Unique, Odd, or Interesting Signs aka The good, the bad, and the ugly

[freebrickproductions]

"RAILWAY CROSSING" at the end of a rural dead-end road:

When I was here many years ago there were more signs (including an oddly-worded orange "NO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC PAST THIS POINT") but the area is full of no trespassing signs so I didn't want to try searching for it.

Love that old 45° crossbuck! Is that up in Canada, or is that here in the US? I know Canada used to use "Railway Crossing" on their English-only crossbucks before switching to the current standard, but I also know that some railroads here in the US used "Railway Crossing" crossbucks way, way back in the day before the "Railroad Crossing" wording was standardized. Either way, that's almost certainly one of the last of its kind!

It's in a ghost town in Oregon! I can't find "railway crossing" in any design documents (or otherwise used in the US at all; the font perfectly matches the Canadian sign). All I can find is that the town didn't have a road until 1937 and the MUTCD specifies "railroad crossing" starting in 1948, so it was probably installed around that time.

The other examples I've seen of "Railway Crossing" crossbucks here in the US predate the MUTCD, or at least certainly predate 1948. I'll have to dig it out, but I do know there's an old photo floating around online somewhere showing this crossing in downtown Madison, AL, from like the 1910s or 1920s where you can see the lone crossbuck that used to protect it, and you can also clearly make-out where it says "Railway Crossing" on the crossbuck rather than "Railroad Crossing".

[Mapmikey]

This reminded me of this former SC 905 rail crossing outside Conway, which was bypassed in 1962.

These crossbuck signs were replaced sometime after 2013 - https://maps.app.goo.gl/JVbE2zszybMUHtkEA

[wanderer2575]

Posting this here instead of in Design Errors because, lord please, this couldn't have been a deliberate design.  The route shield and cardinal direction look Photoshopped but I assure you they are not.  Westbound OH-2 just outside Port Clinton, OH.  I took the photo a few weeks ago.

[74/171FAN]

On OH 7 NB approaching OH 165 in North Lima, we get a warning rectangle for C's Waffles for some reason.

OH 7 NORTH NEAR OH 165 by Mark Moore, on Flickr

[Scott5114]

On OH 7 NB approaching OH 165 in North Lima, we get a warning rectangle for C's Waffles for some reason.

Well, if you'd ever had C's waffles you'd know why there's a need to warn others about them.

[roadman65]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/KVCT9Y435Bw3M6Y7A?g_st=ac

Low Salt Area?  Next 16 miles?

[wanderer2575]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/KVCT9Y435Bw3M6Y7A?g_st=ac

Low Salt Area?  Next 16 miles?

In the previous MUTCD, this was "No Snack Chips Available."

[roadman65]

Maybe if you need to lower your sodium, you need to move here along NY 86 between Wilmington and Lake Placice.

[hotdogPi]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/KVCT9Y435Bw3M6Y7A?g_st=ac

Low Salt Area?  Next 16 miles?

This is a fairly typical sign. It means it's an environmentally sensitive area and they won't put as much salt to melt snow.

[74/171FAN]

On PA 718 SB (and maybe PA 760 SB) in Farrell

PA 718 AND PA 760 SOUTH AT SLAB DELIVERY ENTRANCE by Mark Moore, on Flickr

[LilianaUwU]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/KVCT9Y435Bw3M6Y7A?g_st=ac

Low Salt Area?  Next 16 miles?

This is a fairly typical sign. It means it's an environmentally sensitive area and they won't put as much salt to melt snow.

I feel like it's way too often an excuse to not put down any abrasives, including those that are actually safe for the environment.

[pderocco]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/KVCT9Y435Bw3M6Y7A?g_st=ac

Low Salt Area?  Next 16 miles?

This is a fairly typical sign. It means it's an environmentally sensitive area and they won't put as much salt to melt snow.

I feel like it's way too often an excuse to not put down any abrasives, including those that are actually safe for the environment.

