The Worst of Road Signs

[myosh_tino]

I don't like how the two signs to the right have the whole name cramped into one line. With lots of empty green space, why would you do this? I hope someone can whip up what they would draw the signs on this gantry, this is just horrific. It is a pretty nice gantry though.

Hmmm... too much legend (some of it compressed), small exit "tabs" and small shields (at least to my eye).  I really don't like the way the two exit signs were laid out.  Drawing coming soon...  

OK, here's my drawing of how I would have laid out the above sign...


What I don't understand is why "Stockton Arena/Ballpark" get's to be a control city for the CA-4 east sign (that should have been relegated to a roadside sign that says "Stockton Arena/Ballpark - USE CA-4 EAST".  The other thing I didn't get was why spell out "Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd" on the exit sign for CA-4 west.  That puts too much legend on the sign and makes for an overly large panel.

[roadfro]

<cut pic of CA I-5 NB signs>

I don't like how the two signs to the right have the whole name cramped into one line. With lots of empty green space, why would you do this? I hope someone can whip up what they would draw the signs on this gantry, this is just horrific. It is a pretty nice gantry though.

Those signs look taller than the normal standard CalTrans sign height, which might explain some of the extra green space. But yeah, those legends could easily be condensed to save on panel area.

[myosh_tino]

<cut pic of CA I-5 NB signs>

I don't like how the two signs to the right have the whole name cramped into one line. With lots of empty green space, why would you do this? I hope someone can whip up what they would draw the signs on this gantry, this is just horrific. It is a pretty nice gantry though.

Those signs look taller than the normal standard CalTrans sign height, which might explain some of the extra green space. But yeah, those legends could easily be condensed to save on panel area.

I think the main legend is 13.3" UC/10" LC which is why the sign panels appear taller.  I believe the panels are still 120 inches high (maximum allowable).  The main legend in my drawing are the standard 16" UC/12" LC letters on a 120" guide sign.

[Scott5114]

And here is my somewhat more vanilla-MUTCD-ish attempt:



ODOT uses "M.L. King" on signs for the similarly-named avenue in Oklahoma City, which I find to be a sensible (if somewhat inaccurate) way of rendering the name.

[national highway 1]

They could have abbreviated the Exit 471 sign to 'MLK Jr Blvd'.

[kurumi]

And here is my somewhat more vanilla-MUTCD-ish attempt:



ODOT uses "M.L. King" on signs for the similarly-named avenue in Oklahoma City, which I find to be a sensible (if somewhat inaccurate) way of rendering the name.

Seeing this on I-5 would be like seeing the clouds part after 40 days of rain. We shouldn't have to put up with the way things are! #OccupyCalTrans

[hbelkins]

I actually like the exit number NOT being included on a separate tab. Gives the signs a more symmetrical look.

[Kacie Jane]

I actually like the exit number NOT being included on a separate tab. Gives the signs a more symmetrical look.

I agree, IF it doesn't cramp the rest of the legend.  The ones in the photo succeed (the "Stockton Arena/Ballpark" line is cramped for a different reason), but several other Caltrans signs, and the middle panel in myoshtino's drawing do not.

[kphoger]

I actually like the exit number NOT being included on a separate tab. Gives the signs a more symmetrical look.

I agree, IF it doesn't cramp the rest of the legend.  The ones in the photo succeed (the "Stockton Arena/Ballpark" line is cramped for a different reason), but several other Caltrans signs, and the middle panel in myoshtino's drawing do not.

Like a few others on here, I like the whole-width exit 'tab', which is basically just a horzontal white line near the top and the exit number included above the line.  Good-looking geometry is preserved, but it doesn't clutter the rest of the sign.

[Kacie Jane]

I actually like the exit number NOT being included on a separate tab. Gives the signs a more symmetrical look.

I agree, IF it doesn't cramp the rest of the legend.  The ones in the photo succeed (the "Stockton Arena/Ballpark" line is cramped for a different reason), but several other Caltrans signs, and the middle panel in myoshtino's drawing do not.

Like a few others on here, I like the whole-width exit 'tab', which is basically just a horzontal white line near the top and the exit number included above the line.  Good-looking geometry is preserved, but it doesn't clutter the rest of the sign.

Concur.  I find Washington's BGSs very visually appealing.  Some people here may have a problem with them since the "tab" is center-aligned, in which case I think some Illinois signs I've seen here are a good compromise.

[CentralCAroadgeek]

A really, I mean really crowded sign on CA-60 east entering Riverside County. Why couldn't have they actually used all the excess gantry space than fit all the information into that small size? And this sign actually has five lines of text!

