North Carolina's nine-panel logo sign experiment

[Mapmikey]

In Virginia the cost of the signs and the small administrative costs VDOT has to administer the 4 different logo-type programs available is borne entirely by the participating businesses/entities.  The cost structure is located here - http://www.virginiadot.org/programs/resources/IDSP-CTBFinalFees6-16-05.pdf

Oddly, only the folks wanting the large brown-GS or blue-GS signs contribute to the admin costs, but all groups pay for the signs and logos themselves.

Up until the early 80s most interstate travel was as jakeroot is now suggesting...generic gas-food-lodging signs.  If you were traveling somewhere unfamiliar to you (say a cross-country trip) this can be decidedly unhelpful.  Suppose you are traveling with someone who doesn't eat beef or pork.  Maybe only certain places have chicken-type items that are not junk.   

Even today there is a place you can see the difference.  In New Hampshire there are NO billboards on the interstates and there are also no logo signs on the mainline interstate lanes, only at the bottom of ramps.  So when one needs a service you have to get off at every exit to see what there might be.  Another way to kinda get this experience is to travel on non-interstates over big distances and see what it is like to never really know what will be available in the next town (if anything at all).  Some people like that kind of adventure in travel.  Many do not.

In Virginia the priority to end up on a logo sign is the proximity to the interchange.  VDOT has minimum standards for your establishment to end up on a sign at all (I assume all states do this if they have a logo program). 

If the costs are borne by the businesses I see no downside to having the logo program.  I have done enough traveling to know that mom-and-pop businesses are on plenty of signs throughout America.

Mapmikey

[Pink Jazz]

In Virginia the cost of the signs and the small administrative costs VDOT has to administer the 4 different logo-type programs available is borne entirely by the participating businesses/entities.  The cost structure is located here - http://www.virginiadot.org/programs/resources/IDSP-CTBFinalFees6-16-05.pdf

Oddly, only the folks wanting the large brown-GS or blue-GS signs contribute to the admin costs, but all groups pay for the signs and logos themselves.

Up until the early 80s most interstate travel was as jakeroot is now suggesting...generic gas-food-lodging signs.  If you were traveling somewhere unfamiliar to you (say a cross-country trip) this can be decidedly unhelpful.  Suppose you are traveling with someone who doesn't eat beef or pork.  Maybe only certain places have chicken-type items that are not junk.   

Even today there is a place you can see the difference.  In New Hampshire there are NO billboards on the interstates and there are also no logo signs on the mainline interstate lanes, only at the bottom of ramps.  So when one needs a service you have to get off at every exit to see what there might be.  Another way to kinda get this experience is to travel on non-interstates over big distances and see what it is like to never really know what will be available in the next town (if anything at all).  Some people like that kind of adventure in travel.  Many do not.

In Virginia the priority to end up on a logo sign is the proximity to the interchange.  VDOT has minimum standards for your establishment to end up on a sign at all (I assume all states do this if they have a logo program). 

If the costs are borne by the businesses I see no downside to having the logo program.  I have done enough traveling to know that mom-and-pop businesses are on plenty of signs throughout America.

Mapmikey

I used to live in Hampton Roads, and when I lived there in South Hampton Roads all we had were general service signs, since the MUTCD did not allow logo signs in urban areas much of the time we lived there; the nearest areas with logo signs were in Newport News (surprising since it is a city with a population over 100,000) and Suffolk.  I have went back to visit several times, and now several stretches of highways in Hampton Roads now have the logo signs, including I-264 in Virginia Beach and Portsmouth, I-64 in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake (and in Norfolk east of the airport in the eastbound direction only), all of I-664, and the Chesapeake Expressway.  The only freeways that still lack them are I-64 in much of Norfolk and Hampton, I-564, SR 164, and I-264 in Norfolk.  For the latter I presume the spacing requirements may not allow them, since it goes through Downtown Norfolk.

[oscar]

Even today there is a place you can see the difference.  In New Hampshire there are NO billboards on the interstates and there are also no logo signs on the mainline interstate lanes, only at the bottom of ramps.  So when one needs a service you have to get off at every exit to see what there might be.

That might better describe Vermont, and parts of California (Santa Barbara rankles me the most for some reason, but it's by no means the only major offender).  No logo signs, billboards, or overhead signs to guide travelers.  Hawaii is similar, except most of the lodgings on Oahu are concentrated near Interstate H-1's two Waikiki exits, and there are way too many to fit on a reasonable number of logo signs in any case.

Traveling through Vermont on I-89 one morning, I couldn't easily find a place I wanted to grab some breakfast (especially with drive-throughs, and food I knew to be suitable to eat behind the wheel, since as usual I was in a hurry that time of the day). So I held off on getting breakfast until I crossed into New Hampshire, where the business signage right after entering the state was good enough to size up my options and find something I liked.

