I was on my way to get fireworks at one of the many stands in San Angelo, and on US 67 South I saw this strange sign it said "Passing Lane 2 Miles" has anyone else seen such sign? I'll put an illustration up after I make one, haha.
BigMatt
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/signtech/signdel/specs/G69.pdf (http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/signtech/signdel/specs/G69.pdf)
This is/was a pretty common sign in California where 2-lane roads on an uphill grade gain an extra lane to allow slower moving traffic (i.e. big rigs) to move into the right lane to allow others to pass. In general this sign is posted 1-2 miles from the start of the passing lane.
Those are pretty common in Wyoming and Idaho. Those are always black on white. I know I saw a white on green one recently somewhere that made me kind of double take...I think it was either Nevada or Utah. They're nice signs if you're unfamiliar with the area because they tend to pop up when you're starting to get mad at the slowpoke in front of you and are debating passing on a moderately trafficked road.
Here's the illustration I made in paint:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg15.imageshack.us%2Fimg15%2F6762%2Fsign15.png&hash=1c96ebf76084bebca460c0645dc248d24da6e23f) (http://img15.imageshack.us/i/sign15.png/)
BigMatt
Yeah! That's the type I saw in either Nevada or Utah (come to think of it, it may have actually been Texas that I saw it...I was on US-67 around San Angelo, so it's possible) . Those are weird. The Idaho and Wyoming ones (and I'm pretty sure Washington too) look like that except smaller and black on white and may or may not sometimes have the word "ahead" on them.
Quote from: corco on July 03, 2010, 07:14:17 PM
Yeah! That's the type I saw in either Nevada or Utah (come to think of it, it may have actually been Texas that I saw it...I was on US-67 around San Angelo, so it's possible) . Those are weird. The Idaho and Wyoming ones (and I'm pretty sure Washington too) look like that except smaller and black on white and may or may not sometimes have the word "ahead" on them.
I was surprised to see a sign like that outside of San Angelo, cause last time I went out that way I didn't see it, hmm, maybe some elves put it up in the middle of the night, idk, I could have just missed it, I have a tiny attention span...
BigMatt
Connecticut has something like that (http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=New+York&ll=41.737644,-73.110629&spn=0,0.004823&t=k&z=18&layer=c&cbll=41.737568,-73.110592&panoid=gd8fUD1o6hhBo3BjWaTNMQ&cbp=12,192.08,,1,1.55). If you can't read it, it says "SLOW VEHICLE LANE 500 FT"
Black on yellow, though, not white on green. These lanes are added to the right, hence "slow vehicle lane". Which side is the extra lane on US 67 added on?
There have been some in Minnesota as well. I remember they used to be on MN 371 south of Brainerd before that section was widened to expressway/freeway standards. I remember some on US 2 as well.
Oregon has these. They're either black on white or black on yellow.
Quote from: Bickendan on July 03, 2010, 08:01:27 PM
Oregon has these. They're either black on white or black on yellow.
I've never seen them on yellow signs. Anyways, I see those all the time in the west coast, but they usually only give a mile warning, and I have only seen them on white signs.
I've seen these in Alabama, notably on one of the recently-bypassed two-lane stretches of US 431 in Russell County (now County Road 137). The signs read "TRUCK LANE 500 FEET" (maybe 1000 or 1500, can't remember) and are black on white. If memory serves, the lane there is added to the right, but then the left lane ends at the end of it. Unfortunately, Street View does not appear to have gone down that particular road (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Phenix+City,+AL&sll=31.484893,-100.437012&sspn=8.856567,18.237305&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Phenix+City,+Russell,+Alabama&ll=32.337543,-85.150577&spn=0.002162,0.004452&t=k&z=18) and the satellite imagery there is fairly low-res.
Forgot to mention the California "PASSING LANE x MILES" is a white on green sign.
I've seen these before in Ontario, they are usually installed on sections of uphill roads and are sometimes called truck climbing lanes here. The signs used are a black on white forked arrow symbol with the text Xkm underneath. They are usually accompanied by a "KEEP RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS" sign.
