The Worst of Road Signs

[noelbotevera]

I just ran across this situation on U.S. 49 at the 49E/49W split near Yazoo City, Mississippi. I can't even begin to understand what happened here.



(Image: Google StreetView)

Massachusetts paddle sign arrows infect Mississippi?

[SignGeek101]

This isn't the best view, but perhaps we wouldn't want a good view of it:

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.436071,-72.339533,3a,75y,130.86h,79.68t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sAhMQ4z9sZWujPrR367HJfA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

What's wrong here?

The font I think. It's not standard; looks ugly for sure. Some people wouldn't consider that 'worst' though.

That is Helvetica. That's the former CT-standard font for a couple years before going back to FHWA Series fonts.

I know. Some provinces here use it as a standard on route shields (I'm looking at you British Columbia and New Brunswick).

[peterj920]

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2912197,-88.2585991,3a,15y,68.28h,89.15t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sAHHk8HPAVbi9395Ex22hvQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2438781,-88.3618106,3a,37.5y,283.85h,95.66t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s9eoxMW8HlHRj_CFuRMfgDw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2469326,-88.3241796,3a,37.5y,43.53h,77.86t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sIRDH7BzBkEuP0HUg-Kf2_A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

Outagamie County, WI used to have to worst looking signs I've seen, but they have greatly improved them.  I posted 2 speed limit 30 signs and 1 speed limit 35 sign where the 3 is barely legible.

I thought those were all Google street view camera cut-offs, but indeed the 3 on those signs are squished.

Here are what the other speed limit signs look like.  They aren't as bad as the 30 and 35s, but still look pretty strange: 

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2572825,-88.2862292,3a,15y,129.22h,84.63t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sh8MpafOCPEPljecgCQ6OGw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.3864188,-88.2802326,3a,30y,304.39h,79.66t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s0mwMiGFKehCh43lUvmT8AA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2574387,-88.2858644,3a,37.5y,290.43h,85.12t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sjSRd2b5QOBdTLYZ3TqwQcg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

It looks like the last '5' is in series EM, while the number in front of it is in series E. An easy mistake to make for people who don't know any better. Still, it could be worse: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=3521.msg2009058#msg2009058

I don't think any of the 3's are part of any font series, I don't think the feds would approve of a font like that

[SignGeek101]

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2912197,-88.2585991,3a,15y,68.28h,89.15t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sAHHk8HPAVbi9395Ex22hvQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2438781,-88.3618106,3a,37.5y,283.85h,95.66t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s9eoxMW8HlHRj_CFuRMfgDw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2469326,-88.3241796,3a,37.5y,43.53h,77.86t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sIRDH7BzBkEuP0HUg-Kf2_A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

Outagamie County, WI used to have to worst looking signs I've seen, but they have greatly improved them.  I posted 2 speed limit 30 signs and 1 speed limit 35 sign where the 3 is barely legible.

I thought those were all Google street view camera cut-offs, but indeed the 3 on those signs are squished.

Here are what the other speed limit signs look like.  They aren't as bad as the 30 and 35s, but still look pretty strange: 

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2572825,-88.2862292,3a,15y,129.22h,84.63t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sh8MpafOCPEPljecgCQ6OGw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.3864188,-88.2802326,3a,30y,304.39h,79.66t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s0mwMiGFKehCh43lUvmT8AA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2574387,-88.2858644,3a,37.5y,290.43h,85.12t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sjSRd2b5QOBdTLYZ3TqwQcg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

It looks like the last '5' is in series EM, while the number in front of it is in series E. An easy mistake to make for people who don't know any better. Still, it could be worse: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=3521.msg2009058#msg2009058

I don't think any of the 3's are part of any font series, I don't think the feds would approve of a font like that

I think it's series E, but the computer / software / something mushed it up. One the other hand, it is pretty hard to tell just from the street view. It's pretty much unrecognizable as Highway Gothic now.

[Big John]

^^ I believe those signs with that font came before computer-generated signs came about.

[Zeffy]

Um, ew?
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.2300018,-75.2374206,3a,15y,16.09h,85.01t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sw7bPt4TGr0ftppPvbW88Tg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[TravelingBethelite]

I have no words for it, it's that bad.

[SignGeek101]

Um, ew?
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.2300018,-75.2374206,3a,15y,16.09h,85.01t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sw7bPt4TGr0ftppPvbW88Tg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Reminds me of this: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=3521.msg2078075#msg2078075

Some computer glitch or something.

[Big John]

^^ More of a misinterpretation of the guidelines calling for lower-case letters to be a smaller size.  The misinterpretation being that the smaller size is based on the size of the upper-case letters but the manufacturer uses the smaller size as the upper-case base of the lower-case letters.  Not sure if i am making myself clear.

[SignGeek101]

^^ More of a misinterpretation of the guidelines calling for lower-case letters to be a smaller size.  The misinterpretation being that the smaller size is based on the size of the upper-case letters but the manufacturer uses the smaller size as the upper-case base of the lower-case letters.  Not sure if i am making myself clear.

