Erroneous road signs

[Alex]

Link says "forbidden."

Hit refresh.  I've disabled direct hot-linking to my site, but hitting refresh usually works.

STILL 403

Copy the URL into a new browser window and it will work.

[US71]

Copy the URL into a new browser window and it will work.

OK, worked that time.

[The Premier]

So, VDOT finally fixed the "Exit 11" error on an exit tab on I-95 in Richmond!



...sort of. Right exit number, just nearly impossible to read.

That number "75" would be very hard to read if I traveled on that freeway.

[agentsteel53]

OK, worked that time.

yeah, it's pretty stupid how browsers cannot differentiate between a page automatically wanting a hotlinked image and the user manually clicking to go to the site.  

it's not exactly a tough situation to design a workaround for - seeing as one can do it by hand without difficulty.

a smart browser would, in the case of a 403 return on a click to a link, retry the HTTP GET with the referer set to blank.  If it's still 403 then something else has gone wrong, but if it works the second time, it's just the anti-hotlinking feature being invoked in the wrong situation.

[hbelkins]

Link says "forbidden."

Hit refresh.  I've disabled direct hot-linking to my site, but hitting refresh usually works.

It's not the one I shot. Where was your pic taken? Westbound on I-90 in Wisconsin approaching the first exit in Minnesota?

[WillWeaverRVA]

It must take a lot of Harley owners to adopt a highway (in this case US 17 BUSINESS) for an indefinite distance! (Surfside Beach, SC. There's lots of other signs in the area with indefinite distances listed.)

[froggie]

It's not the one I shot. Where was your pic taken? Westbound on I-90 in Wisconsin approaching the first exit in Minnesota?

Indeed.  First one that came to mind when you commented on a "Wisconsin 61".

[US71]

Must be a contractor sign (near Republic, MO). The border is too narrow.

[mightyace]

^^^

I had to look at it twice.  The first time it put me to sleep! 

[jdb1234]

Contrary to what the sign says, US 78 does not run through this area of Jasper anymore.

[Troubleshooter]

I don't have photos, but I have seen many errors in road signs over the years:

Missing and moved letters committed by the sign shop:

NO TROUGH TRAFFIC

10 TON BRIDE AHEAD

SOTP

DRISCOll AVENUE (should be Driscoll)

NO BALL PLAYING AND PICNICKING DOGS


And the ones where vandals modified the signs:

F_AGGER AHEAD

DO NOT USE HORN EXCEPT IN CASE OF _ANGER

SPENDING MAX $1000

NO PORKING

NO PARKING
29 AM - 35 PM

NO WAY ->

MEN WORKING?


Then there are the ones that can be read in multiple ways:

SLOW CONSTRUCTION AHEAD

RADAR CONTROLLED SLOW PEDESTRIAN ZONE

BUMP HANDICAPPED PEDESTRIANS 5 MPH

WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDERWATER THE ROAD IS IMPASSABLE

NO LEFT TURN - TO TURN LEFT MAKE THREE RIGHT TURNS


And the ones that were put there to get your attention NOW:

20 MPH CURVE WE ARE NOT FOOLING

CITY HALL PARKING ONLY
ALL OTHER CARS WILL BE DONATED
TO THE SCRAP METAL ARTS PROJECT

SPEED LIMIT 19.5

DUCK XING

ONE WAY ->    <- ONE WAY   (across the street from each other)

UNEVEN LANES NEXT MILE

LARGE DUMPSTER IN THE ROAD AHEAD

OBEY PADDLERS AHEAD

GOLF XING

[mightyace]

ONE WAY ->    <- ONE WAY   (across the street from each other)

I know of one intersection like that in my home town of Bloomsburg, PA at the intersection of Main and West Streets.  South of Main, West St. is one way northbound.  North of Main, it is one way southbound.  This leads to a situation where if you're on west street, you must turn onto Main.  And, you can't turn onto West St. from Main.

