Practices in One State You'd Like to See in Other States

[nwi_navigator_1181]

As a spinoff of the "Only in this State" thread, what practices have you seen in one state that you would like to see other states use?

For one, I actually like Illinois' practice of using secondary control cities for interstates on lesser-traveled interchanges. I'd actually go one further and add the secondary to the primary. On I-65, for example, ramps south of State Road 2 could use Gary-Chicago for North and Lafayette-Indianapolis for South.

I also like the Michigan Left. Unfortunately, there isn't enough space for the roads that need them the most in my area (namely, U.S. 30) to justify constructing them.

As always, I give advance thanks for your responses.

[Milepost61]

I wish other states would use the oversized No Passing Zone pennants that Minnesota has. A lot of states don't even have the NPZ signs to begin with, let alone the smaller version of it.

[kkt]

I like this practice that's common in California and rare here in Washington:  On urban arterials, posting a big green sign midblock with the names of the upcoming cross streets.  It means you don't have to slow down and possibly delay other traffic in order to read the little street sign when you get to the intersection.

[Takumi]

Cutout state and US shields like California, and the banning of Clearview like Massachusetts.

[bugo]

I wish Arkansas would raise their speed limit on rural 2 lane highways to 65 like Oklahoma and other states.

[D-Dey65]

I'm sure Florida isn't the only state that does this, but over on Florida SR 50 they have supplemental street name signs beneath county road shields. I'd like to see New York add them, specifically Suffolk County New York. I can see some places where such signs would be necessary.

[Ned Weasel]

I like this practice that's common in California and rare here in Washington:  On urban arterials, posting a big green sign midblock with the names of the upcoming cross streets.  It means you don't have to slow down and possibly delay other traffic in order to read the little street sign when you get to the intersection.

I've seen this done a few other places, but it usually seems to be done at the municipal level, rather than the state level, and sometimes only on specific arterials targeted for improvements.

[Brandon]

I like this practice that's common in California and rare here in Washington:  On urban arterials, posting a big green sign midblock with the names of the upcoming cross streets.  It means you don't have to slow down and possibly delay other traffic in order to read the little street sign when you get to the intersection.

I've seen this done a few other places, but it usually seems to be done at the municipal level, rather than the state level, and sometimes only on specific arterials targeted for improvements.

The only other state I've seen it done consistently in is Michigan.  Illinois is hit or miss as to whether they exist.

[NE2]

More than you want to know about these signs: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/09029/

[kkt]

More than you want to know about these signs: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/09029/

Thanks for posting the link.  Briefly, posting the advance street name signs resulted in a small but statistically significant reduction in sideswipe collisions.  Such signs are especially recommended for arterials with high AADT, 3-legged intersections along the major road, and intersections with high crash rates.

[Alps]

I wish every state would use the same BGS border style that NJ uses. Call it homerism, but I believe it's closest to the spirit of the MUTCD.
I think more states should use more jughandles. As reviled as they are, with proper signage they can be a great help, as they can simplify signal phasing and increase through green time in congested areas. Just provide advance signage that left turns will be done via a right-hand ramp.
"Jersey freeways" - eliminate all grade crossings on a boulevard/arterial but continue to allow driveway access. This tends to work best for major commercial corridors, especially when they double as commuter routes during AM and PM hours.

The "EXCEPT RIGHT TURN" sign below STOP signs has made it to the MUTCD, and it's something I've only ever seen in PA. The school bus graphical sign I first saw in WV has also made it to the MUTCD with some modification. So there are two examples of practices that did make it to the big-time.

[KEK Inc.]

Unlike many of these posts, I'll post practical stuff.  Not personal pipe dream stuff like cut-out shields or button-copy Highway Gothic signs.

• Traffic Signals on side post ~  Illinois and California does this.  It's rare for other states to do it, unless there's only one signal on the mast arm.  The only times I've gone through a red light was sitting behind a big rig truck at a traffic intersection.
  
  
• Cheaper Versions of WSDOT's Variable Speed Zones ~ Washington has variable speed zones much like the Netherlands; however, they use $120,000 LED monitors that is meant for something in Time's Square or Vegas.  While it's fancy and shows the speed in a FHWA Highway Gothic font, it's not worth that much money for an entire road.  It shouldn't cost as much as an interchange to install 6 overhead gantries with those.   
  
  
• City Limit Signs with Elevation/Population ~ I know California does this.  I'm sure some states and random municipalities do it as well.  I think it's a cool tidbit of information that the driver could have.  Gives a sense of judgment on how traffic would be and how diverse services might be in that town or city.
  
