The Worst of Road Signs

[ctsignguy]

A lot of speed limit signs are Series F.

Actually I think you're right...I've seen some speed limit signs with Series F in Illinois I think, but it's only the really old ones.

Like maybe this?

[PHLBOS]

A lot of speed limit signs are Series F.

Actually I think you're right...I've seen some speed limit signs with Series F in Illinois I think, but it's only the really old ones.

Like maybe this?

I could be mistaken but I believe the 45 in that sign is Series E.

[briantroutman]

I could be mistaken but I believe the 45 in that sign is Series E.

Yes. Series E numerals are relatively wide compared with Series E letters–enough that you might think that they're Series F–but true Series F numerals look absurdly wide. Series E and F shown overlaid in yellow for comparison.

[D-Dey65]

How about a traffic light for the color blind?  (Note: I am part color blind myself.)

How about actual traffic lights for the color blind? 

Is that in Quebec?

[jakeroot]

How about a traffic light for the color blind?  (Note: I am part color blind myself.)

How about actual traffic lights for the color blind? 

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7266/7866829532_990249a4e6_z.jpg

Is that in Quebec?

I'm 99% sure Quebec was the only province to use these signals. Regardless, the Midas building on the left has French writing ("Services Auto et Pneus"). Definitely Quebec.

[tckma]

I'm 99% sure Quebec was the only province to use these signals. Regardless, the Midas building on the left has French writing ("Services Auto et Pneus"). Definitely Quebec.

Off-topic, but "pneu" is probably my favorite French word.

[Ian]

How about a traffic light for the color blind?  (Note: I am part color blind myself.)

How about actual traffic lights for the color blind? 

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7266/7866829532_990249a4e6_z.jpg

Is that in Quebec?

I'm 99% sure Quebec was the only province to use these signals. Regardless, the Midas building on the left has French writing ("Services Auto et Pneus"). Definitely Quebec.

To answer D-Dey's question, yes. That specific photo was taken on QC 233 at Rue Saint Michael in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

To respond to what Jake said, Quebec wasn't the only province to use these. I've seen examples of signals like this (and similar ones with only one red vs. two) with the shaped lenses in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

[jakeroot]

To respond to what Jake said, Quebec wasn't the only province to use these. I've seen examples of signals like this (and similar ones with only one red vs. two) with the shaped lenses in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

Very interesting. Must be a maritimes thing. I've never seen anything like them in Western Canada.

[1995hoo]

I've driven past this sign many times, but yesterday afternoon was the first time I've walked past and managed to get a picture. It's at the intersection of Virginia Avenue and I Street NW in DC, just west of the Watergate. The mutilated signs up the thread are worse, but I find this one hideous in so many ways, of course starting with the strange white background. It's arguably all the worse because just across the street from that gas station, out of view to the left, there's a nice I-66 territory-named shield on an LGS; another similar LGS is located a bit further up Virginia Avenue on one of the light poles visible in front of that building immediately behind the sign I was photographing here.

[Thing 342]

Some more Norfolk signage joy, this one taken while stuck in traffic at the north end of Tidewater Dr. Notice the green separating the two parts of the interstate shield.

[Ian]

I've driven past this sign many times, but yesterday afternoon was the first time I've walked past and managed to get a picture. It's at the intersection of Virginia Avenue and I Street NW in DC, just west of the Watergate. The mutilated signs up the thread are worse, but I find this one hideous in so many ways, of course starting with the strange white background. It's arguably all the worse because just across the street from that gas station, out of view to the left, there's a nice I-66 territory-named shield on an LGS; another similar LGS is located a bit further up Virginia Avenue on one of the light poles visible in front of that building immediately behind the sign I was photographing here.
[image snipped]

There used to be a nice district-named I-66 shield in the assembly that the sign you posted replaced. It was very badly faded, but it was a lot better than what's there now. Looks like it was replaced sometime between 2012 and 2014 per GSV imagery.

[okroads]

Taken during the South Bend Road Meet on Saturday, here is "RedFieLd" St on Old M-205 just north of the state line near Elkhart, IN...

DSC04415 by Eric Stuve, on Flickr

[Brandon]

^^ Wondered how long until that one made it here. 

[okroads]

^^ Wondered how long until that one made it here. 

I was surprised it wasn't already here.  The first thing I thought of when we saw that sign was that it would be perfect for this thread.

[opspe]

Dunno if this one's been posted yet, but...



Yes, that's Times New Roman, at Collins Circle in Portland.  Thankfully PBOT removed it several years ago, after the top half broke off.  https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.5174815,-122.6925742,3a,36.7y,69.88h,86.95t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1szhlUVD1aHNcO0wDonySE6A!2e0!5s20090501T000000!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

[SignGeek101]

Dunno if this one's been posted yet, but...



