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

[jeffandnicole]

One of the few compliments I will give PennDOT is that the "No Turn On Red" sign is required to be within 10 feet of the traffic light signal head, either on the vertical or horizontal pole, making it very easy to see.

[jeffandnicole]

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.

Many areas can go days, or have nightly lows with temps below freezing without any precipitation. 

And 'snowy areas' probably isn't the best term.  Motorists can clearly see snow and the reasonable ones will slow down.

What would be needed is something indicating black ice. And the indicator would need to be before the area where the black ice has formed.

[hobsini2]

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. 

Traffic signals - Minnesota also does this.

Variable speed limits - I like the way Wyoming of all places does this. They have usually 2 or 3 sets of speed inside the sign that slide down and when the speed is different from normal good conditions, there is a flashing yellow that is also lit. http://www.pinedaleonline.com/news/2011/01/scr-variablespeedwydotsign.jpg  I also though would like to see on urban area freeways, lane speed limits like the have in Europe.

Icy road - I like the idea of one of those indicators at every bridge and every 3 to 5 miles of freeway.

[hobsini2]

Here are some practices I like that I wish the other states would do:

Yellow crossroad/signal ahead/stop sign ahead signs have the name of the upcoming road Illinois and sometimes Indiana does those especially on main roads in rural/suburban areas. Hardly ever in the city of Chicago except on Lake Shore Dr between Columbus Dr and Randolph St. It looks like these.

Green streetsigns on signals with both the "local name" and the route number Illinois does this mainly in Chicagoland like this on in Lockport at IL 171/State St and IL 7/9th St. http://www.landmarks.org/hcih/images/933-935-Sout-State-Street_Lockport-lg.jpg or like this one in Aurora. http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&tbo=d&biw=1404&bih=739&tbm=isch&tbnid=qtbstW_D3J30PM:&imgrefurl=http://www.billburmaster.com/rmsandw/illinois/state/il25kane.html&docid=3ff70Aeik0CzxM&imgurl=http://www.billburmaster.com/rmsandw/illinois/images/il25broad.jpg&w=414&h=279&ei=EurhUIzCKofj2QXw64CwCA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=788&vpy=236&dur=823&hovh=184&hovw=274&tx=140&ty=95&sig=114410953852498010262&page=1&tbnh=137&tbnw=237&start=0&ndsp=28&ved=1t:429,r:25,s:0,i:169

[agentsteel53]

Yellow crossroad/signal ahead/stop sign ahead signs have the name of the upcoming road

I like the concept, but not the use of yellow.  I think the diamond should be paired with a green and white guide sign.

[kkt]

Yellow crossroad/signal ahead/stop sign ahead signs have the name of the upcoming road

I like the concept, but not the use of yellow.  I think the diamond should be paired with a green and white guide sign.

Maybe Elm Street is something drivers need to be cautioned against? 

[hobsini2]

The reason I went with yellow is because this is the practice that Illinois and Indiana both use and it looks better with the diamond signs.  I have also seen some that are like this which I am fine with as well.

[ftballfan]

Indiana has schools as control cities, especially off of US-31 between South Bend and Indy. But then again, many schools in Indiana are results of consolidation.

[KEK Inc.]

Here are some practices I like that I wish the other states would do:

Yellow crossroad/signal ahead/stop sign ahead signs have the name of the upcoming road Illinois and sometimes Indiana does those especially on main roads in rural/suburban areas. Hardly ever in the city of Chicago except on Lake Shore Dr between Columbus Dr and Randolph St. It looks like these.