Here's Google Streetview:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Bloomsburg,+PA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=48.15347,52.998047&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Bloomsburg,+Columbia,+Pennsylvania&ll=41.00118,-76.461035&spn=0.005644,0.006469&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=41.001222,-76.460926&panoid=0EleUJ-gdJFFpBQUK_J2tA&cbp=12,68.89,,0,11.12

You can see the "NO TURNS" sign on Main St. at the light and if you look to the left and right, you can see the one way signs pointing at each other.

[agentsteel53]

ONE WAY ->    <- ONE WAY   (across the street from each other)

it could be worse.  I have seen the fabled "ONE WAY" pointing down a dead-end street.  In Cleveland and in Kansas City. 

[mightyace]

I have seen the fabled "ONE WAY" pointing down a dead-end street.  In Cleveland and in Kansas City. 

It figures that Cleveland would be one of them.  There's so much about the town that's dead end. 
(And as I live near Cleveland for 10 years and worked in it for 5, I think I'm allowed to make Cleveland jokes.)

[BigMattFromTexas]

Here's a huge one that's all over the States' this sign is supposed to be in Highway Gothic along with all the Clearview signs in Angelo

BigMatt

[Alex]

ONE WAY ->    <- ONE WAY   (across the street from each other)

I know of one intersection like that in my home town of Bloomsburg, PA at the intersection of Main and West Streets.  South of Main, West St. is one way northbound.  North of Main, it is one way southbound.  This leads to a situation where if you're on west street, you must turn onto Main.  And, you can't turn onto West St. from Main.

You can see the "NO TURNS" sign on Main St. at the light and if you look to the left and right, you can see the one way signs pointing at each other.

Same thing happens on Market Street (U.S. 13 Business) southbound at 40th Street in Wilmington, DE:



and two blocks further south at 38th, the same thing again

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

I have seen the fabled "ONE WAY" pointing down a dead-end street.  In Cleveland and in Kansas City. 

It figures that Cleveland would be one of them.  There's so much about the town that's dead end. 
(And as I live near Cleveland for 10 years and worked in it for 5, I think I'm allowed to make Cleveland jokes.)

Ok LeBron.

[shadyjay]

The big one in Vermont, which I called VTrans out on and it has since been corrected, was I-91 NB Exit 5.  The signs previously said "US 5 TO VT 121 / Bellows Falls".  While the exit doesn't dump you directly onto US 5, it does dump you on a road called "Interstate Access Road" which is a connector to US 5.  When the signs were replaced in the mid 1990s, they read "VT 121 TO US 5 & VT 123 / Westminster / Bellows Falls".  This gave motorists the impression that the road at the end of the ramp is VT 121, while in reality, VT 121 is several miles up US 5.  Signage off the exit and on US 5 barely advertised VT 121.  See the sign here:



A couple of years ago, after I sent an e-mail to VTrans about it, the sign has since been corrected and now reads:
"TO US 5, VT 123, VT 121 / Westminster / Bellows Falls".  And even better, the SB sign, which only had "US 5" for the routes was changed to "TO US 5/VT 123".  


Then there is the strange case of Exit 28 on I-91 NB in Connecticut.  During the 1980s, the signs for this exit, and Exit 29, only advertised "CT 15" - leaving out US 5 completely.  When the signs were replaced in the early 90s, US 5 was added.  And again, when Exit 28's signs were replaced, US 5 was omitted, but remains on the last button copy sign.   See these pics (not mine):





Then again, Connecticut does have a problem with putting US shields on signs when they are multiplexed with other routes.  Just look at I-84 from Farmington to Manchester.  US 6 is paired with I-84 the entire length, but you'll have to look for the occasional reassurance markers to list US 6, but not one BGS in that distance makes note of US 6.  

[Alps]

Then again, Connecticut does have a problem with putting US shields on signs when they are multiplexed with other routes.  Just look at I-84 from Farmington to Manchester.  US 6 is paired with I-84 the entire length, but you'll have to look for the occasional reassurance markers to list US 6, but not one BGS in that distance makes note of US 6. 

