The Worst of Road Signs

[agentsteel53]

why is the Osceola Parkway not a state highway?  rural county-maintained freeways are surprisingly rare.  I cannot think of any others offhand.  (not to be confused with city-maintained freeways, which are uncommon but I can think of several offhand, especially when old alignments of state freeways are considered.)

[NE2]

Osceola County's not bad. It's just the Osceola Parkway that sucks. Including those oversized ads.

[Eth]

rural county-maintained freeways are surprisingly rare.  I cannot think of any others offhand.  (not to be confused with city-maintained freeways, which are uncommon but I can think of several offhand, especially when old alignments of state freeways are considered.)

Not quite 100% certain on this, but I believe both Ronald Reagan Parkway and part of Sugarloaf Parkway in Gwinnett County, GA (okay, not so much "rural" as "suburban") fall into this category. They don't have state route numbers, at any rate.

[NE2]

Osceola County thought the parkway (incidentally, not a full freeway) would be a cash cow. It's not.

Also in Florida is the full-freeway Nocatee Parkway southeast of Jax in a low-density exurb. It's partly signed as CR 210.

[Alps]

why is the Osceola Parkway not a state highway?  rural county-maintained freeways are surprisingly rare.  I cannot think of any others offhand.  (not to be confused with city-maintained freeways, which are uncommon but I can think of several offhand, especially when old alignments of state freeways are considered.)

Suffolk County, NY has a few. Though part of the NYC MSA or DMA or whatever the fuck the acronyms are, it's all farms and brush out there.

[NE2]

City-maintained freeways? I-83 in Baltimore

[formulanone]

Osceola County thought the parkway (incidentally, not a full freeway) would be a cash cow. It's not.

Also in Florida is the full-freeway Nocatee Parkway southeast of Jax in a low-density exurb. It's partly signed as CR 210.

I'm the sucker that used to take the Osceola Parkway to Disney World, but only if I was staying at one of the low-end resorts right off the road (All Star Resorts, for example). Only realized last year that FL 528 doesn't have a toll, and it has far less stop lights, which makes up for the slightly greater distance.

[SidS1045]

Am I the only one who noticed the sign on the right in the background says falling rock…like there's only one up there?

No, you're not the only one.  I assume that when that rock falls, they'll take the sign down?

[The High Plains Traveler]

Osceola County, FL should never be allowed to design guide signs...
https://maps.google.com/?ll=28.338263,-81.498272&spn=0.003206,0.006539&t=k&z=18&layer=c&cbll=28.338265,-81.499294&panoid=Di4uiSw-HQ1XwagBHCeN7w&cbp=12,74.55,,0,-5.68

About the only things not hideous about that sign are the county and FL route shields, and the fact that the US 192 shield is black.
Otherwise, I almost think I prefer the Disney-erected signs.

Were the 192 shields black back in Florida's colored shields days?

[agentsteel53]

rock may be used as an uncountable noun

[1995hoo]

Osceola County, FL should never be allowed to design guide signs...
https://maps.google.com/?ll=28.338263,-81.498272&spn=0.003206,0.006539&t=k&z=18&layer=c&cbll=28.338265,-81.499294&panoid=Di4uiSw-HQ1XwagBHCeN7w&cbp=12,74.55,,0,-5.68

About the only things not hideous about that sign are the county and FL route shields, and the fact that the US 192 shield is black.
Otherwise, I almost think I prefer the Disney-erected signs.

Were the 192 shields black back in Florida's colored shields days?

This post causes me to envision Jim Crow highway shields.

[formulanone]

Were the 192 shields black back in Florida's colored shields days?

They were green. I think only US 98's were black, other than a few oddballs that use white on black to this day.

[The High Plains Traveler]

Osceola County, FL should never be allowed to design guide signs...
https://maps.google.com/?ll=28.338263,-81.498272&spn=0.003206,0.006539&t=k&z=18&layer=c&cbll=28.338265,-81.499294&panoid=Di4uiSw-HQ1XwagBHCeN7w&cbp=12,74.55,,0,-5.68

About the only things not hideous about that sign are the county and FL route shields, and the fact that the US 192 shield is black.
Otherwise, I almost think I prefer the Disney-erected signs.