Picture of the passing lane sign:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg692.imageshack.us%2Fimg692%2F2266%2Fpassinglane.png&hash=2ff64c5ddfa4b2fa197e81bf5309a63a63a871f6)
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm3.static.flickr.com%2F2042%2F2249997802_201ac42917_z_d.jpg&hash=6deda0df027a134f3d4c2587d66bab36e0c1078e)
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm3.static.flickr.com%2F2384%2F2249200949_0d8fca51d5_z_d.jpg&hash=6bb7be2b1730cc1c5a5f841e17b90e31ea20457e)
Route 37 in Missouri
QuoteThere have been some in Minnesota as well. I remember they used to be on MN 371 south of Brainerd before that section was widened to expressway/freeway standards. I remember some on US 2 as well.
The Minnesota examples (http://www.dot.state.mn.us/trafficeng/publ/mnstdsigns/R%20Series/R4-X6.pdf) are black-on-white.
Many will be surprised to find that similar signs was posted in, of all places, flat Florida, specifically, US 1 between Key Largo and Florida City on the Overseas Highway.
Due to the extremely limited land to build a wide enough roadway for the entire 18-mile stretch, four lanes were only possible in certain sections. As a result, "the 18-mile stretch" became Florida's worst travel death trap where accident rates were high coupled with south Florida's horrific driving habits. Passing was done anywhere, anyway, anytime and so what if you cross over 3 or 4 lanes to do it. Typically insane, get-the-hell-out-of-my-way south Florida drivers.
After many years of debate, this section of the Overseas Highway has been widened to four lanes, I believe for its entire length, the Jewfish Key Bridge completely scrapped and the entire roadway substantially elevated with a Jersey barrier installed down the middle. All of this was under construction in April 2007, the last time I drove down to the Florida Keys.
Quote from: xcellntbuy on July 04, 2010, 09:04:05 AM
Many will be surprised to find that similar signs was posted in, of all places, flat Florida...
I want to think FL 40 is posted with them too, through the Ocala National Forest.
Here's an example from Wisconsin (http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Platteville,+Grant,+Wisconsin&t=h&layer=c&cbll=45.608591,-89.551744&panoid=qVEI1Z8x_vOfCpOBZEKWvw&cbp=12,265.56,,0,8.2&ll=45.608703,-89.551578&spn=0,0.002411&z=19) it says "Passing Lane Ahead 1/2 Mile" Michigan has almost the same. At the start - WI uses "Slower Traffic Keep Right" and MI uses "Keep Right Except to Pass"
Quote from: Master son on July 04, 2010, 11:03:04 AM
Here's an example from Wisconsin (http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Platteville,+Grant,+Wisconsin&t=h&layer=c&cbll=45.608591,-89.551744&panoid=qVEI1Z8x_vOfCpOBZEKWvw&cbp=12,265.56,,0,8.2&ll=45.608703,-89.551578&spn=0,0.002411&z=19) it says "Passing Lane Ahead 1/2 Mile" Michigan has almost the same. At the start - WI uses "Slower Traffic Keep Right" and MI uses "Keep Right Except to Pass"
That's just a blur
Only one of these I've seen (excepting CT) was on US-17 in South Carolina, south of Charleston, which had brief stretches of divided highway a couple times.
Corco, I doubt you saw one of these in Nevada. There's very few rural highways that have more than two lanes or passing lanes, even in uphill stretches. The sign is also not present in the NDOT sign supplement, which shows layouts of typical Nevada signs not seen in the MUTCD.
Quote from: myosh_tino on July 03, 2010, 06:53:06 PM
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/signtech/signdel/specs/G69.pdf (http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/signtech/signdel/specs/G69.pdf)
This is/was a pretty common sign in California where 2-lane roads on an uphill grade gain an extra lane to allow slower moving traffic (i.e. big rigs) to move into the right lane to allow others to pass. In general this sign is posted 1-2 miles from the start of the passing lane.