Generally somewhat better signed from intersecting roads than on the mainline, so I've found at least.  US 6 does NOT need to be multiplexed with 84 nearly as long as it is in CT, especially the first time in the Exits low-teens when the old road is continuous.

[Troubleshooter]

More:

CLARENCE 13' 8"

DO NOT ENTER BOX UNLESS YOUR EXIT IS CLEAR

CALENDAR PARKING IS IN EFFECT
ALTERNATE DAILY

CAREFULLY SLIDE OFF THE ROAD

DON'T LET SKIES FALL DOWN (on ski lift)

CROSS SCHOOL WALK

DO NOT DISTRUB GRASS

DON'T BURN THE FIRE CHIEF

ENTRANCE ONLY DO NOT ENTER

FORM 1 PLANET (2 letters added by vandals)

BE CAREFUL WITH THE TRAIN (standard Mexico railroad crossing sign translated)

NO PARKING ABOVE THIS SIGN

PARKING $2
GET PUNCHED AT WINDOW

SLOW SCHOOL CROSSING AHEAD

WATCH FOR VEHICLE MIRRORS

ROAD CONSTRICTION AHEAD (vandal changed a letter)

CAUTION WATER ON ROAD DURING RAIN

CAUTION PEDESTRIANS SLIPPERY WHEN WET

THIS IS NOT US 40

NO TRESPASSING
SURVIVORS WILL BE PROSECUTED

ALL MUD MUST TURN LEFT

FREE SNOW - YOU HAUL

SAFETY FIRST
DOLLY GOOD
HERNIA BAD

TOUCHING WIRES CAUSES INSTANT DEATH $200 FINE

UNATTENDED CHILDREN WILL BE GIVEN AN ESPRESSO AND A PUPPY

DONT'T DRINK AND DRIVE

MY BOSS TOLD ME TO CHANGE THE STUPID SIGN SO I DID (movable letter sign on business)

PLEASE SET CELL PHONES AND SMALL CHILDREN ON 'VIBRATE'

TURN OFF STEREOS BEFORE ENTERING TUNNEL

[Troubleshooter]

One more - my favorite. Can anyone guess what it means?

It is on a chain-link fence.

GO OUTSIDE FENCE TO GET SHOT

[froggie]

US 6 does NOT need to be multiplexed with 84 nearly as long as it is in CT, especially the first time in the Exits low-teens when the old road is continuous.

If one goes with a strict interpretation of AASHTO's US route policies, where the US route system's purpose is "to facilitate travel on the main interstate lines, over the shortest routes and the best roads" (emphasis mine), then one should figure we need more Interstate/US route multiplexing, not less, since it'd be a hard sell to argue that the old road is "the best road" when there's a nearby parallel Interstate.

[Duke87]

Generally somewhat better signed from intersecting roads than on the mainline, so I've found at least.  US 6 does NOT need to be multiplexed with 84 nearly as long as it is in CT, especially the first time in the Exits low-teens when the old road is continuous.

For that matter, it doesn't need to be multiplexed with CT 8, either.

Some acknowledgment of it westbound would be helpful. I didn't see any signs saying you had to get on 8 south to continue on 6 west... 6 instead seems to just meet 8 and then disappear.

[thenetwork]

One of my favorites was back in the late '80s on the Ambassador Bridge, Canada-Bound:

The sign originally said: 
MEN WORKING ABOVE (referring to cable inspectors or bridge painters),

but someone (Probably one of the workers)  added the words:
SO FLASH 'EM.

[US71]

One of my favorites was back in the late '80s on the Ambassador Bridge, Canada-Bound:

The sign originally said: 
MEN WORKING ABOVE (referring to cable inspectors or bridge painters),

but someone (Probably one of the workers)  added the words:
SO FLASH 'EM.

There was a message board outside a beauty salon a few years back where the letters were rearranged to read "special sperm" (should have been special perms)