Green streetsigns on signals with both the "local name" and the route number Illinois does this mainly in Chicagoland like this on in Lockport at IL 171/State St and IL 7/9th St. http://www.landmarks.org/hcih/images/933-935-Sout-State-Street_Lockport-lg.jpg or like this one in Aurora. http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&tbo=d&biw=1404&bih=739&tbm=isch&tbnid=qtbstW_D3J30PM:&imgrefurl=http://www.billburmaster.com/rmsandw/illinois/state/il25kane.html&docid=3ff70Aeik0CzxM&imgurl=http://www.billburmaster.com/rmsandw/illinois/images/il25broad.jpg&w=414&h=279&ei=EurhUIzCKofj2QXw64CwCA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=788&vpy=236&dur=823&hovh=184&hovw=274&tx=140&ty=95&sig=114410953852498010262&page=1&tbnh=137&tbnw=237&start=0&ndsp=28&ved=1t:429,r:25,s:0,i:169

Whatcom and Clark County in Washington do the yellow streetblades religiously.  It's actually to the point that the county uses yellow streetblades for every county road.  I'm not sure about Whatcom County, but Clark County started to switch over to white mix-cased streetblades (however, they're still yellow for warning signs). 

@ deanej:  I think it's less confusing to motorists who aren't too familiar with the exit number system.  If you just got on a freeway, sometimes it's not obvious which way the exit numbers are going up or down. 

It would only be applied to cloverleafs or similar interchanges.

[Big John]

Here are some practices I like that I wish the other states would do:

Yellow crossroad/signal ahead/stop sign ahead signs have the name of the upcoming road Illinois and sometimes Indiana does those especially on main roads in rural/suburban areas.

Georgia (GDOT) also does this.  Counties there sometmes do but more spotty, with Cobb County putting the street name above the warning sign.

[roadfro]

• 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.
  
  
• 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.
  

Nevada standard practice for many years has been to have a far-side pole mount signal (for straight movements and turns) in addition to any overhead signal heads, despite how many overhead signal heads are present.

NDOT uses city/town limit signs, but just town name and elevation. Putting the population on is an extra expense that needs periodic updating for little benefit, IMHO.

Yellow crossroad/signal ahead/stop sign ahead signs have the name of the upcoming road

I like the concept, but not the use of yellow.  I think the diamond should be paired with a green and white guide sign.

Nevada DOT has done this for a long time with rural intersections. They used to use white on green for the street name signs, but some recent sign replacements I've seen along US 95 near Beatty use black on yellow (and mixed case) which I find harder to read at a distance.

[tdindy88]

Indiana has schools as control cities, especially off of US-31 between South Bend and Indy. But then again, many schools in Indiana are results of consolidation.

Those aren't control cities though, just destinations. I can see small towns like Peru, Mexico or Bunker Hill as control cities, but not North Miami High School.

[theline]

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

I've yet to own a car with an outside temperature gauge. I'm a cheap bastard.

[theline]

I like the Indiana practice of actually getting new highways built. I'd love to see other states copy that crazy idea of actually building the roads needed by the populace.
Mitch Daniels is some sort of highway building demi-god. They need to clone him so other states can get some of his voodoo road magic.

It's easy to be like Mitch. Just have some valuable state asset, like a toll road, that you can lease to a foreign firm. Lease it for 75 years and make sure you get all the money up front. Spend all the money within 8 years, so you look like a hero. Get out out of politics after the money's gone, so you can't be held accountable. Maybe the presidency of a state university will open up.

[Scott5114]

I'd like to see Oklahoma adopt thermoplastic pavement markings. They are sturdier the stuff that passes for road paint in Oklahoma.

[roadman65]

How about Jersey Freeways outside of New Jersey.

FL 436 would make a great one here in Orlando. 
Many roads around the Tampa Bay area would make great canidates for example Dale Mabry Highway would be awesome for that with its major stop and go conditions due to its many signals.

Bottom line, it works well and other states could benefit from it.

[mjb2002]

Here are some practices I like that I wish the other states would do:

Yellow crossroad/signal ahead/stop sign ahead signs have the name of the upcoming road Illinois and sometimes Indiana does those especially on main roads in rural/suburban areas. Hardly ever in the city of Chicago except on Lake Shore Dr between Columbus Dr and Randolph St. It looks like these.

