California's version of a Left Exit tab

[myosh_tino]

During my weekly review of new projects being advertised on the Caltrans website, I ran across a project for the CA-55/CA-91 interchange in Anaheim (Caltrans project 12-0C5604).  The signing plans include a new advance guide sign for CA-55 on westbound CA-91.  What caught my eye is the fact that this is a left exit and Caltrans is putting a slightly modified Left Exit tab on the new sign.  Here's what the new sign is supposed to look like based on the signing plan...



A couple of interesting notes...
* The exit tab is 96x48 with 10" EXIT and 15" numerals.  This is slightly smaller than the 2-digit E1-5bP tab which measures 114x54.  The LEFT plaque is still 60x18.
* The cardinal direction on the sign uses 15" letters with the initial letter (the "S") being 18".  IIRC, FHWA standard says the cardinal direction should be 12" with the initial letter being 15".  The old Caltrans-standard for cardinal directions were either 12" or 10".

[SignBridge]

Interesting that California, even in its attempt to standardize with the rest of the country, always manages to still be different...... 

[vtk]

* The cardinal direction on the sign uses 15" letters with the initial letter (the "S") being 18".  IIRC, FHWA standard says the cardinal direction should be 12" with the initial letter being 15".  The old Caltrans-standard for cardinal directions were either 12" or 10".

It's too big.  The cardinal direction needs to be noticeably smaller than the destination legend, or it just looks wrong to me.  Heck, it's even bigger than the number in the route shield!

Personally, I think if the destination is 16"/12", then the cardinal direction should be no larger than 12"/10.33".  Whoever came up with 15"/12" for the cardinal directions made an aesthetic mistake.

[pctech]

The left exit on the new SF bay bridge looks pretty good. It used the "striped" CA style exit#.
I like the fact that the left is actually left of the word exit.

[Neel]

I noticed the left tab for the first time yesterday driving on the 10 through the SGV where they had a left toll lane exit. They put the yellow left where the exit number usually goes.

[myosh_tino]

I noticed the left tab for the first time yesterday driving on the 10 through the SGV where they had a left toll lane exit. They put the yellow left where the exit number usually goes.

This is a sign for the I-680 Express Lane in southern Alameda county that also uses a black-on-yellow LEFT plaque where an exit number would normally have gone.