BGS or BBS?

[Pink Jazz]

Virginia will even give the BBS treatment to commercial entities that are not natural or historic parks

https://goo.gl/maps/fr4SWAPwZS72

Mike

I think Kings Dominion was grandfathered into the program, since prior to introducing the Attractions logo sign category this was the only way attractions could be seen from highways.  I would think if any new commercial entity were to get a sign today, an Attractions logo sign would be their only option.

Speaking of this, in Missouri MoDOT recently threatened to remove Fantastic Caverns' brown signs and make them sign up for an Attractions logo sign.  Protests from the family that owns Fantastic Caverns put an end to these plans and thus Fantastic Caverns is now allowed to keep their brown signs.

[Quillz]

BBS! Since it is what we use here. I've also seen BWSs (Big White Signs). We used to have BGSs, which were posted on Super-2s, but we phased them out in favor of BWSs.

California has a few white guide signs, and they're okay. Mainly used for technical trucking info, like the black guide signs I mentioned. When featuring route shields, the outer margin is invisible.

[jakeroot]

BBS! Since it is what we use here. I've also seen BWSs (Big White Signs). We used to have BGSs, which were posted on Super-2s, but we phased them out in favor of BWSs.

California has a few white guide signs, and they're okay. Mainly used for technical trucking info, like the black guide signs I mentioned. When featuring route shields, the outer margin is invisible.

That's something that I still can't figure out how to do properly (when I draw up a guide sign). Washington, like many other states, uses white HOV signs. Occasionally they feature route shields for the exit. Sometimes the shields have a black outline and other times they don't. Usually the interstate shields are just plastered on without a black outline, so it looks like each part of the shield is just floating there. Looks pretty awkward.

[Quillz]

BBS! Since it is what we use here. I've also seen BWSs (Big White Signs). We used to have BGSs, which were posted on Super-2s, but we phased them out in favor of BWSs.

California has a few white guide signs, and they're okay. Mainly used for technical trucking info, like the black guide signs I mentioned. When featuring route shields, the outer margin is invisible.

That's something that I still can't figure out how to do properly (when I draw up a guide sign). Washington, like many other states, uses white HOV signs. Occasionally they feature route shields for the exit. Sometimes the shields have a black outline and other times they don't. Usually the interstate shields are just plastered on without a black outline, so it looks like each part of the shield is just floating there. Looks pretty awkward.

It works well for California since they still use the older cutout design for their US routes, so the outermost white margin can disappear and you've still got the inner black margin. On the '70 standards, that black margin has to be added on. Also, California's route shields are green-on-white, so again, the white margin can disappear and you've still got a recognizable green shield. I don't really like how Interstate shields look on guide signs in general because they don't make any alterations. IMO, the crown should have the legend removed (you can't read it anyway), and should be thinner while making the field a bit wider. (Similar to how California has a guide sign specific variation of the US route shields).

[webfil]

This map is wrong; it is not binomial.
Slovenia uses yellow, blue and green signs depending on which class of road the exit leads to : yellow for local and national roads, blue for H-class expressways (Hitra cesti), green for A-class motorways (Avtocesti) and service areas. Most of the signs encountered are yellow.

Judging by GSV, Croatia uses the same scheme, and applies probably some other ex-jugoslavian states.

[english si]

This map is wrong; it is not binomial.

The map is right - look at the title of it. The map isn't sufficient to tell you about road direction sign colouring in those countries, sure, but it is right.

It's not binomial, it's not binary either, but out of the many colours that could be chosen for motorway signs (eg red, yellow, white, black, brown, purple, blue, green), European countries each went with one of only two options - so the map is two-tone (save Iceland and the microstates that are grey as they don't have motorways)

Slovenia uses yellow, blue and green signs depending on which class of road the exit leads to : yellow for local and national roads, blue for H-class expressways (Hitra cesti), green for A-class motorways (Avtocesti) and service areas.

And so it should be green on the map, as that is the colour of motorway signs. And it is green on the map.

Most of the signs encountered are yellow.

Not on motorways

The UK, Ireland and France have blue motorway signs (as shown on the map), green primary route (UK, RoI)/major destination (France) signage and most of the signs encountered are white. Should this map show those countries in white? Of course not! Should there be some other map that tells you the colour of signs on local roads: probably!

In my OP, I even touched on this - that this is only motorway signs, and many countries have different colours for different directional signage.

[webfil]

This map is wrong; it is not binomial.

The map is right - look at the title of it. The map isn't sufficient to tell you about road direction sign colouring in those countries, sure, but it is right.

Slovenia uses yellow, blue and green signs depending on which class of road the exit leads to : yellow for local and national roads, blue for H-class expressways (Hitra cesti), green for A-class motorways (Avtocesti) and service areas.

And so it should be green on the map, as that is the colour of motorway signs. And it is green on the map.

Most of the signs encountered are yellow.

Not on motorways

Yes, on motorways. 

Motorway signs in Slovenia are mostly yellow. Green signs are sparse, with only 5 motorway connections (A1/A3, A1/A2 at razep Kozarje, A2/A1 at razep Malence, A2/A4 and A2/A5), a few service areas and the usual control city distance sign.

