The Worst of Road Signs

[Alex]

Sam Jones Expressway (Arterial) westbound ahead of High School Road. [click for larger]

Awkward looking font on the High School Road overheads, then the following button copy sign was mutilated with three greenouts using a variety of fonts for businesses...

[Alps]

I've seen many examples of D-mod button copy.  Many if not most surviving button copy 3dI shields in Ohio have DM numerals.  Some really old expressway guide signs use DM instead of EM for the capital letters.

None that I've ever seen in Ohio of either of these sorts! Photos?

[iowahighways]

That wouldn't be so bad if they didn't mess up the spacing (especially with Ottumwa) and had Hudson in the same size as the others.

It really wouldn't be so bad if all the rest of the text was the same style as the Hudson patch... i.e. the sign would be normal...

That sign originally had Traer on the second line in the same style as the other two lines, but someone must have pointed out to the DOT that Hudson (2010 population 2,282) was larger than Traer (pop. 1,703), hence the patch.

[6a]

Some of the recent modifications to signage (due to construction) along I-71 SB between 17th Ave and downton Columbus are pretty bad. 

Have you seen the ones on I-270 on the SW side?  They defy description...I'll see if I can swing by there tomorrow.

[6a]

Just got back from Alaska (post forthcoming) but I couldn't let this one wait...

[vtk]

Some of the recent modifications to signage (due to construction) along I-71 SB between 17th Ave and downton Columbus are pretty bad. 

Have you seen the ones on I-270 on the SW side?  They defy description...I'll see if I can swing by there tomorrow.

I've seen them, yes.  All black on orange, funky Interstate shields, and the worst excuses for exit tabs I've ever seen.

[Alex]

Interstate 24's last eastbound shield in Kentucky. The 2 and 4 are crammed in badly...



Just plain ugly numbers for 65...

[Quillz]

I never understood why sign manufacturers think it's better to use badly compressed/kerned Series D or E numerals rather than Series C. In fact, the MUTCD even says to use Series C for certain sized shields, as the numerals fit much better.

[6a]

Have you seen the ones on I-270 on the SW side?  They defy description...I'll see if I can swing by there tomorrow.

Yep...






(love the poles on this one)

[Takumi]

You're right, I have no idea what to say to that. The I-270 shield is passable (reminds me of the I-295 shields here) but everything else...wow.

[Central Avenue]

Wow...that's just...yeah.

And you know what? I would never have figured out that those little numbers are meant to be exit tabs if vtk hadn't mentioned it.

[Quillz]

They're actually not as bad as I thought.

[Scott5114]

Sam Jones Expressway (Arterial) westbound ahead of High School Road. [click for larger]

Awkward looking font on the High School Road overheads, then the following button copy sign was mutilated with three greenouts using a variety of fonts for businesses...

That's actually just mixed-case Series D. I think the kerning might be a bit off, but that's Series D.

[relaxok]

Those 70s on the fat shield almost made me throw up.

[vtk]

I've seen many examples of D-mod button copy.  Many if not most surviving button copy 3dI shields in Ohio have DM numerals.  Some really old expressway guide signs use DM instead of EM for the capital letters.

None that I've ever seen in Ohio of either of these sorts! Photos?

See Narrow Button Copy thread.

Interstate 24's last eastbound shield in Kentucky. The 2 and 4 are crammed in badly...

I've been contemplating a computer program that attempts to achieve the best, most-balanced fit of numerals inside a highway shield.  If commanded to fit a "24" in that size and series into an Interstate shield, it would probably come up with something like that.

Just plain ugly numbers for 65...

Series E isn't ugly.  I think you just don't like Interstate shields without a lot of empty space inside.

(love the poles on this one)

I think those two also show examples of Series E and/or EM squished to narrower proportions.



Here are the worst of the patch jobs on I-71 SB approaching I-670:

	Originally an exit sequence sign.
	At first I thought that little sign on the left was patched over an existing sign, possibly a speed limit sign.  After checking Street View, I can see that it's actually an entirely new sign.  So why did they make it so effing small?
	This is not the right place to put this kind of information.
	This sign has multiple issues, two of which are caused by the closure of the Spring Street ramp.