I remember seeing signs that had smaller than normal lower case letters. Like this: https://goo.gl/maps/kYMsd6ELsdz

[jakeroot]

I think this is alarmingly common, unfortunately. Here's a couple of different signs near me with the problem:

[cjk374]

^^ More of a misinterpretation of the guidelines calling for lower-case letters to be a smaller size.  The misinterpretation being that the smaller size is based on the size of the upper-case letters but the manufacturer uses the smaller size as the upper-case base of the lower-case letters.  Not sure if i am making myself clear.

I remember seeing signs that had smaller than normal lower case letters. Like this: https://goo.gl/maps/kYMsd6ELsdz

What is that milepost 7 with the green 3 on the white sign all about? I haven't seen that before.

[thenetwork]

Um, ew?
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.2300018,-75.2374206,3a,15y,16.09h,85.01t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sw7bPt4TGr0ftppPvbW88Tg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

"Out in Bethlehem they're killing time,
Filling out forms, making bad signs.
And we're living here in Allentown"

-- B. Joel

[Big John]

^^ More of a misinterpretation of the guidelines calling for lower-case letters to be a smaller size.  The misinterpretation being that the smaller size is based on the size of the upper-case letters but the manufacturer uses the smaller size as the upper-case base of the lower-case letters.  Not sure if i am making myself clear.

I remember seeing signs that had smaller than normal lower case letters. Like this: https://goo.gl/maps/kYMsd6ELsdz

What is that milepost 7 with the green 3 on the white sign all about? I haven't seen that before.

I believe that means tenths of a mile, moving down the road is then a 7 with a reversed 2 underneath it.

[mwb1848]

Now, remind me again, how do I get to 199?

https://goo.gl/maps/snhHNeHRtBz

[jbnv]

"Out in Bethlehem they're killing time,
Filling out forms, making bad signs.
And we're living here in Allentown"

-- B. Joel

But something happened on the way to that place.
They threw a bunch of mis-sized text in my face!

[jbnv]

Now, remind me again, how do I get to 199? https://goo.gl/maps/snhHNeHRtBz

Which one is the worse? (I think you are looking for the Department of Redundancy Department.)

[Kacie Jane]

Now, remind me again, how do I get to 199? https://goo.gl/maps/snhHNeHRtBz

Which one is the worse? (I think you are looking for the Department of Redundancy Department.)

Nah, here's fine.  The left circle sign is Helvetica with the weird elongated arrow to boot. And it's tough to say for sure with the angle on Street View, but I think the one on the right with the correct font has stretching issues, and is a 3-digit number on a 2-digit width.

[jbnv]

Now, remind me again, how do I get to 199? https://goo.gl/maps/snhHNeHRtBz

Which one is the worse? (I think you are looking for the Department of Redundancy Department.)

Nah, here's fine.  The left circle sign is Helvetica with the weird elongated arrow to boot. And it's tough to say for sure with the angle on Street View, but I think the one on the right with the correct font has stretching issues, and is a 3-digit number on a 2-digit width.

From the first post in this thread:

Post the worst, most ineptly put together pieces of crap in your state. Not just "oh, it's in Clearview", "wrong type of shield", or "it's a bubble shield" or anything like that. We're talking pure, unadulterated suck here. Stuff that makes you wonder what they were thinking. Stuff that should only result from a night of binge drinking at the sign shop.

Redundant this is, and font issues it has, but unadulterated suck it is not.

[mwb1848]

If it were only for the redundancy, I'd post it there. However, all of the ugly made me feel like this is where it belongs.

[Kacie Jane]

Yes, the first post would seem to disqualify that post, but this is page 169 now, and this would be far from the first example of relaxing the rules.

Plus, it's not "oh, it's in Helvetica" or "wrong width of shield"... it's and (though each mistake on separate shields)... plus, the fact that you have three shields for the same highway, but they all look pretty different from each other.

If it were just three meat cleaver shields, then yeah, it's just redundancy.  But I'm fine with that mess being on this thread, though I agree that it's definitely not the worst of the worst.

[PHLBOS]

Recent update: two of the 1981-era MassDPW trailblazer and reassurance markers for JCT 1A and WEST 114 along Lafayette St. in Salem (the MA 114 section approaching Salem State University) were recently replaced with very non-MassDOT standard signs that feature an obliqued odd-ball font and the West cardinal for the reassurance marker is in mixed-case.

I managed to get a photo of both signs.  I can PM the pics upon request.

Update: I posted the photos on the BostonRoads Facebook Page

[kphoger]

Can we just admit we've drained the barrel of the worst road signs, and there's actually nothing new to add to the thread?

[formulanone]

Can we just admit we've drained the barrel of the worst road signs, and there's actually nothing new to add to the thread?

Nonsense! I seem to find something hideous in the field at least once every three months.

[cl94]

Can we just admit we've drained the barrel of the worst road signs, and there's actually nothing new to add to the thread?

Nonsense! I seem to find something hideous in the field at least once every three months.

I see bad stuff all the time. I just can't get a picture and some of it is too recent for GSV.