When they refrain from salting the roads, they generally turn to coarse sand or fine gravel, which are safe for the "environment" but do a real job on the roads themselves.

[LilianaUwU]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/KVCT9Y435Bw3M6Y7A?g_st=ac

Low Salt Area?  Next 16 miles?

This is a fairly typical sign. It means it's an environmentally sensitive area and they won't put as much salt to melt snow.

I feel like it's way too often an excuse to not put down any abrasives, including those that are actually safe for the environment.

When they refrain from salting the roads, they generally turn to coarse sand or fine gravel, which are safe for the "environment" but do a real job on the roads themselves.

I would know, I've been to rural Québec before.

[D-Dey65]

This morning on BayNews9 there was a report on a construction project in Hillsborough County to replace a lot of culverts in the county. On one of the clips, the Road Closed sign on a barricade was blue with white lettering, instead of the standard white with black lettering. I'll try to get a link to that later on.

[wanderer2575]

Side street intersection at a freeway service drive onramp.  Don't drive straight across the gore to access the ramp.

GSV:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/hG6ZdZUVLKz9A9jK9

[kphoger]

Side street intersection at a freeway service drive onramp.  Don't drive straight across the gore to access the ramp.

GSV:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/hG6ZdZUVLKz9A9jK9

In contrast, I get on Kellogg right here all the time.

I've even seen people, on more than one occasion, get on one block downstream by going the wrong way for a bit.

[pderocco]

Side street intersection at a freeway service drive onramp.  Don't drive straight across the gore to access the ramp.

GSV:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/hG6ZdZUVLKz9A9jK9

At least they only have to go clockwise around one block. But they could have put the ramp a block and a half further north, and then the whole neighborhood could get onto the freeway from all the side streets.

[wanderer2575]

Side street intersection at a freeway service drive onramp.  Don't drive straight across the gore to access the ramp.

GSV:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/hG6ZdZUVLKz9A9jK9

In contrast, I get on Kellogg right here all the time.

Especially with all the driveways and side streets, that is one heckuva lengthy gore.

[kphoger]

Especially with all the driveways and side streets, that is one heckuva lengthy gore.

Yes, I think they'd go back and redesign the on/off-ramps if they could.

For example, contrast these:

Edgemoor — nice long on-ramp with plenty of room to accelerate

Armour — nice long off-ramp with plenty of room to decelerate

Armour — https://maps.app.goo.gl/C5X8nZRE9nsDcT4W7

The off-ramp merge points are too close to the intersections they serve.  During afternoon rush hour, I frequently have to cut across the gore point here because traffic is backed up solid from the stoplight.  (With the Armour example, mall traffic in advance of Christmas can actually back up all the way onto Kellogg itself and cause rear-end collisions.)

[The_Ginger]

Here's a cool one on the US 52/WV 108/US 460 interchange near Bluefield, W. Va.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Z23JDfsUZqzEBqC6A

Essentially, it tells drivers that WV 108 to WV 123 is a better route than US 52 mainline through Bluefield. I assume the sign will be gone soon anyway, as WVDOH plans to sign that exact route as US 52 and designate the old one US 52 Business.

[roadman65]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/HX3RYEnbKX2YvYYy6?g_st=ac

Whats with all the holes?

[The_Ginger]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/HX3RYEnbKX2YvYYy6?g_st=ac

Whats with all the holes?

someone's hole punch got out of hand

[hotdogPi]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/HX3RYEnbKX2YvYYy6?g_st=ac

Whats with all the holes?

It reduces wind loading.

[Scott5114]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/HX3RYEnbKX2YvYYy6?g_st=ac

Whats with all the holes?

guy at the sign shop figured out this one neat trick to saving big bucks at the laundromat

[Mapmikey]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/HX3RYEnbKX2YvYYy6?g_st=ac

Whats with all the holes?

The sign to the right also had holes, as did a sign on another pole at that intersection.

Nothing comes to mind regarding the purpose.