It's still in use on the northern two-lane section of US 395. There's a passing lane area about six miles north of Hallelujah Junction, and another one around the CR A26 turnoff to Herlong. White on green signs with a two-mile notice, another with "Ahead" about 1000 feet before the added lane develops on the right--I believe a "Slower Traffic Keep Right" sign is used near the start of the passing area.
Along these same lines, there are "DIVIDED ROAD XX MI AHEAD" signs on US 395 southbound approaching SR 70/Hallelujah Junction. These are bigger white-on-green guide signs posted 3 and 1-1/2 miles in advance of the divided highway.
Quote from: roadfro on July 04, 2010, 01:56:29 PM
It's still in use on the northern two-lane section of US 395. There's a passing lane area about six miles north of Hallelujah Junction, and another one around the CR A26 turnoff to Herlong. White on green signs with a two-mile notice, another with "Ahead" about 1000 feet before the added lane develops on the right--I believe a "Slower Traffic Keep Right" sign is used near the start of the passing area.
Along these same lines, there are "DIVIDED ROAD XX MI AHEAD" signs on US 395 southbound approaching SR 70/Hallelujah Junction. These are bigger white-on-green guide signs posted 3 and 1-1/2 miles in advance of the divided highway.
I'm sure most of the people here know there's a difference between "Passing Lane" and "Divided Highway" but I'll clarify anyways.
The Divided Road/Highway signs that you mention are posted before a 2-lane highway widens into a 4-lane highway with some sort of center divider. This divider can be simply 2 sets of double yellow lines up to a physical barrier that separates the two directions of travel.
The Passing Lane signs are posted when a 2-lane highway gains a third lane (i.e. 1 lane south, 2 lanes north) where slower traffic should go to allow others to pass. In general, the directions of travel are separated by a double yellow line although I have seen instances where 2 sets of double yellow lines are used. In general, passing lanes are added when the road has a significant uphill grade. A relatively new set of passing lanes were built on CA-152 west of the CA-156 junction near Casa de Fruta.
There is also something called a "Truck Lane" or "Truck Climbing Lane" but they are found on freeways (I-15 between Baker and Primm and I-5 between Grapevine and Ft. Tejon come to mind) and are usually separated from the regular lanes by a solid white line.
If I saw it in Nevada, it would have had to have been on 93 just north of Majors Junction. The more I think about it though, the more I'm thinking I saw it in Texas, which would make sense since it was the same sign that BigMatt posted.
I passed by that sign again last night when we were going to shoot fireworks ;), and I realized I made it wrong the first time. So here's the correct version:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg190.imageshack.us%2Fimg190%2F7348%2Fsign16.png&hash=04dea8ce04ffcf6908abd9abcc9368b8f159658e) (http://img190.imageshack.us/i/sign16.png/)
BigMatt
Quote from: myosh_tino on July 04, 2010, 07:52:20 PM
I'm sure most of the people here know there's a difference between "Passing Lane" and "Divided Highway" but I'll clarify anyways.
then there's a sign called 'pass with care', which means 'we can't be bothered adding extra lanes - either stay stuck behind this yokel doing 42 in 60, or contemplate getting your brains scraped off the concrete'.
QuoteIn general, the directions of travel are separated by a double yellow line although I have seen instances where 2 sets of double yellow lines are used.
This might be the case in California, but in most other states in the west there often is not a double yellow line and oncoming traffic can also use the center lane to pass (whenever the design of the road would allow passing anyway). Idaho has a bit of a problem where oncoming traffic treats the passing lane as a suicide lane and doesn't yield to the traffic that actually has the passing lane, prompting them to post "Yield center lane to oncoming traffic" signs at almost every passing lane.
Illinois allows passing on the other side in some of its few passing lanes. I think Missouris alternating or shared 4 is a safer option to prevent a suicide lane from forming No passing with rumble strips .
Someone once told me there were 3 laners with suicide lanes in Texas Does anyone else know about this?
