Black Background Overhead Signs

[agentsteel53]

In Texas--the only state I know of that still uses split day/night speed limits on a large scale--they are. 

the night speed limit is still around in Texas?  I thought they got rid of that ~2012.  I know Florida has them on US-1 to protect the endangered key deer.  speed limit is 50 or 55 day (I forget), and 35 night.

Split limits used to be much more common elsewhere in the US and a number of states, including Ohio and Washington state, used to have standard speed limit signs that combined both limits in the same message space (nonretroreflective white background, day speed limit in black, night speed limit in retroreflective lettering that was white except where it overlapped the day speed limit digits and so was retroreflective black).

Michael Summa referred to this style as "magic speed limit" signs, and the only photo evidence I have of the retroreflective style are from Florida.  I also have a photo of a cateyed 1940s example from Arizona.  SPEED LIMIT 60 in white text on black; cateyes, however, spell out 50.

[J N Winkler]

In Texas--the only state I know of that still uses split day/night speed limits on a large scale--they are.

the night speed limit is still around in Texas?  I thought they got rid of that ~2012.

Funny that!  I think the last time I drove in Texas was in 2005.  I know they got rid of the billboard-like statewide speed limit signs at stateline crossings sometime in the last five years, but I thought the night speed limits were still a going concern.

In regard to the "magic" split speed limit signs, I don't think I have ever seen a real-life example, but I'm quite sure I have a copy of the Ohio standard plan sheet for them.

[Ian]

The Superdome opened on August 3, 1975.  Could that sign be dated to then instead of 1966?

probably.  given that the sign indeed says Superdome, then that must be it.  I don't remember who told me 1966.

1975 is very late for a black sign, but I know the city of LA was putting them up as late as 1977 so it's not unheard of.

I've seen this sign mentioned several times on this forum, and since no one else is asking, does anyone have a photo of this sign, or at least a Street View link? The curiosity is killing me...

[signalman]

The Superdome opened on August 3, 1975.  Could that sign be dated to then instead of 1966?

probably.  given that the sign indeed says Superdome, then that must be it.  I don't remember who told me 1966.

1975 is very late for a black sign, but I know the city of LA was putting them up as late as 1977 so it's not unheard of.

I've seen this sign mentioned several times on this forum, and since no one else is asking, does anyone have a photo of this sign, or at least a Street View link? The curiosity is killing me...

I would have had a photo, had I knew of its existence.  I saw it in December, but sadly, I was riding in a taxi.   Had I known it was there, I would have had the camera ready for a picture.  Since I wasn't driving, doubling back wasn't an option either.  I saw it, and was like   "oh, sweet!"  But then it was gone from my view and no picture

[VCB02FromRoblox]

Another toll sign.

[Ian]

The Superdome opened on August 3, 1975.  Could that sign be dated to then instead of 1966?

probably.  given that the sign indeed says Superdome, then that must be it.  I don't remember who told me 1966.

1975 is very late for a black sign, but I know the city of LA was putting them up as late as 1977 so it's not unheard of.

I've seen this sign mentioned several times on this forum, and since no one else is asking, does anyone have a photo of this sign, or at least a Street View link? The curiosity is killing me...

I would have had a photo, had I knew of its existence.  I saw it in December, but sadly, I was riding in a taxi.   Had I known it was there, I would have had the camera ready for a picture.  Since I wasn't driving, doubling back wasn't an option either.  I saw it, and was like   "oh, sweet!"  But then it was gone from my view and no picture

What about a Street View of it? Do you remember where it was?

[talllguy]

Another toll sign.

Why clog up the cash lanes with trucks anyway?

[jakeroot]

Another toll sign.

Why clog up the cash lanes with trucks anyway?

Bureaucratic punishment.

/s

[jakeroot]

So I found a black background sign in Seattle. SR-520(W) just after the merge from West Lake Sammamish Parkway:

As expected, it relates to a truck. More interesting, however, is that the sign is only 5 years old, according to GMSV.

[Roadrunner75]

That sign needs to put out of its misery -- it looks as though it was green and then they painted over it with black. And now, it's wearing off and thus looks terrible.

Also, the sign looks like an a la carte setup. The letters are split up into two or three and then the arrows are all alone as well.

What is up with that? How old is it?

That is a New Jersey Turnpike CLASSIC!!! (late 1950s? 1960s? Around there IIRC) These are some of the oldest guide signs on the Turnpike, especially with that gantry (I-beam?). NJTA recently took one of these down near Exit 6, and this one is probably gone too. But this sign looks like it's still in great shape, and I hope it's still there.

I believe the turnpike sign is still there.  This Bing street view (no GSV available for this location, surprisingly) shows it:
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=qshcr68ttvgc&lvl=19.29&dir=88.62&sty=x~lat~40.702609~lon~-74.068676~alt~-22.744~z~30~h~84.4~p~-2.3~pid~5082&app=5082&FORM=LMLTCC
It is located on the 14B entrance to the Newark Bay Extension (I-78) in Jersey City.  I go past here every two weeks or so - I'll look out for it next time...

[wisvishr0]

I'm not sure how anti-Canadian you guys are (and this is the National Board), but I just had to mention:

All Canadian lane-guide signs have black backgrounds as opposed to the white ones here in the states. Because the original topic was about overhead signs, I went fishing for an overhead one in Montreal on Google Streetview:



I must say I like them: they stand out from the other white regulatory signs.