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The Worst of Road Signs

Started by Scott5114, September 21, 2010, 04:01:21 AM

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Central Avenue

Quote from: WillWeaverRVA on March 13, 2012, 11:45:47 PMI'm guessing there was an I-95 reassurance marker attached to the overhead, and VDOT decided to just toss it on the BGS for no apparent reason...

They probably thought "eh, it's gotta go somewhere" and figured they might as well just tack it up with the temporary sign since it belonged in that spot anyway.
Routewitches. These children of the moving road gather strength from travel . . . Rather than controlling the road, routewitches choose to work with it, borrowing its strength and using it to make bargains with entities both living and dead. -- Seanan McGuire, Sparrow Hill Road


WillWeaverRVA

Quote from: Takumi on March 13, 2012, 11:59:00 PM
According to this photo from Alex that's the case. The exit "tab" was what I thought was worst about it.

I feel really stupid now because I took that photo...oops.
Will Weaver
WillWeaverRVA Photography | Twitter

"But how will the oxen know where to drown if we renumber the Oregon Trail?" - NE2

architect77

Quote from: Kniwt on March 01, 2012, 10:17:52 PM
New at the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge. This wasn't a graft onto an existing sign structure that had to fit an old size; this is all-new. (Not my photo)


All of the cool things about this signage very much outweigh the capital "TH" mistake. The cantilever, doubled-up efficiency, low profile, and reluctance to raise the now-mandated tabs above the tops of all overheads, it's still very "california cool." among the best looking signage in the country. The complete opposite of here in Georgia where our signage is an utter embarrassment to the state, very "hee-haw".

agentsteel53

it's not bad for retroreflective stuff but the 101 is that weird off-spec shield that they insist on using way too often.

there are some 101 shields on the bay bridge westbound that are 1961 guide sign spec... two digit, but hey, not too bad.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

myosh_tino

Quote from: architect77 on March 15, 2012, 09:42:22 PM
The cantilever, doubled-up efficiency, low profile, and reluctance to raise the now-mandated tabs above the tops of all overheads, it's still very "california cool." among the best looking signage in the country.
Actually, there is no mandate to use raised (separate) exit tabs in California.  The existing system of built-in tabs is still permitted under the 2012 edition of the California MUTCD.
Quote from: golden eagle
If I owned a dam and decided to donate it to charity, would I be giving a dam? I'm sure that might be a first because no one really gives a dam.

architect77

Which photo speaks highly of America and the particular state it's in? Georgia vs. NC




This is why I love North Carolina...

NE2

Quote from: architect77 on March 16, 2012, 09:48:40 PM
Which photo speaks highly of America and the particular state it's in? Georgia vs. NC
None of them. The exit 120 has the 'to' route before the others (as well as space to the right of 120, but I assume that now has an A), and the exit 132 would look better with two lines of text. The express lane signs look the best of the four; I can't tell if the apparent crookedness is simply due to camera angle.
pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

PurdueBill

Quote from: NE2 on March 16, 2012, 10:49:15 PM
None of them. The exit 120 has the 'to' route before the others (as well as space to the right of 120, but I assume that now has an A), and the exit 132 would look better with two lines of text. The express lane signs look the best of the four; I can't tell if the apparent crookedness is simply due to camera angle.

A justification for the one-line sign that I can think of is that two lines might make it appear that there is some destination that there really isn't, like if they broke it so "New Hope" and "Church Rd." were on separate lines.  (It might appear that "New Hope" is a destination.)  If just "Rd." were on its own line, that doesn't buy much in better spacing in this case either.