Quote from: 3467 on July 04, 2010, 09:57:25 PM
Illinois allows passing on the other side in some of its few passing lanes. I think Missouris alternating or shared 4 is a safer option to prevent a suicide lane from forming No passing with rumble strips .
Someone once told me there were 3 laners with suicide lanes in Texas Does anyone else know about this?
If I know what you're talking about, I'm pretty sure I've seen that, one sec I'll see if I have any pics.
BigMatt
Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 04, 2010, 08:06:06 PM
then there's a sign called 'pass with care', which means 'we can't be bothered adding extra lanes - either stay stuck behind this yokel doing 42 in 60, or contemplate getting your brains scraped off the concrete'.
I've seen those in Illinois, but not so much in Arkansas
Thanks Big Matt
They took almost all the old Pass With Care signs down I think a few counties might still have them
Also when I was little it was customary to honk while passing so the other driver wouldnt make a left turn.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 04, 2010, 08:06:06 PM
Quote from: myosh_tino on July 04, 2010, 07:52:20 PM
I'm sure most of the people here know there's a difference between "Passing Lane" and "Divided Highway" but I'll clarify anyways.
then there's a sign called 'pass with care', which means 'we can't be bothered adding extra lanes - either stay stuck behind this yokel doing 42 in 60, or contemplate getting your brains scraped off the concrete'.
Pennsylvania is quite fond of those. Myself, I usually just stay behind the yokel.
Shoot, I couldn't find a picture, but I'm pretty sure I've seen it. And they have those "PASS WITH CARE" signs all over here, especially in construction areas that allow passing.
BigMatt
QuoteAlso when I was little it was customary to honk while passing so the other driver wouldnt make a left turn.
I've never seen anybody do it, but when I went to get my Wyoming driver's license a few months ago I was shocked to see that mentioned as something required in the driver's manual. The text reads as follows:
QuoteHow to pass
DECIDE if it is necessary to pass, then:
- START at least two seconds behind the vehicle ahead.
- MAKE SURE you have time and space to pass safely.
- SIGNAL AND CHECK all around your vehicle before
passing.
- INCREASE SPEED and pull into the passing lane.
- SIGNAL with your horn as you move into the other
driver's blind spot.
- MOVE BACK into the right lane when you see the
front of the vehicle in your rear view mirror.
- RESUME SPEED.
http://www.dot.state.wy.us/webdav/site/wydot/shared/Driver_Services/Driver%20manual%202010.pdf
Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 04, 2010, 08:06:06 PM
Quote from: myosh_tino on July 04, 2010, 07:52:20 PM
I'm sure most of the people here know there's a difference between "Passing Lane" and "Divided Highway" but I'll clarify anyways.
then there's a sign called 'pass with care', which means 'we can't be bothered adding extra lanes - either stay stuck behind this yokel doing 42 in 60, or contemplate getting your brains scraped off the concrete'.
:-D
:-D :-D :-D
We have those signs in Arizona, too. When the passing lane starts, the signs read, "Keep right except to pass."
Quote from: algorerhythms on July 04, 2010, 11:54:24 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 04, 2010, 08:06:06 PM
Quote from: myosh_tino on July 04, 2010, 07:52:20 PM
I'm sure most of the people here know there's a difference between "Passing Lane" and "Divided Highway" but I'll clarify anyways.
then there's a sign called 'pass with care', which means 'we can't be bothered adding extra lanes - either stay stuck behind this yokel doing 42 in 60, or contemplate getting your brains scraped off the concrete'.
Pennsylvania is quite fond of those. Myself, I usually just stay behind the yokel.
I just wait for the straight sections then floor it, otherwise I wouldn't get anywhere on time.
Then there is West Virginia that has passing zones on curves.
US 2 in Michigan has signs that state how many passing lanes in the next X miles. The idea is to encourage drivers to wait for the passing lanes instead of trying risky behavior to pass in heavy traffic.
