The Worst of Road Signs

[Ian]

re:  the RIDOT state route markers above....what is wrong w/them? 

I-95 shields use a hideous series E (or is that F?), the RI 2 shield in the center photo has its state initials cramped, and the last photo has a typical RIDOT unisign with the ugly compressed font.

[1995hoo]

I think this one looked uglier in person than it does in the picture. The "5" is noticeably darker than the "2," as though one of them were in a boldface font and the other were not. Spotted this this morning on Oakwood Road in Fairfax County. It's probably the only speed limit sign on there because the road dead-ends a short distance past the propane place to which I was headed when I saw the sign.

[Brandon]

^^ The "5" is obviously FWHA along with the "SPEED" and "LIMIT".  The "2" on the other hand appears to be Arial or Helvetica.  Never good to mix ones fonts.

[OracleUsr]

My guess is they changed the speed limit on that road.

[Dr Frankenstein]

The top one seems to have number alignment/placement issues. On the bottom one, the font for the 102 is stretched vertically, which is ugly. So ugly, in fact, that even the MUTCD tells you not to do it or kittens shall be killed (Chapter 2A §13 ¶14).

[Alps]

The top one seems to have number alignment/placement issues. On the bottom one, the font for the 102 is stretched vertically, which is ugly. So ugly, in fact, that even the MUTCD tells you not to do it or kittens shall be killed (Chapter 2A §13 ¶14).

It's "or kittens should be killed." Option, not Standard.

[Quillz]

Speaking of recycled signs, I took this back in 2004 (it was fixed soon after):

Wow. A three-sided roundabout where you're supposed to go left (despite the Keep Right sign ahead). Your tax dollars at work.

Also look at the funky triple border on the "15 MPH" sign. A black inner border, a yellow inner border and a black outer border.

[wytout]

Speaking of recycled signs, I took this back in 2004 (it was fixed soon after):

That has to be the funniest thing I've ever seen... "hmmm looks like there's a recycling center around here... must be just through that rotary up ahead!". never mind the wrong direction.  that seriously has to be a TOP TEN BEST WORST SIGN EVER!.  

[Scott5114]

Can you see the difference? It's as if the arrow gets a tad narrower as it goes up higher, whereas the arrow in the 12th St sign keeps a uniform width in its "stem."

Doesn't the arrow at the bottom go back to the 70s and 80s standards when all arrows were at the bottom?  it seems like a step back, even if it is in the yellow.

The 2009 MUTCD has a fairly thorough nomenclature of arrows. The tapered-shaft arrow is a Type A arrow, and I believe the non-tapered-shaft is a Type C.

[WillWeaverRVA]

Rather pointless sign in a subdivision in Henrico County:



Non-cutout I-95 shield and some VA 3 shields in a really strange font (photo from 2008 but these signs were still there in late 2010):



And a Helvetica non-cutout I-64 shield in Virginia Beach. At least it's got the state name:

[Kacie Jane]

re:  the RIDOT state route markers above....what is wrong w/them? 

The question's already been answered, but here's a couple of extra credit points...

• I don't particularly have a problem with the I-95 shields.  Yes, they're ugly; yes, they should have chosen a narrower font, but at least they're standard.  (But then, maybe I'm just used to it because Washington loves the non-cutouts too.)  The bigger problem to me is that the "unisign" format appears to result in nonstandard banners and arrows.  Particularly the arrow "plates" look too small.  Also, the "To" plate above it is ghastly.
• Regarding the "cramped" RI 2 shield, think about why it's cramped.  It's most likely borrowed from the state directly to its north/east, which uses a plain white square with a vertically centered number, and they tacked on the R.I. as an afterthought.
• In the third photo, you can see more clearly what I was talking about with the first one.  Compare the arrows for 2/102 with the one on the left.  Not only are the arrows themselves longer and narrower, but the "plates" are smaller.  And as mentioned, for the 102, they stretched Series E vertically (big no-no) rather than switching to C or D.  (Also, this could just be me, but the TO looks nonstandard again, although less garishly than the one in the I-95 pic.)

