Unpopular Anything Road-Related Opinions

[Frafra Zoomer]

Interesting.  I could get behind upgrading them with Jesery barriers and a passing lane every 10 miles or less.  Still, I think it's unrealistic to expect major upgrades of most two-lane highways.  FWIW, two-lane, undivided highways go up to 75 MPH in Texas: https://goo.gl/maps/xC6HcTGaVHTfon4R9

Is Texas trying to get people killed??? A 150 mph speed differential between adjacent lanes is not safe at all.

Even on four lane divided rural highways in California, the maximum speed limit is only ever 70 mph. They really love speed in Texas

The Dutch have found that it's not safe to have speeds above 40 mph on undivided roads

[interstatefan990]

Interesting.  I could get behind upgrading them with Jesery barriers and a passing lane every 10 miles or less.  Still, I think it's unrealistic to expect major upgrades of most two-lane highways.  FWIW, two-lane, undivided highways go up to 75 MPH in Texas: https://goo.gl/maps/xC6HcTGaVHTfon4R9

Is Texas trying to get people killed??? A 150 mph speed differential between adjacent lanes is not safe at all.

Even on four lane divided rural highways in California, the maximum speed limit is only ever 70 mph. They really love speed in Texas

The Dutch have found that it's not safe to have speeds above 40 mph on undivided roads

Well, would you look at that! Finally someone who agrees with my doubts about the safety of higher-speed undivided roads. Nice to hear.

[Scott5114]

Is Texas trying to get people killed???

guessing you've never been to Texas if you need to ask this

[sprjus4]

I'd kill myself trying to drive 45 mph on a rural highway in Texas.

[oscar]

Is Texas trying to get people killed??? A 150 mph speed differential between adjacent lanes is not safe at all.

Even on four lane divided rural highways in California, the maximum speed limit is only ever 70 mph. They really love speed in Texas

The Dutch have found that it's not safe to have speeds above 40 mph on undivided roads

It helps that Texas two-lane primary rural highways with 75mph limits (not farm-to-market secondary roads, often with lower limits) tend to have wide paved shoulders. Drivers uncomfortable with a 150mph (or more) speed differential with opposing traffic can move over onto the shoulder as needed. Shoulder use is also customary for slower drivers (yep, Texas has some of those) to help overtaking traffic pass them.

[Flint1979]

Interesting.  I could get behind upgrading them with Jesery barriers and a passing lane every 10 miles or less.  Still, I think it's unrealistic to expect major upgrades of most two-lane highways.  FWIW, two-lane, undivided highways go up to 75 MPH in Texas: https://goo.gl/maps/xC6HcTGaVHTfon4R9

Is Texas trying to get people killed??? A 150 mph speed differential between adjacent lanes is not safe at all.

Even on four lane divided rural highways in California, the maximum speed limit is only ever 70 mph. They really love speed in Texas

The Dutch have found that it's not safe to have speeds above 40 mph on undivided roads

I think you'd have a better chance at getting killed going a lower speed limit on a rural highway in Texas. Texas has a very, very, very low population density outside of it's mega cities. Michigan has speed limits of 65 mph on the same type of highways in low densely populated parts of the state, the northern Lower Peninsula and almost all of M-28 and other highways in the U.P. are 65 mph.

I-69, I-75, US-127, US-131 and US-10 all have speed limits of 75 mph in the least densely populated part of the state although I-69 between Flint and Lansing is 75 mph as well in a more highly traveled part of the state than the rest of the 75 mph freeways. Heck the population center of Michigan is right outside of Morrice which I-69 passes halfway between Flint and Lansing.

[Gnutella]

My unpopular opinion, at least among members of this forum: I prefer Clearview signs to Highway Gothic.

(Reason for that: I find them easier to read from a distance, especially at night.)

When it's done right (i.e. Clearview only for the control cities & Highway Gothic everywhere else) I also really like Clearview - here's a VDOT example I find snazzy.  It's the Clearview-overload signs I despise (such as this PennDOT montrosity).

That's PennDOT District 1 for you. They're the absolute worst in the Commonwealth when it comes to making pattern-accurate signs. Districts 5 and 9 are shitty too. Districts 2, 3, 6, 8 and 11 are much better at it. Districts 4, 10 and 12 are inconsistent.

[Gnutella]

Interesting.  I could get behind upgrading them with Jesery barriers and a passing lane every 10 miles or less.  Still, I think it's unrealistic to expect major upgrades of most two-lane highways.  FWIW, two-lane, undivided highways go up to 75 MPH in Texas: https://goo.gl/maps/xC6HcTGaVHTfon4R9

Is Texas trying to get people killed??? A 150 mph speed differential between adjacent lanes is not safe at all.

Even on four lane divided rural highways in California, the maximum speed limit is only ever 70 mph. They really love speed in Texas

The Dutch have found that it's not safe to have speeds above 40 mph on undivided roads

There's so little traffic on those 75-MPH undivided highways that the higher speed differential isn't as much of a concern. If traffic increases on them, then I'm sure that either the speed limits will be lowered or the highway will be upgraded to four lanes divided.

[sprjus4]

If anything, Texas has and still is raising many 70 mph zones to 75 mph as traffic engineering studies are complete.

A lot of 75 mph roads have wide shoulders as mentioned, though many 70 mph and even some 75 mph have narrow to no shoulders.