Quote from: PAHighways on July 05, 2010, 10:13:43 PM
Then there is West Virginia that has passing zones on curves.
Seriously? Here it goes to a double solid yellow line unless there's a passing lane. But I don't think I've ever seen a passing zone on a curve. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of.
BigMatt
It's actually not that stupid, as long as you can see around the curve. Virginia sometimes stripes passing zones on curves with no sight obstructions.
http://epg.modot.org/index.php?title=232.2_Passing_Lanes
MO has some design standards here. US 2 was mentioned earlier . It has a lot of passing lanes in WI I wish maps would include these as multilane undivided
QuoteSeriously? Here it goes to a double solid yellow line unless there's a passing lane. But I don't think I've ever seen a passing zone on a curve. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of.
Curves can be pretty handy for passing, especially when you're following something like a river bed or the side of a mountain. If the curve is angled towards the driver, there can be a significant amount more distance and sometimes you can see as much as twice as far down the road as you can on a straightaway, especially when you're descending towards a river bed. I always get annoyed when states don't allow passing in those areas because frankly they're the easiest to pass in- straightaways can be kind of spooky on a sunny afternoon, especially if oncoming traffic doesn't use their headlights (always a good idea on 2-lane roads with lots of passing...I have no idea why we don't make like the Canadians and require DRLs)
Here are some examples of the Idaho unique (?) YIELD CENTER LANE signs designed to keep the opposing passing lane from becoming a suicide lane
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.davidjcorcoran.com%2Fyieldcenter.jpg&hash=d82dd0a278c17234290cb611d75ce5edeea66220)
and with rare mileage placards underneath (the only instance I know of this is Whitebird Grade on US-95, which not coincidentally is where this photo was taken)
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.davidjcorcoran.com%2Fyieldcenter2.jpg&hash=68a551c383f5cb2cf955dfa77437c02c2eb032ad)
Quote from: xcellntbuy on July 04, 2010, 09:04:05 AM
Many will be surprised to find that similar signs was posted in, of all places, flat Florida, specifically, US 1 between Key Largo and Florida City on the Overseas Highway.
Due to the extremely limited land to build a wide enough roadway for the entire 18-mile stretch, four lanes were only possible in certain sections. As a result, "the 18-mile stretch" became Florida's worst travel death trap where accident rates were high coupled with south Florida's horrific driving habits. Passing was done anywhere, anyway, anytime and so what if you cross over 3 or 4 lanes to do it. Typically insane, get-the-hell-out-of-my-way south Florida drivers.
After many years of debate, this section of the Overseas Highway has been widened to four lanes, I believe for its entire length, the Jewfish Key Bridge completely scrapped and the entire roadway substantially elevated with a Jersey barrier installed down the middle. All of this was under construction in April 2007, the last time I drove down to the Florida Keys.
Last time I was in the Keys was in late June/early July. At that time, US-1 on the stretch wasn't fully four-laned but it looked like the crews were working hard to get it done. Before that I drove that stretch in May, a few months back, and they were working on the Jersey barrier.
I did notice some signs that mentioned PASSING LANE - X MILES and also PASS WITH CARE. I also saw these when I took my first trip to the Keys from Central FL, and took US-27 to FL-60. FL-60 is mainly two lanes from Sebring to Yeehaw Junction (where it meets the Turnpike/FL-91) but does occasionally allow passing by adding a third lane and alternating eastbound passing and westbound passing.
If I ever get the chance again I'll grab a camera (or a dedicated photographer) and capture the signs.
We have them here in Western Kansas. The signs are set up like so, white on green, all caps
PASSING LANE
X MILES
The opposing direction is also restricted from passing with double yellow, and in some areas the passing lanes are in the same location for both directions of traffic.
Quote from: rarnold on August 11, 2010, 03:16:20 AM
We have them here in Western Kansas. The signs are set up like so, white on green, all caps
PASSING LANE
X MILES
The opposing direction is also restricted from passing with double yellow, and in some areas the passing lanes are in the same location for both directions of traffic.
