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

[pderocco]

^^^
I like this sign idea way more than I probably should. I feel like a variant of that sign would be extremely useful for suburban areas with malls/large stores with multiple entrances so drivers could know how to get into their parking lots effectively. You could even make some larger logo signs like this on off ramps instead of the lame ones the US currently uses. You would have to avoid message overloading, but if done correctly (as I feel this sign does), it would be awesome.

I think it would be better if the store names were all in the standard road sign font, for legibility. Airports don't post airlines' logos either on their guide signs either. The only place I'm used to seeing logos are on lists of services at exits, but they're just one list of everything on that exit, not a bunch of different signs telling us, "turn here for Nordstroms", "turn here for Best Buy".

[Scott5114]

That raises a good point, though—why couldn't you achieve something like this, but better and cheaper, with the standard smaller blue service signs that appear at the ends of off-ramps?

[Rothman]

It might be vaguely useful, but signs that large are very expensive, and I wouldn't want the government spending that money to promote private businesses unless those businesses paid the cost. (Which they won't, because nobody wants to invest in malls in 2025.) There's also the lane-closure silliness that would ensue when one of the stores closes/changes names/changes logos. You could mitigate that somewhat by moving it to the side of the road instead of being overhead, though.

The malls/businesses themselves could take the initiative to provide a sign at each entrance that lists only the stores best accessed from that entrance instead of just listing every possible store at every possible entrance. But they usually don't do that, because they don't care about their customers' convenience, just getting as many people to decide to enter the parking lot as possible. If they can't be bothered to care about their customers' convenience, why should we?

In NY, the majority of the time, private developers would pay for the sign.  There are obvious political exceptions for especially large projects...much, much larger than a mall...

(personal opinion emphasized)

[kphoger]

This definitely belongs in the 'worst of' thread.  For all the times we've griped about signs being shared in that thread that don't belong in it, this time I'm griping because it does belong in it.  Like, top ten of the worst of all time, in my opinion.

NY strikes again:

Marketplace Mall guide sign by Harvestman Man, on Flickr

And no, nothing has ever graced the lonesome right side of this sign.

[vdeane]

Not to mention that Macy's and Sears haven't been there in a while.  If they wanted to keep it accurate, the former should be Floor and Decor, and the latter should be the UR medical building.

[Max Rockatansky]

This guide sign is at the start of Big Creek Road (Sierra National Forest Route 9) immediately north of Trimmer Springs Road.  The rest of the guide signs on this highway are the normal brown MUTCD variants one would expect on a Forest Service road. 

IMG_8967 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

[TBKS1]

Really old style Baxter County road placards/shields, most of these have since been replaced with blue pentagons but I still think these look pretty horrendous.

[CoreySamson]

Jenks, OK recently installed a plethora of unique guide signs for the Oklahoma Aquarium all over town, even where it doesn't really make too much sense:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/iy4Pe8jQymzgTn3i9
https://maps.app.goo.gl/UYV5Z28fYmpx6Mph8
https://maps.app.goo.gl/YGPdg3KuzCQXkD5t7

[Rothman]

Continental Divide Signage on MN 28:



Welcome/Warning at Northwest Angle (one of many saying you must report):



An old MN route became a county route (probably posted somewhere on here before):



I just like this hodgepodge Indiana-style trailblazer signage...I-69 evidently goes everywhere...Sure, overhead trailblazers are an IN thing, but I like the variety here.



Finally, all four cardinal directions on MN signage for US 2/US 71 outside of Bemidji:

[Rothman]

Forgot one: In Prescott, WI:

[RobbieL2415]

NY strikes again:

Marketplace Mall guide sign by Harvestman Man, on Flickr


And no, nothing has ever graced the lonesome right side of this sign.

It's like the county gave up with maintaining it.

Sears was an original anchor tenant and Penny's came in a year after.
As for the right side being empty, maybe there was a plan to build a second mall on the opposite side?

[vdeane]

It's like the county gave up with maintaining it.

Sears was an original anchor tenant and Penny's came in a year after.
As for the right side being empty, maybe there was a plan to build a second mall on the opposite side?

They must have been maintaining it at some point, because the sign was originally JCPenney, Kaufmann's, and Sears (and maybe Dick's; I'm unclear on when Dick's came in).  Kaufmann's changed to Macy's when it was bought out, and Sportsman's and Dave & Buster's were added after The Bon Ton closed (if you look close, especially on street view, there's still a darker patch of green where The Bon Ton logo was).  But then they never replaced Macy's with Floor and Decor or Sears with the UR medical building.

There has been a plaza on the right for as long as I can remember, but they must have not gotten around to signing it for whatever reason.  If they had, it probably would have been Toys R Us, Wegmans, and Borders.