I'm actually cool with scenic places not having detracting billboards or overhead signs, so long as there are logo signs to serve as a semi-reasonable substitute.

[Mapmikey]

I also meant to add that the cost of a billboard where permitted far exceeds what it costs a business (in Virginia anyway) to get a logo, so the logo program helps Mom-and-Pops be able to get some visibility.

A 2013 article put the cost of a billboard to range from $1200-2500 per month and there can be minimum number of billboard rentals required as well.

http://fitsmallbusiness.com/how-much-does-billboard-advertising-cost/

Mapmikey

[WashuOtaku]

Drove by exit 49, yesterday; the only exit along I-85 that nine panels are used.

[thenetwork]

Colorado is a fun state when it comes to blue service signs.  Not only do they have the 6-panel logo signs per service, some exits will have two 6-panel logo signs (mostly for lodging or food) in the same direction.  On top of the logo signs, they will still use the all-text GAS-FOOD-LODGING(-PHONE) BBSs and will also use the small blue diagram signs for services -- usually found in or near the ski towns for the international tourists.

[Pink Jazz]

Colorado is a fun state when it comes to blue service signs.  Not only do they have the 6-panel logo signs per service, some exits will have two 6-panel logo signs (mostly for lodging or food) in the same direction.  On top of the logo signs, they will still use the all-text GAS-FOOD-LODGING(-PHONE) BBSs and will also use the small blue diagram signs for services -- usually found in or near the ski towns for the international tourists.

Some exits in the Phoenix area have two full 6-panel logo signs per direction as well.  Generally in states that allow logo signs in urban areas, it is not unusual for logo signs in an urban area to be filled to capacity, since generally you can only fit one or two panels per direction.

[Brandon]

My idea: scrap logo signs, just say "Fast food next exit" or "Gas next exit":

Nice.  I'd actually place the symbols to the right of the green sign, and just the symbols (no exit number or text needed).

[WashuOtaku]

Colorado is a fun state when it comes to blue service signs.  Not only do they have the 6-panel logo signs per service, some exits will have two 6-panel logo signs (mostly for lodging or food) in the same direction.  On top of the logo signs, they will still use the all-text GAS-FOOD-LODGING(-PHONE) BBSs and will also use the small blue diagram signs for services -- usually found in or near the ski towns for the international tourists.

Some exits in the Phoenix area have two full 6-panel logo signs per direction as well.  Generally in states that allow logo signs in urban areas, it is not unusual for logo signs in an urban area to be filled to capacity, since generally you can only fit one or two panels per direction.

They do that here in North Carolina too, just that one exit is SPECIAL.

[Duke87]

In my (admittedly anecdotal) experience, the idea that someone who is traveling has no particular preference for what sort of establishment they patronize is... highly unusual. Everyone has preferences for various reasons.

Also, east of US 81, signs which say "gas-food exit XX" are generally unhelpful since realistically there is some establishment of such variety off MOST interstate exits. If we're going to forego the logo signs it would make much more sense in the eastern half of the country to sign the exits off which there AREN'T any services available.

West of US 81, saying "hey there are services here" is more logical since outside of major metro areas it's the exception rather than the rule.

[briantroutman]

In my opinion, generic (non-logo) service signage is all but useless. Unless I'm in a near-crisis situation–I'm driving into Death Valley with a gas gauge on E and about to resort to eating my shoe leather–I'm not going to take action based on a gas pump icon or knife and fork symbol tacked onto a guide sign.

"GAS"  could be Wally's cash-only double price filling station–where we insist you let Gomer check under the hood.
"FOOD"  could be Cliff Weismeyer's Steaks/Chicken/Trout/Catfish/Frog Legs...

I think the concern over logo sign overloading is overblown and unwarranted because...

Generally, I'm going to scan the sign for the McDonalds logo.  If I don't see it at quick glance, I move on.

...this is how people use logo signs. Motorists have a few brands of preference, and only the briefest split-second glance is needed to see whether those logos are present. Obviously there's some kind of a breaking point–it would take too much time to find the golden arches in a grid of 100–but I highly doubt there's an appreciable difference between six and nine.

But unfortunately, because of the quick way in which motorists read them, I don't think logo signs benefit Mom and Pop much. Probably the best shot independent business owners have is where their businesses fall into an easily defined, easily labeled category and the defining label is featured most prominently in the logo block (like this on I-80 in NJ). Labels like "diner" , "coffee" , and "Chinese" –you instantly have a pretty solid image of what to expect.

[Rothman]

Yeah, I have to agree about logo signs not benefiting "Mom and Pop" places.  People scan them for recognizable chains and pretty much assume that "Mom and Pop" places are not worth the risk of ending up at a greasy spoon.

[Katavia]

I believe there are some 9-panals on I-485 and at I-85 (Concord Mills Exit).

And at I-77 at exit 36 (NC 150)