I've seen these on US 400 in eastern Kansas as well.
Quote from: rarnold on August 11, 2010, 03:16:20 AM
We have them here in Western Kansas. The signs are set up like so, white on green, all caps
PASSING LANE
X MILES
Like this?
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm3.static.flickr.com%2F2384%2F2249200949_0d8fca51d5_d.jpg&hash=ce2cbf6d47addd357950dcb851806ef72abd8cc1)
Quote from: AstareGod on August 11, 2010, 12:49:15 AM
Quote from: xcellntbuy on July 04, 2010, 09:04:05 AM
Many will be surprised to find that similar signs was posted in, of all places, flat Florida, specifically, US 1 between Key Largo and Florida City on the Overseas Highway.
Due to the extremely limited land to build a wide enough roadway for the entire 18-mile stretch, four lanes were only possible in certain sections. As a result, "the 18-mile stretch" became Florida's worst travel death trap where accident rates were high coupled with south Florida's horrific driving habits. Passing was done anywhere, anyway, anytime and so what if you cross over 3 or 4 lanes to do it. Typically insane, get-the-hell-out-of-my-way south Florida drivers.
After many years of debate, this section of the Overseas Highway has been widened to four lanes, I believe for its entire length, the Jewfish Key Bridge completely scrapped and the entire roadway substantially elevated with a Jersey barrier installed down the middle. All of this was under construction in April 2007, the last time I drove down to the Florida Keys.
Last time I was in the Keys was in late June/early July. At that time, US-1 on the stretch wasn't fully four-laned but it looked like the crews were working hard to get it done. Before that I drove that stretch in May, a few months back, and they were working on the Jersey barrier.
Nope, they aren't 4-laning it. It's going to be 1 lane southbound and 1 lane northbound, with the northbound side having a shoulder wide enough to use as a second lane during hurricane evacuations. They're putting a bright blue concrete divider between the directions so you can't pass anymore, and they are adding an actual passing lane in a few places.
Ours look like this (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Sparkford,+Yeovil&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=20.088699,57.084961&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Sparkford,+Yeovil,+United+Kingdom&ll=50.942583,-2.921162&spn=0.020849,0.072098&z=15&layer=c&cbll=50.942669,-2.921019&panoid=XdgmmU1O5S7TYLT7BHxyRQ&cbp=12,25.51,,0,5.4).
We don't call them passing lanes here. The traditional name is Crawler Lane but that was changed a few years ago to Climbing Lane. They are generally found on hills hence the name. Here's (http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&t=k&layer=c&cbll=52.597667,-0.800225&panoid=C09l47gY7ui6M2aTwbsq0w&cbp=12,266.98,,1,4.96&ll=52.597632,-0.800446&spn=0.005051,0.018024&z=17) a sign showing the distance to a crawler lane. They are sometimes used to let drivers know there's a passing opportunity ahead and it can deter a dangerous passing maneuver from being carried out in the meantime.
Another type is used on freeways where trucks struggle up a hill. This (http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&layer=c&cbll=51.679455,0.035887&panoid=5TMSh3heW828yGJAhLBoZA&cbp=12,27.06,,1,-1.54&ll=51.679341,0.035577&spn=0.020623,0.072098&z=15) one has an extra lane for use by slow vehicles. Putting on 4 way flashers is not used over here by slow trucks, indeed, if someone was to use them it may be mistaken for thinking the truck is in trouble or has broken down.
We have those on freeways here in the US too, and at least here in the east, the only time any slow-moving vehicle would put on its flashers is if it is doing WAY below the speed limit for a long period of time. Trucks who slow down to like 10 under to go up a hill never put their flashers on, at least not that I've seen.
The signs here in Kansas are not that big, and they are not alternating passing lanes built. They come after towns where traffic becomes tighter. It will all be moot when the divided highway is done between Greensburg and existing US-54/400 expressway east of Kingman. Maybe someday it will reach to Liberal, but not holding breath.