The Worst of Road Signs

[cappicard]

I just don't like the southern California usage.. My nephew went to high school in San Diego and came back to Jacksonville and talked about driving on "the 10" or "the 95"

In Central Kansas, we say "Highway 56." In the Kansas City area, it's "56 Highway." I wonder where the dividing line is for that nomenclature in our state.

[bzakharin]

I just don't like the southern California usage.. My nephew went to high school in San Diego and came back to Jacksonville and talked about driving on "the 10" or "the 95"

In Central Kansas, we say "Highway 56." In the Kansas City area, it's "56 Highway." I wonder where the dividing line is for that nomenclature in our state.

Although we don't say either in NJ, I would interpret the two differently. "Highway 56" would just be a synonym for route 56, but "(The) 56 Highway" would either stress that 56 is a highway (whatever your definition of that is. Here in NJ it's anything divided) or denote a portion of 56 that's a highway (if part of it is not), like the 42 freeway in NJ.

[Scott5114]

I just can't like this sign. I know, it's Oklahoma, but still...
https://www.google.com/maps/@36.1570348,-96.0043925,3a,45.5y,67.24h,104.19t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sGGCGtR2bnqhUNfjqHxHocw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Why get one thing wrong, when you can get all of them wrong?

As for the upthread discussion about how bad signs happen: I don't know for sure exactly what happens in the halls of OkDOT, but it seems like half the time the signs are bad on the plan sheet, which the contractor may feel uneasy cleaning up for fear of being called out for not following the plans. For the other half, where the contractor screws up, the DOT generally has the ability to demand a redo to follow the plan (which we've seen agencies like WisDOT and KTC use), same as if someone working on your house had installed your toilet backward, but for whatever reason OkDOT seems reluctant to require fixes from contractors. I have seen bad signs posted on Norman city streets and then be replaced with better ones shortly thereafter, so it's obviously not something unique to Oklahoma law or anything.

[freebrickproductions]

Gonna quickly cross-post this sign in Woodville, AL from the "Unique, Odd, or Interesting Signs" thread:

Weight Limit Sign by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Now here's some newer stuff:
Winfield, AL:
Odd One Way/Do Not Enter Combo Sign by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
Absolutely NO Trucks by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Somewhere in Marion County, AL on a county road just off of AL 118 east of Winfield:
No Trucks by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
No Trucks by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Ugly US 78 shield in Eldridge, AL:
Ugly US 78 shield by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Some malformed AL 33 shields in downtown Moulton, AL. Looks like the state of Alabama has decided to annex part of Georgia to solve the budget problem!
Ugly AL 33 Shields by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

[Zeffy]

Um... I don't consider any of those signs "worst of".

[Jovet]

Somewhere in Marion County, AL on a county road just off of AL 118 east of Winfield:

Oh my God.  That is so wrong on so many levels.  That actually makes me angry.  Probably the most shocking thing about it is the up-close photograph showing the insanely shoddy construction!

[jakeroot]

Somewhere in Marion County, AL on a county road just off of AL 118 east of Winfield:

Oh my God.  That is so wrong on so many levels.  That actually makes me angry.  Probably the most shocking thing about it is the up-close photograph showing the insanely shoddy construction!

For some reason, despite the completely shit production quality, I quite like the sign. A nice mix between warning and regulatory. Very European looking.

[renegade]

Somewhere in Marion County, AL on a county road just off of AL 118 east of Winfield:

Oh my God.  That is so wrong on so many levels.  That actually makes me angry.  Probably the most shocking thing about it is the up-close photograph showing the insanely shoddy construction!

I actually like that one.   I know it's wrong, but I do!     

[SectorZ]

Some malformed AL 33 shields in downtown Moulton, AL. Looks like the state of Alabama has decided to annex part of Georgia to solve the budget problem!

Are those shields giving birth to the Old Man on the Mountain?

[OracleUsr]

Either that or Godzilla has invaded Mobile.

[Kacie Jane]

Um... I don't consider any of those signs "worst of".

Not that I'm the supreme arbiter of this thread, just my $.02...

The 33's are pretty bad.  Not absolutely worst of the worst, but pretty awful.  I can't quite tell from the angle, are those wide blanks?  (Not correct for a 3-digit route either though, the 118 above it is much prettier.)

I'm guessing the issue with the US 78 shield is that the number is in Arial (and a bit thin)?  But it's possibly the prettiest Arialveticverstesk sign I've ever seen, so personally, that one I wouldn't have put here.