Were the 192 shields black back in Florida's colored shields days?

This post causes me to envision Jim Crow highway shields.

www.aaroads.com/shields/show.php?image=BC19750031

[agentsteel53]

I think only US 98's were black

correct

other than a few oddballs that use white on black to this day

that's not a Florida-specific thing as much as no one really knows what color shield goes on a white guide sign.  (hint: use a green guide sign)

[Michael]

After clicking the link to the horrible BGS assembly that deathtopumpkins posted, I decided to look around the Osceola Parkway a bit, and I found this modern sign with a tapered arrow.  I guess it makes up for the horrible BGS assembly.  I posted this to the Best of Road Signs thread as well.

EDIT: Steve pointed out in the Best of Road Signs thread that it's just a Type B arrow.  Oh, well!

[kkt]

I don't even know what the "No Gridlock" sign is wanting me to do.

given that it is Washington... stop filibustering presidential appointments?

[kphoger]

One of these things is not like the other.

I'd love to see the square one mounted properly, with the arrow shooting off at an angle.

[Sanctimoniously]

Some #alandot test signage in Virginia Beach...



Independence (VA 225) and Northampton (US 13).



Second verse, same as the first. There was also a significantly terrible ramp speed limit sign, hiding behind the bushes in shame.



What in the hell is this?



Going the other way on 13, just as weird.



You get the feeling that every sign in Hampton Roads was made by a different agency. Maybe this one was made by a group of advanced combat life support students simulating the effects of hypernatremia.



Would you like some border on your sign?

[amroad17]

When was the last time Va. Beach put up compliant signs?  1975?

That BGS on NB US 13 south of Shore Drive has been up since the late 1980's.  That needs to be two different panels, one for US 13 North and one for US 60.  It has been awhile but I believe there used to be two panels in the 1970's-mid 1980's at that location.  The LGS on SB US 13 needs to be a larger ground-mounted sign.

Then again, the signage at the CBBT has never been up to standard.

[Kacie Jane]

I keep meaning to go out and get my own photo of these signs, but I'm lazy. http://goo.gl/maps/Y3oeO

(If you zoom out, the meaning of the two signs should be obvious.  You can't turn left from Iowa onto James; the left turn only lane is for turning from Iowa onto State, which is basically the thru movement, although Iowa does continue straight.)

[Takumi]

When was the last time Va. Beach put up compliant signs?  1975?

Probably when VA 305 (still posted as of last year, we didm't check today) was last active, in 1960. Of course it was still Princess Anne County then.

I have my own gallery of horrors from today's trip, mostly from Norfolk but a few more Virginia Beach examples and some terrible street blades on the Eastern Shore. Just need to upload them. Suffolk's signage has also gone downhill within the past year but I didn't photograph any.

[amroad17]

I have probably said this before, but Virginia used to have very good compliant, up-to-spec signage.  It seems that it started to change in the mid 1980's.  Was this possibly due to VDOT contracting out signage?

[WillWeaverRVA]

I have probably said this before, but Virginia used to have very good compliant, up-to-spec signage.  It seems that it started to change in the mid 1980's.  Was this possibly due to VDOT contracting out signage?

VDOT is usually good about signage. The City of Virginia Beach (independent cities are in charge of their own road maintenance), however, is not.

[Takumi]

Norfolk is getting to be just as bad as Virginia Beach these days.
















This one's on the border between Norfolk and Virginia Beach.


These are solidly in Virginia Beach.




And this terrible street blade is in Northampton County.

[Central Avenue]

I keep meaning to go out and get my own photo of these signs, but I'm lazy. http://goo.gl/maps/Y3oeO

(If you zoom out, the meaning of the two signs should be obvious.  You can't turn left from Iowa onto James; the left turn only lane is for turning from Iowa onto State, which is basically the thru movement, although Iowa does continue straight.)

This is one of those one's that annoying because it could easily be clarified. Just add "TO JAMES" under the no-left-turn symbol and you're golden.

And this terrible street blade is in Northampton County.

Haha, that's some of the most egregious compressed lettering I've ever seen. Just spring for a longer sign, yo.