Green streetsigns on signals with both the "local name" and the route number Illinois does this mainly in Chicagoland like this on in Lockport at IL 171/State St and IL 7/9th St. http://www.landmarks.org/hcih/images/933-935-Sout-State-Street_Lockport-lg.jpg or like this one in Aurora. http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&tbo=d&biw=1404&bih=739&tbm=isch&tbnid=qtbstW_D3J30PM:&imgrefurl=http://www.billburmaster.com/rmsandw/illinois/state/il25kane.html&docid=3ff70Aeik0CzxM&imgurl=http://www.billburmaster.com/rmsandw/illinois/images/il25broad.jpg&w=414&h=279&ei=EurhUIzCKofj2QXw64CwCA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=788&vpy=236&dur=823&hovh=184&hovw=274&tx=140&ty=95&sig=114410953852498010262&page=1&tbnh=137&tbnw=237&start=0&ndsp=28&ved=1t:429,r:25,s:0,i:169

South Carolina does THIS too. I've seen plenty of these in Aiken and Orangeburg counties - also seen signs like this in Barnwell and Dorchester counties as well.

[Tom958]

Add a tag with the gradient on every steep grade warning sign, as NC does. I first saw these on a roadtrip I took in the '80's; they were helpful to me in the standard shift Datsun 210 I was driving, and surely they'd be much more helpful to truckers.

[mjb2002]

I don't know if any state does this, but I'd like to see a nationwide BAN on any Highway Gothic Series C lettering that predates the 2005 release of Highway Gothic fonts for non-Street Name guide signs.

Cap the speed limit on all two-lane highways at 55 max, and on non-interstate highways at 60 max, which are the maxes on SC's highways. Interstate speed limits should be 85 mph, or whatever Texas implements should they increase the speed limit even higher.

Use of letters for state highways, like what Wisconsin and Missouri does.

[Big John]

Use of letters for state highways, like what Wisconsin and Missouri does.

For MO that is the case for secondary state highways, but for WI letters are used for county highways only.

[oscar]

Cap the speed limit on all two-lane highways at 55 max, and on non-interstate highways at 60 max, which are the maxes on SC's highways. Interstate speed limits should be 85 mph, or whatever Texas implements should they increase the speed limit even higher.

There are many two-lane highways in west Texas with 75mph speed limits.  Some other western states have 70mph limits on some of their two-lanes.

[MASTERNC]

More states should use the "Lane Ends" sign with the slanted arrows as they do in MD/DE/VA.  I think one was placed in PA in Chambersburg but it was not placed at the taper point (rather just past an intersection).

[KEK Inc.]

I don't know if any state does this, but I'd like to see a nationwide BAN on any Highway Gothic Series C lettering that predates the 2005 release of Highway Gothic fonts for non-Street Name guide signs.

Cap the speed limit on all two-lane highways at 55 max, and on non-interstate highways at 60 max, which are the maxes on SC's highways. Interstate speed limits should be 85 mph, or whatever Texas implements should they increase the speed limit even higher.

Use of letters for state highways, like what Wisconsin and Missouri does.

Jesus Christ...  Speed limits shouldn't be "capped" at anything.  If you're on a flat desert floor, 55 MPH is ridiculously slow.  Speed limits should be determined on the road conditions, population and geography.

[Alps]

How about Jersey Freeways outside of New Jersey.

FL 436 would make a great one here in Orlando. 
Many roads around the Tampa Bay area would make great canidates for example Dale Mabry Highway would be awesome for that with its major stop and go conditions due to its many signals.

Bottom line, it works well and other states could benefit from it.

"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.

READ

[kkt]

Cap the speed limit on all two-lane highways at 55 max, and on non-interstate highways at 60 max, which are the maxes on SC's highways. Interstate speed limits should be 85 mph, or whatever Texas implements should they increase the speed limit even higher.

Um, what?  There are some two-lane roads through desert where it's straight and you can see for miles and there's no reason for a speed limit under 70.  There are plenty of interstates in mountains or dense urban areas that shouldn't be signed over 55.  And there are plenty of state route freeways that meet as high standards as interstates.  How about determining the speed limit by the geometric design and traffic patterns?