The No Trucks signs are nonstandard obviously, but there I agree, definitely not worst of.

The Absolutely No Trucks sign though, that one burns my eyes slightly.

I can't make up my mind on the do not enter one though.  I think if the "do not enter" part were correct (by which I mean red and white), then I'd actually really like it with the unique black one way banner.  But the way it's done here, with the red bar not-contrasting with the black circle..... ugh.

[Zeffy]

Is it the shape of Alabama that's wrong in those AL 33 signs? I think I'm missing something here.

[Kacie Jane]

Yes.  Basically the center is way too stretched compared to the Tennessee border on the top and where Mobile is sticking down at the bottom.  Somehow something got stretched out of proportion, but it doesn't even look to me like the whole shape is stretched the same way.

[cjk374]

Yes.  Basically the center is way too stretched compared to the Tennessee border on the top and where Mobile is sticking down at the bottom.  Somehow something got stretched out of proportion, but it doesn't even look to me like the whole shape is stretched the same way.

It looks to me like Alabama annexed Georgia. That would be the state route shield for the new state of Georgibama.

[Kacie Jane]

Actually, I just took another look at it, and I think my first hunch was right, and my second was wrong.  What they did was they just took a 2-digit blank and stretched to make a 3-digit blank... when what you're supposed to do to make a 3-digit blank is just extend the horizontal lines that make up the Tennessee and Florida borders, but leave the Mississippi and Georgia sides identical.  Essentially it's a "bubble" Alabama shield, it's made the same way "bubble" interstate shields are.

Why they're trying (and failing) to make a 3-digit shield for 2-digit route, I couldn't tell you.  So extra "worst of" points.

[formulanone]

Either that or Godzilla has invaded Mobile.

Ah, nice catch.

Usually, it appears that a duck has invaded Mobile.

[freebrickproductions]

This tacky patch job by ALDOT on AL 255 probably falls under "Worst Of":
Just Tacky by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
To make it even worse, this is the replacement for a much better gore-point sign. I guess the old one got knocked down by something and ALDOT chose to replace it in the cheapest possible way.

I've also posted these here before in another thread, but here's a better picture of some ugly airport signage on a public road:
Ugly Airport Signage by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

[US 41]

I have seen a lot of ugly signs while driving. Some were so bad and awful looking I have even gotten a good laugh. But in all honesty as long as the sign is correct, that is all that matters to me. I have seen a lot of signs that look perfectly normal, but they are incorrect in some way or another.

[Quillz]

Non-cutouts in California...

[Rothman]

Isn't that Yosemite?  Might be installed by NPS.

[kkt]

Isn't that Yosemite?  Might be installed by NPS.

Yes, Big Oak Flat road coming from Yosemite Valley approaching CA 120, probably NPS.  Still, wish the Park had ordered the right signs from a CalTrans contractor.

[freebrickproductions]

To be fair, the US 395 shield doesn't look too bad. I actually quite like it.

[PHLBOS]

To be fair, the US 395 shield doesn't look too bad. I actually quite like it.

I believe the signs in contention are the CA 120 non-cutout shields posted above the US 395 shield... the font in particular.

[ekt8750]

To be fair, the US 395 shield doesn't look too bad. I actually quite like it.

I believe the signs in contention are the CA 120 non-cutout shields posted above the US 395 shield... the font in particular.

We won't speak of those monstrosities. I dunno how they could get the US 395 sign so right but royally screw up the CA 120 sign. The non-cutout is excusable since I'm sure the NPS is used to most non-interstate routes not using cutout shields but to slap on Helvetica numerals in there is just wrong especially when you already properly uses Series C in the shield below it.

[cl94]

To be fair, the US 395 shield doesn't look too bad. I actually quite like it.

I believe the signs in contention are the CA 120 non-cutout shields posted above the US 395 shield... the font in particular.

We won't speak of those monstrosities. I dunno how they could get the US 395 sign so right but royally screw up the CA 120 sign. The non-cutout is excusable since I'm sure the NPS is used to most non-interstate routes not using cutout shields but to slap on Helvetica numerals in there is just wrong especially when you already properly uses Series C in the shield below it.

Actually, the NPS isn't beholden to any state MUTCD because they aren't federal, so the US shields are fine. I don't blame them for wanting to manufacture a special set of US shields just for California.