But generally speaking, RIDOT just likes to beat their signs with an ugly stick before posting them.

[Alps]

The 2009 MUTCD has a fairly thorough nomenclature of arrows. The tapered-shaft arrow is a Type A arrow, and I believe the non-tapered-shaft is a Type C.

Nope, that'd be a "Down Arrow." Real scientific n'at. Types A and B are both tapered arrows - Bs are stubby ones when you run out of room on signs. Type C is the advance turn arrow - bent 90 degrees. Type D is the non-tapered arrow you see below route shields, rarely ever on guide signs though (except the small brown and blue ones).

[roadfro]

The top one seems to have number alignment/placement issues. On the bottom one, the font for the 102 is stretched vertically, which is ugly. So ugly, in fact, that even the MUTCD tells you not to do it or kittens shall be killed (Chapter 2A §13 ¶14).

It's "or kittens should be killed." Option, not Standard.

Actually, the kittens shall be killed, cause MUTCD Chapter 2A §13 ¶14 is indeed a standard. "The unique letter forms for each of the Standard Alphabet series shall not be stretched, compressed, warped, or otherwise manipulated."

Your modification, Steve, would actually be synonymous with a Guidance statement. If it were an option statement, then it'd be "or kittens may be killed."

[Android]

Okay, that SPEED LIMIT 25 sign posted a dozen replies back got me kick started to post the following....

That sign was wrong because of the 2, of course, but it's the 5 that always catches my eye.  Don't ask me why, but I've had this thing about the numeral 5 for years.  It may be the most commonly used number on road signs.  

I keep meaning to post some of these - whenever I see a "funky five" as I call them, I try to get a picture.  Not the distorted Series E 5 that is fairly common, I've got tons of photos of those, but for this thread, I have worse offenders - in my "Hall of Shame" folder.  Distortions, "WTF" typeface choices, poor sign creation, mixed typefaces, etc - all featuring the number 5.

These are all photos I took myself, but are low-bandwidth crops just showing the signs, I can provide alternate crops of them before I cleaned them up if anyone doesn't believe these are real.

-Andy












Sorry about the low quality here, sometimes it's not possible to get a good shot.




Mixed typefaces on one here, and on the other it looks like something shifted when the numbers were being created.

[WillWeaverRVA]

I should've posted this here, but I forgot about it until now. Strange font (and there's even some Helvetica speed limit signs in the background) and nonstandard distance. Virginia Beach at its best...er, worst.



Interestingly, 983 feet is almost 300 meters (299.62 meters); I wonder if Virginia Beach's public works department was initially thinking metric here for some reason. Of course, the sign will be obsolete in a few years since this stub end of Nimmo Pkwy is scheduled to be extended to Holland Rd beginning this fall.

[ftballfan]

Would this go in the Worst of Road Signs? http://www.flickr.com/photos/ftballfan/5694450337

[1995hoo]

Passed this one earlier today. It's in the City of Alexandria, but I have a feeling it was posted by the developer of that particular area (Hoffman Center) and not by any official entity.

[wytout]

Passed this one earlier today. It's in the City of Alexandria, but I have a feeling it was posted by the developer of that particular area (Hoffman Center) and not by any official entity.

... lets hope   

[ctsignguy]

Passed this one earlier today. It's in the City of Alexandria, but I have a feeling it was posted by the developer of that particular area (Hoffman Center) and not by any official entity.

FOUND: The one interstate shield that makes Rhody's I-squares look GOOD!  O_o!!!!

[agentsteel53]

I wonder why people seem to independently come up with the distorted crown in which the center peak is higher than the other two.  Wisconsin seems to do that as well on its non-cutout interstate shields.

[JCinSummerfield]

When travelling east on OH-15, the first exit east of I-75 is for Business-75.  The actual sign is a US shield, with a "75" pasted on it.  I presume it previously was a US-68 shield.

[US71]

This was obviously at least one other roadway before MO 150.

[ftballfan]

And from a different state as well.

[NE2]

That's pretty good for a reuse. Looks like there may have been at least two former uses.

[okroads]

K-14 North at I-70 West