Eth

Bonus on the Exit 80 sign: That road changes names at I-20, but only one name is shown.  :pan:

architect77

Quote from: NE2 on March 16, 2012, 10:49:15 PM
Quote from: architect77 on March 16, 2012, 09:48:40 PM
Which photo speaks highly of America and the particular state it's in? Georgia vs. NC
None of them. The exit 120 has the 'to' route before the others (as well as space to the right of 120, but I assume that now has an A), and the exit 132 would look better with two lines of text. The express lane signs look the best of the four; I can't tell if the apparent crookedness is simply due to camera angle.
The Express Lane signage is that crooked. It's sloping many degrees differently from the roadway, the text of the local exits is significantly smaller than the new oversized standard, the sign itself is un-necessary because it repeating the same info on the right side of the highway (if Georgia's ridiculous elevated shoulder signs were supposedly legible enough for all lanes before, why is another sign now required merely by an HOV to HOT conversion?) Also almost all of these HOT Lane specific signs should be supported only by a center-divider pole that cantilevers just over the leftmost lane. That's how every other state would have erected them.

The North Carolina signs are supported by an absolutely perfect gantry, which nice-looking fat poles, not to mention being perfectly level. The signs' corners are curved, the signs are lit, the letters are huge, and the cantilevered exit sign wraps closely around the oversized text and its shorter profile conveys hierarchical relevance of the exit itself. It rocks.

Ian

If it weren't for the crooked gantry and the smallish "Jimmy Carter Blvd" in the first photo, the signs would look fine. I actually don't mind Georgia's freeway signs, both their new ones and the old ones with the wide exit tab.
UMaine graduate, former PennDOT employee, new SoCal resident.
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CentralCAroadgeek



I've spotted this erroneous CA-156 shield along the US-101 duplex in San Benito County. I guess this is a 2di state route shield, right? Pretty strange.

Quillz

Quote from: agentsteel53 on March 15, 2012, 10:39:01 PM
it's not bad for retroreflective stuff but the 101 is that weird off-spec shield that they insist on using way too often.

there are some 101 shields on the bay bridge westbound that are 1961 guide sign spec... two digit, but hey, not too bad.
Those shields are off-spec? I've seen them defined in California's supplement to the MUTCD, the 3dus shields are supposed to be overly wide.

myosh_tino

Quote from: CentralCAroadgeek on March 24, 2012, 11:55:40 AM


I've spotted this erroneous CA-156 shield along the US-101 duplex in San Benito County. I guess this is a 2di state route shield, right? Pretty strange.
To echo what Quillz said, that US 101 shield is a standard 3dus California cutout shield.
Quote from: golden eagle
If I owned a dam and decided to donate it to charity, would I be giving a dam? I'm sure that might be a first because no one really gives a dam.

CentralCAroadgeek

Quote from: myosh_tino on March 24, 2012, 01:22:01 PM
Quote from: CentralCAroadgeek on March 24, 2012, 11:55:40 AM


I've spotted this erroneous CA-156 shield along the US-101 duplex in San Benito County. I guess this is a 2di state route shield, right? Pretty strange.
To echo what Quillz said, that US 101 shield is a standard 3dus California cutout shield.
No, what I'm pointing out is that the 156 shield, not the 101 shield is the erroneous one.

myosh_tino

Quote from: CentralCAroadgeek on March 24, 2012, 03:14:36 PM
No, what I'm pointing out is that the 156 shield, not the 101 shield is the erroneous one.
Oops!  I thought Quillz was referring to your post.  My mistake.

Regarding that 156 shield, I see two goofs.  First is the use of a 2-digit shield for a 3-digit route.  Second is the use of Series E (or E-modified) for the '5' while the other two digits ('1' and '6') are Series D.
Quote from: golden eagle
If I owned a dam and decided to donate it to charity, would I be giving a dam? I'm sure that might be a first because no one really gives a dam.

Sanctimoniously

#1116


Series Derp? (27th Street and Hampton Blvd. in Norfolk.)



I wouldn't call this a candidate for "Worst of", but there seems to be a lot of Arial/Helvetica-on-signs hate around this board, so here. (Hampton Blvd. and Terminal Blvd.)
Quote from: Scott5114 on December 22, 2013, 06:27:29 AM
[tt]wow                 very cringe
        such clearview          must photo
much clinch      so misalign         wow[/tt]

See it. Live it. Love it. Verdana.