[interstatefan990]

this PennDOT montrosity

Why did they use a full overhead gantry for that? Seems like they could have just used a right-side-only mount.

[Roadgeekteen]

I don't care about sign fonts

[Hwy 61 Revisited]

I don't care about sign fonts

Me neither.




US 6 should still end in Erie. Either that or 6N should become a state route of some kind.

[interstatefan990]

I don't care about sign fonts

Me neither.

So if DOTs start using Comic Sans on highway signs, you're cool with it?

[Hwy 61 Revisited]

I don't care about sign fonts

Me neither.

So if DOTs start using Comic Sans on highway signs, you're cool with it?

I'm pretty sure some state DOT is doing it as an April Fools' prank.

[1995hoo]

I don't care about sign fonts

Me neither.

So if DOTs start using Comic Sans on highway signs, you're cool with it?

Heh. For a better example, see the two sign photos on this page.

[Hwy 61 Revisited]

I don't care about sign fonts

Me neither.

So if DOTs start using Comic Sans on highway signs, you're cool with it?

Heh. For a better example, see the two sign photos on this page.

Revision:
Any bold sans-serif font that is legible will work on a road sign.

[Scott5114]

I don't care about sign fonts

Me neither.

So if DOTs start using Comic Sans on highway signs, you're cool with it?

Heh. For a better example, see the two sign photos on this page.

Revision:
Any bold sans-serif font that is legible will work on a road sign.

Except it won't–legibility is not a value that is either 0 or 1, at least not for road signs. Engineers have conducted studies to prove that different typefaces have different degrees of legibility. Say you have one typeface that can be read from 100 ft away, while another can be read from 75 ft away. They're both technically "legible"–you can read them both–but one can be more easily read from further away, and that means it is more legible. On a road, since you are moving, that means the driver has extra time to read and react to the message. This difference can be safety-critical.

So the statement "any bold sans-serif font that is legible will work on a road sign" isn't an opinion you can have, it's a statement that is simply wrong.

[Big John]

Heh. For a better example, see the two sign photos on this page.

Does it matter that the fancy font is all mixed case while the Highway Gothic sign is upper case in the exit tab and the distance line?

[Scott5114]

Heh. For a better example, see the two sign photos on this page.

Does it matter that the fancy font is all mixed case while the Highway Gothic sign is upper case in the exit tab and the distance line?

I'm guessing they did that because cursive fonts are close to unreadable in all-caps.

[Dirt Roads]

Is Texas trying to get people killed??? A 150 mph speed differential between adjacent lanes is not safe at all.

Even on four lane divided rural highways in California, the maximum speed limit is only ever 70 mph. They really love speed in Texas

The Dutch have found that it's not safe to have speeds above 40 mph on undivided roads

I think you'd have a better chance at getting killed going a lower speed limit on a rural highway in Texas. Texas has a very, very, very low population density outside of it's mega cities. Michigan has speed limits of 65 mph on the same type of highways in low densely populated parts of the state, the northern Lower Peninsula and almost all of M-28 and other highways in the U.P. are 65 mph.

Indeed, Michigan.  I remember a canoe trip to Michigan, somewhere west of Cadillac back in the mid-1980s.  Can't remember where, but there was a 20+ mile stretch of wide, straight dirt road.  At first, I was surprised to find a 55MPH speed limit sign.  Next, I was getting passed every few minutes.  Soon, I was holding up traffic as the oncoming traffic was too dense.  Next thing I know, I'm driving about 70MPH on a dirt road with the T-tops down and most of the traffic was passing me in excess of 80MPH.  I'm sure that car still has plenty of Michigan dirt drilled into the upholstery.

[jeffandnicole]

this PennDOT montrosity

Why did they use a full overhead gantry for that? Seems like they could have just used a right-side-only mount.

Seeing the age of that gantry...different era, different signing standards.

[SkyPesos]

this PennDOT montrosity

Why did they use a full overhead gantry for that? Seems like they could have just used a right-side-only mount.

There's more examples in the "Strange Overhead Signs"  thread. Some from there:

This one looks like they wasted money on using a full gantry to just hang one sign on that.

ODOT is so good at doing that

Your ODOT needs to get on my ODOT's level.

[interstatefan990]

Heh. For a better example, see the two sign photos on this page.

I'm guessing they did that because cursive fonts are close to unreadable in all-caps.

Our worst nightmare 

[RobbieL2415]

While we're on the topic of traffic lights: It surprises me how few American drivers know that if the other side is backed up and you can't clear the intersection, you have to stop and wait, even on a green light. So many people just block the intersection because "green means go"  and they'd rather worsen a traffic jam and possibly cause gridlock than follow the law.

This is actually not illegal in my state. For it to be illegal, the intersection must be painted in a crisscross pattern and be signposted, "Do Not Block Intersection."

[texaskdog]

While we’re on the topic of traffic lights: It surprises me how few American drivers know that if the other side is backed up and you can’t clear the intersection, you have to stop and wait, even on a green light. So many people just block the intersection because “green means go” and they’d rather worsen a traffic jam and possibly cause gridlock than follow the law.

no way.  at some lights you'd never get to go otherwise.  Go into the intersection.

Ever drive in Alaska?  if the light is yellow, you go or get run over.  You only stop on red.  Makes a lot of sense really.