Your map shows a sign for an exit to a national route in Greece. In Slovenia, it would have been yellow.

That is a yellow big sign. And it is a motorway sign. It is on A1 near Kastelec (Mestna občina Koper), Koper-bound. Unless the colors in my memory are fading, which can be possible since I've taken a lot of sun since my last visit to central Europe, and the yellow color tend to fade under the sun. Or maybe I'm color blind. Or maybe you are trying to represent a phenomenon that cannot be simplified with two colors on a choropleth map. Or maybe I totally did not understand that your map shows the color of the signs announcing exit to motorways as I've been mingled by the fact that there is a sign pointing towards a 2-lane road in an inset.

[english si]

Motorway signs in Slovenia are mostly yellow.

Nope.

Here's a streetview of the equivalent sign to the Greek one at the same exit the one in you picture is - it's green with a yellow panel. OK, it's in the other direction, but only as there's a tunnel in the way Koper-bound (and thus no sign like this - that there is at almost all other junctions on the Slovenian motorway network).

Also, it's not my map - it's been going around the internet for years without any negative comments (other than, in the early days, corrections like "Belarus needs to be blue"). I've also explained that it looks at a very narrow issue and reality is more complex.

[Road Hog]

Directional signs in Germany on B-roads and lesser roads use gold background. (On autobahns, of course, they are blue.)

[silverback1065]

In countries that use blue guide signs, I wonder what color are their service signs?  Here in the U.S. blue is the standard color for service signs (most commonly logo signs).

The UK uses blue for their services. If I remember correctly, they are blue because "services" are seen as a motorway commodity (and motorway-related context has blue backgrounds, be it an entire sign or a patch on an alternatively-colored sign).

Just for the record, I would like to revise the MUTCD colors as follows; Blue: Guide, Green: Recreational, Brown: Service, School Zone: Purple, Construction: Lime Green. other colors as they are. Just my 2 cents but I really like blue guide signs and not just for freeways but for all roads, though I would be OK with doing it like the UK and having blue for freeways and green for other routes.

I would reserve purple for toll roads, and leave orange as construction and reserve lime green for school. The other changes I would be okay with.

What the hell does "1 2 m" mean? Is that sign saying 1/2 meters?

[myosh_tino]

What the hell does "1 2 m" mean? Is that sign saying 1/2 meters?

I believe that's how the UK indicates 1/2 mile.

[silverback1065]

What the hell does "1 2 m" mean? Is that sign saying 1/2 meters?

I believe that's how the UK indicates 1/2 mile.

That's weird. I knew other countries transpose , with . in numbers but I didn't know they did that with fractions, kind of bizarre.

[webfil]

Motorway signs in Slovenia are mostly yellow.

Nope.

Here's a streetview of the equivalent sign to the Greek one at the same exit the one in you picture is - it's green with a yellow panel. OK, it's in the other direction, but only as there's a tunnel in the way Koper-bound (and thus no sign like this - that there is at almost all other junctions on the Slovenian motorway network).

My memory did fade away. Thanks for pointing that out.  Definitely did not remember enough things from this trip. Going back in a few weeks, I'll try to get a few snaps.

[Scott5114]

Just my 2 cents but I really like blue guide signs and not just for freeways but for all roads, though I would be OK with doing it like the UK and having blue for freeways and green for other routes.

We have white for most roads' direction signage.

The different colours for differently important roads (or, in France, green signs for important destinations, rather than important roads) is helpful - you can see what is the main route without have to read anything - just follow the green. The monochromatic nature of the Netherlands (the cartouches for road numbers are different colours though) or the USA flattens the hierarchy of routes for navigation and doesn't (which some countries do, but only use two different colours) treat motorways as a special class of road that needs to be highlighted.

On the other hand, having all navigation signage in green allows a driver to filter out signs unrelated to navigation if they are irrelevant. That can be useful in a major junction where there is a TOTSO situation or tricky lane assignments so one can disregard information about hospitals or parks that is irrelevant to where one is going. The different route shield symbols serve the purpose that the sign background colors do in Europe.

[english si]

That's weird. I knew other countries transpose , with . in numbers but I didn't know they did that with fractions, kind of bizarre.

It's only done with road signs. Not putting the slash increases legibility (by allowing larger numerals as there's no slash taking up space) - your brain might even start thinking they are there despite not being (the angle that photo was taken isn't conducive to that) as it expects one there.

That can be useful in a major junction where there is a TOTSO situation or tricky lane assignments so one can disregard information about hospitals or parks that is irrelevant to where one is going.

Err this is the same thing as I'm suggesting the different colour signs do in Europe, with the added bonus of being able to disregard information that relates to minor roads via the same process.

Yes shields do add an element of route hierarchy and ignoring minor roads (though a state highway, even a county highway or an unnumbered road, can be a freeway making the idea about what highway system they are on = their importance is diluted), but if your state highway shield is a white blob/box then distinguishing that from a US shield is harder than spotting a patch of colour. It's still pretty easy, but the cognitive load is a tiny bit more.