Alps

Quote from: Sanctimoniously on March 25, 2012, 05:50:10 PM


Series Derp? (27th Street and Hampton Blvd. in Norfolk.)
So far from I-37...
Quote


I wouldn't call this a candidate for "Worst of", but there seems to be a lot of Arial/Helvetica-on-signs hate around this board, so here. (Hampton Blvd. and Terminal Blvd.)
Worst of sign, best of shields.

Michael

I tried to find the VA 337 shields in Street View, but I was on 35th St, not 27th.  While I was looking, I spun around 180º from what I thought was the view in Sanctimoniously's picture, and found an ugly "Speed Limit 25" sign.

As an aside, Street View "jumped" to the side with the sign when I moved closer to it, coming from the intersection just to the west.  I think this is the first time that the "jump" actually helped me!

Central Avenue

Quote from: Sanctimoniously on March 25, 2012, 05:50:10 PM
I wouldn't call this a candidate for "Worst of", but there seems to be a lot of Arial/Helvetica-on-signs hate around this board, so here. (Hampton Blvd. and Terminal Blvd.)
Personally I'm less annoyed by the use of Helvetica there than I am the poor alignment for everything.
Routewitches. These children of the moving road gather strength from travel . . . Rather than controlling the road, routewitches choose to work with it, borrowing its strength and using it to make bargains with entities both living and dead. -- Seanan McGuire, Sparrow Hill Road

CentralCAroadgeek

Speaking of Helvetica, there's a sign on NB 101 just near Gilroy that looks to me as it is in that font.


Further up the road just past the city limits, I've spotted this fugly 101 shield just before the Monterey Rd. exit.

Sanctimoniously

Quote from: Michael on March 25, 2012, 10:09:20 PM
I tried to find the VA 337 shields in Street View, but I was on 35th St, not 27th.

I looked at 27th Street and Hampton Boulevard (or if you want to be technical, VA 337 and VA 247) on Street View and found their image for that location is from July 2007. So, it's obvious the signs are a fairly new installation.

(If the Street View doesn't work for you like it isn't for me, go to the Street View, click back twice and look right once and you'll see what I'm talking about. )
Quote from: Scott5114 on December 22, 2013, 06:27:29 AM
[tt]wow                 very cringe
        such clearview          must photo
much clinch      so misalign         wow[/tt]

See it. Live it. Love it. Verdana.

Kacie Jane

Quote from: Central Avenue on March 25, 2012, 11:36:54 PM
Quote from: Sanctimoniously on March 25, 2012, 05:50:10 PM
I wouldn't call this a candidate for "Worst of", but there seems to be a lot of Arial/Helvetica-on-signs hate around this board, so here. (Hampton Blvd. and Terminal Blvd.)
Personally I'm less annoyed by the use of Helvetica there than I am the poor alignment for everything.

Me as well.  Also, the lack of outline on the Interstate shields.  It could just be the photo, but the lack of contrast with the blue on dark green just isn't doing it for me.

Sanctimoniously

I think the "Terminal Blvd." portion probably had "Intl." to the left of it, on second look, it looks like there's a plain greenout on there. But you're right, the rest of the sign isn't very well aligned. The shields look to me like something that would be installed around an airport.
Quote from: Scott5114 on December 22, 2013, 06:27:29 AM
[tt]wow                 very cringe
        such clearview          must photo
much clinch      so misalign         wow[/tt]

See it. Live it. Love it. Verdana.

KEK Inc.

Quote from: CentralCAroadgeek on March 25, 2012, 11:57:49 PM
Speaking of Helvetica, there's a sign on NB 101 just near Gilroy that looks to me as it is in that font.


Further up the road just past the city limits, I've spotted this fugly 101 shield just before the Monterey Rd. exit.


There's another one on US-101 SB approaching Masten Ave.  Caltrans probably got lazy and let whatever company is in charge of Bonfante/Gilroy Gardens do it (Bonfante Gardens also had those signs).  Those signs can be seen on Santa Teresa Rd and CA-152.
Take the road less traveled.



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