Yes, that's Times New Roman, at Collins Circle in Portland.  Thankfully PBOT removed it several years ago, after the top half broke off.  https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.5174815,-122.6925742,3a,36.7y,69.88h,86.95t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1szhlUVD1aHNcO0wDonySE6A!2e0!5s20090501T000000!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

I know a whole town that uses that eye gouging, illegible, overused, and obselete font on their street blades. It isn't pretty. Admittedly though, I'd rather see that than Helvetica or Arial.

[opspe]

I know a whole town that uses that eye gouging, illegible, overused, and obselete font on their street blades. It isn't pretty. Admittedly though, I'd rather see that than Helvetica or Arial.

Like Burnaby? Where they just apparently have no standards at all, and just stretch Helvetica to fit whatever they need? 

Pic on left is mine, from 2014, but I think that particular...mistake has since been corrected.

[SignGeek101]

Speed limits in Helvetica are standard in BC. Thankfully, that's the only place in North America where that is the case. Most of the streetblades in the Vancouver and surrounding area are being changed to Clearview (much better than Helvetica), though I'm not sure if Burnaby is in that boat or not. Coquitlam to the east uses a very nice backlit mixed-case Clearview on a blue background.

My city is converting older Helvetica street blades to Clearview as well.

[opspe]

Speed limits in Helvetica are standard in BC. Thankfully, that's the only place in North America where that is the case. Most of the streetblades in the Vancouver and surrounding area are being changed to Clearview (much better than Helvetica), though I'm not sure if Burnaby is in that boat or not. Coquitlam to the east uses a very nice backlit mixed-case Clearview on a blue background.

My city is converting older Helvetica street blades to Clearview as well.

Vancouver is in the process of changing them over, as the need arises.  The white on black street corner blades were FHWA and the overhead white on green ones were Helvetica, but they're probably no more than halfway converted to Clearview from what I've seen.  And Burnaby is sticking with Helvetica for all its signage needs.

[vtk]

Dunno if this one's been posted yet, but...



Yes, that's Times New Roman, at Collins Circle in Portland.  Thankfully PBOT removed it several years ago, after the top half broke off.  https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.5174815,-122.6925742,3a,36.7y,69.88h,86.95t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1szhlUVD1aHNcO0wDonySE6A!2e0!5s20090501T000000!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

Are we sure that's TNR? Something about it doesn't quite look right to me.  On the other hand, maybe it's the UC/LC size differential throwing me off...

[opspe]

Are we sure that's TNR? Something about it doesn't quite look right to me.  On the other hand, maybe it's the UC/LC size differential throwing me off...

Yeah, I think the uppercase letters are a larger size.

[Roadsguy]

This diagrammatic in Tremonton, UT. The only thing right about that arrow is that the road has three lanes at one point. Also, anyone know what might be under that greenout? According to the previous street views, it's been there since at least April 2008.

[opspe]

This diagrammatic in Tremonton, UT. The only thing right about that arrow is that the road has three lanes at one point. Also, anyone know what might be under that greenout? According to the previous street views, it's been there since at least April 2008.

My 2006 road atlas has that exit labelled as 385, not 379.  According to this https://web.archive.org/web/20070608193832/http://www.udot.utah.gov:80/mileposts/, UDOT recalculated all the exit numbers along I-15 in 2007, so I guess that would be your answer.

[Roadsguy]

This diagrammatic in Tremonton, UT. The only thing right about that arrow is that the road has three lanes at one point. Also, anyone know what might be under that greenout? According to the previous street views, it's been there since at least April 2008.

My 2006 road atlas has that exit labelled as 385, not 379.  According to this https://web.archive.org/web/20070608193832/http://www.udot.utah.gov:80/mileposts/, UDOT recalculated all the exit numbers along I-15 in 2007, so I guess that would be your answer.

That makes sense. It just seems odd that they covered the whole shield and opted for an internal exit "tab", when the several other exit signs nearby I just checked seem to have full-width tabs. Perhaps they didn't have an exit tab there at all, or removed the old one or something?

[roadfro]

This diagrammatic in Tremonton, UT. The only thing right about that arrow is that the road has three lanes at one point. Also, anyone know what might be under that greenout? According to the previous street views, it's been there since at least April 2008.

My 2006 road atlas has that exit labelled as 385, not 379.  According to this https://web.archive.org/web/20070608193832/http://www.udot.utah.gov:80/mileposts/, UDOT recalculated all the exit numbers along I-15 in 2007, so I guess that would be your answer.

That makes sense. It just seems odd that they covered the whole shield and opted for an internal exit "tab", when the several other exit signs nearby I just checked seem to have full-width tabs. Perhaps they didn't have an exit tab there at all, or removed the old one or something?

I'd guess that the original sign didn't have an exit tab, and the vertical spacing of the I-84 shield/direction had to be adjusted to fit the internal tab.

Also a bit of an error, is that the distance legend is on the wrong side of the arrow (given that I-84, even though it's the through route, is marked as the exit).