"  in Ohio.

I always thought "PENNA" was specific to the Turnpike, i.e., used to refer to the road, not the state. But given that it's used for I-80 there, it's obviously referring to the state, which is disgusting!