Signs that aren't made to last

[Mergingtraffic]

It seems for all the new technology out there and new reflectivity standards that signs don't last like they used to.  Look at this I-84 shield, it has the new reflective sheeting so it can be more than a few years old and the red "INTERSTATE" is already faded.



Menawhile this sign faces the sun and is decades old and still does it's job:




I notice some new signs look like a white flash when headlights are on them at night.  Some BGS signs that are only 10 years old losing their reflectivity already.

[jakeroot]

There's a sign approaching a roundabout near the Golden Ears Bridge east of Vancouver, BC that looks to be about 30 years old... the sign is only 6 years old:

(for those interested, the signal was built for transit but was never utilised).

[Brian556]

I saved this pic and zoomed in on it. It looks like the sign was made by placing colored film over the white sheeting.
Many other shields are made by screen-printing colored inks onto white sheeting.

The historically, color red has always faded faster than blue. However, this is a very extreme example. Usually, by the time the red is faded that bad, the blue also is faded a little.

I would say that in this case, the red is defective material. It is probably a different brand, and possibly a different material than the blue.

Also, it is wrong not to have a blue arrow plaque for the interstate shield. The arrow inside the MASS PIKE sign should not be considered a substitute.

Also, on the subject of signs that are not made to last, our 3M florescent yellow HIP signs that were supposed to last 12 years faded out very quickly, starting about 5 years after installation.

[NE2]

The historically, color red has always faded faster than blue.

This is why stop signs were originally yellow.

[Brian556]

quote from NE2:

This is why stop signs were originally yellow

Stop signs were chicken?

[SidS1045]

It seems for all the new technology out there and new reflectivity standards that signs don't last like they used to.  Look at this I-84 shield, it has the new reflective sheeting so it can be more than a few years old and the red "INTERSTATE" is already faded.

It's also notable that the MassPike trailblazer, while certainly not in tip-top condition, is well over 30 years old and still perfectly legible.