  
• In snow-prone areas, have blue ice indicators on mile markers ~ I actually don't know of a state that does this, but icy roads can be dangerous. 

[Brandon]

Unlike many of these posts, I'll post practical stuff.  Not personal pipe dream stuff like cut-out shields or button-copy Highway Gothic signs.

• City Limit Signs with Elevation/Population ~ I know California does this.  I'm sure some states and random municipalities do it as well.  I think it's a cool tidbit of information that the driver could have.  Gives a sense of judgment on how traffic would be and how diverse services might be in that town or city.
  
  
• In snow-prone areas, have blue ice indicators on mile markers ~ I actually don't know of a state that does this, but icy roads can be dangerous. 

1. In some areas, there's no point to having elevation on the signs.  Illinois has population for incorporated municipalities (cities, villages, and towns), but elevation is useless given the fairly flat topography.

2. I see no point to those.  It's winter, and it can snow anytime when the temperature is cold enough during October through April in this part of the country, and from September through May further north.  Anywhere and everywhere is snow-prone during that time here.

[ftballfan]

I wish Arkansas would raise their speed limit on rural 2 lane highways to 65 like Oklahoma and other states.

Michigan should. There are quite a few roads (pretty much any two-laner outside of a built-up area north of a line from Montague/Whitehall to Bay City, including the Upper Peninsula) that would be 65 in most western states.

[codyg1985]

I wished Alabama and Tennessee would make more use of upcoming exit distance signs on their freeways. You only see these signs in a few places in these states, and I find them very handy when keeping track of my exit. Missouri does an excellent job with this, IMO.

I would also love to see side-mount traffic signals for all intersections, especially left turn movements. The extra left-turn signal head would act as a redundant one in case the main one over the left turn lane goes out. Plus, as mentioned earlier, it would greatly improve visibility when there are a lot of big rigs.

[cpzilliacus]

• In snow-prone areas, have blue ice indicators on mile markers ~ I actually don't know of a state that does this, but icy roads can be dangerous.
  

In Maryland and Virginia, icy roads are a possibility statewide - same holds true for every state along the Atlantic Coast to the north.

[oscar]

Nebraska's excellent junction diagram signs, posted ahead of major intersections.

[oscar]

In snow-prone areas, have blue ice indicators on mile markers ~ I actually don't know of a state that does this, but icy roads can be dangerous.

Could you clarify what you mean by "blue ice indicators"?  If it's just a different milemarker style in a snow-prone area, that doesn't convey much information not provided by "snow emergency route" or similar signs.  Besides, icy roads are most dangerous in the places they're least likely, such as with the ice storm that paralyzed totally-unprepared San Antonio many years ago.

[Kacie Jane]

In snow-prone areas, have blue ice indicators on mile markers ~ I actually don't know of a state that does this, but icy roads can be dangerous.

Could you clarify what you mean by "blue ice indicators"?

http://www.icealert.com/  I see them most often in store parking lots.

[oscar]

In snow-prone areas, have blue ice indicators on mile markers ~ I actually don't know of a state that does this, but icy roads can be dangerous.

Could you clarify what you mean by "blue ice indicators"?

http://www.icealert.com/  I see them most often in store parking lots.

Just a temperature gauge, basically.  How many cars don't have outside-temperature gauges?

[Scott5114]

My girlfriend's car displays "ICE POSSIBLE" on the instrument panel VFD any time the temperature is below 32.

[KEK Inc.]

In Portland where winter temperatures hover around freezing, people don't expect ice as much.  What I meant is a place that can get snow but not too often.  I think it should be in many urban areas. 

Another practice I like is how New York uses directional suffixes exit numbers.  (I.e. exit 21W)

[jp the roadgeek]

Another practice I like is how New York uses directional suffixes exit numbers.  (I.e. exit 21W)

CT uses them as well in some places (I-91/CT 3), in others they designate the exits as consecutive exit numbers I-84/CT 8, many exits off the Parkway).  Only a mileage based exit system would bring consistency.  I don't count NJ because those only designate exits off the Eastern and Western Spur of the NJTP, not actual directions.

[cpzilliacus]

"FREEWAY ENTRANCE" assemblies. 

And Caltrans-style signs to deter wrong-way incursions at ramps exiting from freeways.

Virginia has a sign in its MUTCD supplement that I have not seen elsewhere which deserves to be cloned by other states - "INDUSTRIAL INTERSECTION."

[vdeane]

Another practice I like is how New York uses directional suffixes exit numbers.  (I.e. exit 21W)

Theoretically they're not supposed to exist on mileage-based roads (for obvious reasons).  That didn't stop region 7 from keeping them on their mileage-based road, though.