The Best of Road Signs

[Pete from Boston]

In East Lynn (MA), there was a local supermarket on Eastern Avenue called Mayflower Market (it's now a CVS).  The aisles in the store were named after nearby local streets like Eastern Ave, Western Ave, Alden St, etc..

One of the chains around here that's trying to project a quirky, neighborhoody image — I can't remember if it's Star Market or Whole Foods — has been labeling their aisles this way of late.

[PHLBOS]

In East Lynn (MA), there was a local supermarket on Eastern Avenue called Mayflower Market (it's now a CVS).  The aisles in the store were named after nearby local streets like Eastern Ave, Western Ave, Alden St, etc..

One of the chains around here that's trying to project a quirky, neighborhoody image – I can't remember if it's Star Market or Whole Foods – has been labeling their aisles this way of late.

One parking lot near the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) uses street names (Chestnut, Market, Locust, etc.) for its various aisles and has done so for years.

[1995hoo]

No street names, but I recall a grocery store chain in Quebec during the 1980s (the chain's name escapes me after this many years) having one-way signs on each of the aisles. Can't say I've ever seen that anywhere else. I bring it up in case someone else recalls it and knows which chain it was.

[jakeroot]

Most people would disagree with me, but I love the font used on this WSDOT sign near Arlington, Washington, close to where the Oso Landslip occurred:

"JCT" appears to be standard FHWA but everything else appears to be some other font I have never seen before.

[sammi]

Looks similar to an old version of DIN 1451 Mittelschrift.

(1000 posts!)

[Thing 342]

Saw a bunch of button-copy signs on my most recent trip to Atlanta (almost all along Peachtree Industrial Blvd), but only one picture was even remotely usable:

[Mergingtraffic]

One of only 2 CONN shields in the state.

[Mergingtraffic]

and this beauty in NJ:  must be almost 50 years old

[Zeffy]

Holy crap, non reflective button copy US 46 shield with Series EM(?) reflectors. That's a nice find off the Turnpike, where it seems all the old BGS seem to be lurking.

[vtk]

That 46 is DM.  The rest of the letters might be DM also, but I'm less sure of that.

[Zeffy]

That 46 is DM.  The rest of the letters might be DM also, but I'm less sure of that.

Oops, I meant to say DM, but I guess I hit the E key out of impulse (since I usually refer to EM...) and didn't notice it until now. I'm actually wondering what font the main legend uses on that sign, since it actually does look like DM, which only would make me love it more if that were true.

[adventurernumber1]

Saw a bunch of button-copy signs on my most recent trip to Atlanta (almost all along Peachtree Industrial Blvd), but only one picture was even remotely usable:

Wow. I've been a lot of places in Atlanta but I've never gotten the chance to try out GA SR 141. Never new about those button copy signs. That's pretty cool! 

[jakeroot]

Looks similar to an old version of DIN 1451 Mittelschrift.

That's what I thought when I first saw it. I made my whole family pull over and wait while I took a photo because I was so stunned by it.

[Thing 342]

Saw a bunch of button-copy signs on my most recent trip to Atlanta (almost all along Peachtree Industrial Blvd), but only one picture was even remotely usable:

Wow. I've been a lot of places in Atlanta but I've never gotten the chance to try out GA SR 141. Never new about those button copy signs. That's pretty cool! 

Most can be found on the frontage roads, though there might be one lying about on the main road.

[Kniwt]

Old US 101, Fortuna CA, taken today:

[formulanone]

Still here, even after an adjacent re-paving.

[CrystalWalrein]

A Dead End sign at the end of Grays Street in Glenolden, PA. There used to be a relieved Stop sign at the other end of this street (with the legend 'Cross Road' from what I remember).

I've always wondered why Pennsylvania has an aversion to Dead End signs (a No Outlet sign is posted at the start of this block).

[jakeroot]

Your links aren't working. I see some quotation marks that shouldn't be there.

[CrystalWalrein]

Fixed. I could have sworn you needed quotation marks at one time....

[freebrickproductions]

Some better photos of Huntsville, AL's last button-copy signs:
Buttoncopy Signs by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
Buttoncopy Signs by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
Buttoncopy Signs by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Old US 231 shield in northern Madison County, AL:
Old US 231 Shield by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

[national highway 1]

Canberra.

[WillWeaverRVA]

A very old SR 682 shield in very good condition at the US 220/VA 57A/SR 682 interchange in Bassett, VA:

[Zeffy]

^ Is that the custom FHWA font? I ask because that 6 is more curved on the top than the normal FHWA Series C one.

[PHLBOS]

^ Is that the custom FHWA font? I ask because that 6 is more curved on the top than the normal FHWA Series C one.

All the 682 numerals appear to be of a custom font.

[WillWeaverRVA]

^ Is that the custom FHWA font? I ask because that 6 is more curved on the top than the normal FHWA Series C one.

All the 682 numerals appear to be of a custom font.

Yeah, it appears to be a custom font. Virginia has some old route shields and signs scattered around that use non-FHWA fonts.