[national highway 1]

The 'Barstow/San Diego' next to the I-15 exit is unnecessary. 'Jct I-15' will do.

[brownpelican]

They could have abbreviated the Exit 471 sign to 'MLK Jr Blvd'.

I like it as it is. Although impossible to believe, there are people out here who STILL has no clue MLK Jr. stands for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

[empirestate]

They could have abbreviated the Exit 471 sign to 'MLK Jr Blvd'.

I like it as it is. Although impossible to believe, there are people out here who STILL has no clue MLK Jr. stands for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Why is it that roads named for MLK are always given all of his names, and titles? It makes for very tricky sign-reading, sometimes...

[1995hoo]

This white sign seen here has become pretty common at entrances to various neighborhoods through the community where I live (a large "planned community" in Fairfax County that's divided into a bunch of smaller "neighborhoods"). I suppose the sign is clear enough, but I have a serious dislike for the misspelling. "Fire lanes" is two words, not one, yet it's misspelled on just about every one of these signs. Oddly, not every neighborhood has them; mine has the more conventional "No Parking or Standing Fire Lane <---->" style. I don't think either of them does a lot of good. People are always parking on the yellow curbs, especially workmen who will leave their vehicles parked there all day.....

(The word "or" is spelled correctly on the sign. The missing "r" is just my lousy timing in taking the picture when the pole was in the way.)

[architect77]

A really, I mean really crowded sign on CA-60 east entering Riverside County. Why couldn't have they actually used all the excess gantry space than fit all the information into that small size? And this sign actually has five lines of text!

It should just say JCT I-15 without control cities, in my opinion.

[Scott5114]

It should just say JCT I-15 without control cities, in my opinion.

You don't even need the JCT; obviously it is a junction or it wouldn't need to be listed on the sign. Just an I-15 shield would do.

Kansas tends to just put a shield and a distance on signs of this type–even in the case of a numbered highway on a surface alignment. So the Kansas Avenue exit from I-635 just has a K-32 shield, for example. ("Kansas Avenue" is of course present on the actual advance and exit direction signage.) The California method of putting "Kansas Ave (32)" is probably the better practice, since most people don't give a fig as to numbered highway routings on city streets and just want the exit for Whatever Street.

[kphoger]

Back on topic......

Here's one from Cadereyta, Nuevo León:
http://g.co/maps/a3gev
Apparently, an upside-down exit sign means Entering a highway

[Alps]

The topic of curb colors has been moved to https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=6715.0.

[Takumi]

VDOT's South Hill residency uses this font (Series B?) a lot, and not just on shields. When not aligned or spaced properly, the results are atrocious.


The font isn't the problem in this case...the alignment of the numbers on the 643 shield is.


This too.


Looks like 2 different series used on this shield. Also, it's using the one way sign as the trailblazer arrow. I guess that's kind of cool in a cheap sort of way.


This font looks even worse in negative contrast.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Maybe I should have posted this one in the exit number thread.

[kkt]

They could have abbreviated the Exit 471 sign to 'MLK Jr Blvd'.

I like it as it is. Although impossible to believe, there are people out here who STILL has no clue MLK Jr. stands for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Why is it that roads named for MLK are always given all of his names, and titles? It makes for very tricky sign-reading, sometimes...

Good question.  I-580 in Oakland is signed the MacArthur Freeway, not the General of the Army Douglas MacArthur Freeway.

[bulkyorled]

We were talking about this in the I-710 thread, this thing still says CA7 on it which hasn't been there since 1984. This is in East LA, an unincorporated city. You'd think the county would have fixed it ages ago being as they control the signs for unincorporated communities. It's an illuminated sign so changes are it coulda been put up right before the renumbering but they weren't as common then. At any rate its been wrong for nearly 30 years  

[agentsteel53]

Why is it that roads named for MLK are always given all of his names, and titles? It makes for very tricky sign-reading, sometimes...

Good question.  I-580 in Oakland is signed the MacArthur Freeway, not the General of the Army Douglas MacArthur Freeway.

ahem, that's General of the Army Dr. Douglas Alvinsimontheodore MacArthur Esquire Esquire Esquire Memorial Freeway as Presented by Citibank on the Cellular One Roadbed.

... and that illuminated "7" street blade easily belongs under the Best of Road Signs!

[Kacie Jane]

... and that illuminated "7" street blade easily belongs under the Best of Road Signs!

I concur.  Erroneous... but still best, not worst.