PS Sorry for the crappy photos.  Obviously it was raining, and my camera (phone) apparently decided to focus on the raindrops on the windshield rather than the signs, even though I had changed the focus mode to "infinity".

[Ian]

Weird looking Taconic State Parkway shield:


Not really the "worst" per se, but the arrow looks like an after thought:

[Central Avenue]

This is not the right place to put this kind of information.

I find that one more annoying than the others, personally. The "right lane only" message is repeated enough through there that it doesn't need to be repeated again on that sign, especially when it means covering other information (i.e., the distance to the exit).

Not really the "worst" per se, but the arrow looks like an after thought:

I was reminded of this:


(Also I hate it when I can't get a shot of a sign without a pole or something in the way, bluh)

[Anonymity Lane]

Have you seen the ones on I-270 on the SW side?  They defy description...I'll see if I can swing by there tomorrow.

Yep...






(love the poles on this one)

The "70" parts appear to be covering something. What did they say before?

[Ian]

I was reminded of this:
<horribly ugly Clearview monstrosity>

Forget my photo, THAT sign is terrible!

[Alps]

The "70" parts appear to be covering something. What did they say before?

My guess is recycled from another job on a 3di.

[Quillz]

I've been contemplating a computer program that attempts to achieve the best, most-balanced fit of numerals inside a highway shield.  If commanded to fit a "24" in that size and series into an Interstate shield, it would probably come up with something like that.

But, in this situation, wouldn't normally kerned Series C look better and be more readable than crammed in, overly large Series D? From a distance, the numerals would just look like a big blob to me, whereas if they chose Series C, I could probably at least make out some of the blue spacing in between.

It's all about finding a proper balance between numeral size and some white/blue space.

[vtk]

The "70" parts appear to be covering something. What did they say before?

I think those are generic blank Interstate shields that the contractor temporarily adds numbers to as necessary for each job.

I've been contemplating a computer program that attempts to achieve the best, most-balanced fit of numerals inside a highway shield.  If commanded to fit a "24" in that size and series into an Interstate shield, it would probably come up with something like that.

But, in this situation, wouldn't normally kerned Series C look better and be more readable than crammed in, overly large Series D? From a distance, the numerals would just look like a big blob to me, whereas if they chose Series C, I could probably at least make out some of the blue spacing in between.

Would it look better, probably.  Would it be more readible from a distance, I don't know.  Is two blobs more readible than one blob?  If I were designing a sign and my auto-fit program gave me that, I'd certainly run it again in series C for comparison, then probably spend several minutes deciding which to go with.



And yeah, that Cherry Blossom Way guide sign is horrid.

[Quillz]

The "70" parts appear to be covering something. What did they say before?

I think those are generic blank Interstate shields that the contractor temporarily adds numbers to as necessary for each job.

I've been contemplating a computer program that attempts to achieve the best, most-balanced fit of numerals inside a highway shield.  If commanded to fit a "24" in that size and series into an Interstate shield, it would probably come up with something like that.

But, in this situation, wouldn't normally kerned Series C look better and be more readable than crammed in, overly large Series D? From a distance, the numerals would just look like a big blob to me, whereas if they chose Series C, I could probably at least make out some of the blue spacing in between.

Would it look better, probably.  Would it be more readible from a distance, I don't know.  Is two blobs more readible than one blob?  If I were designing a sign and my auto-fit program gave me that, I'd certainly run it again in series C for comparison, then probably spend several minutes deciding which to go with.



And yeah, that Cherry Blossom Way guide sign is horrid.

I think it's in the MUTCD (I don't remember offhand) that when using '70 spec Interstate shields, 12'' numerals and above on standard 24'' shields should be using Series C rather than Series D. I would imagine that this was the result of a legibility study.

[vtk]

I think it's in the MUTCD (I don't remember offhand) that when using '70 spec Interstate shields, 12'' numerals and above on standard 24'' shields should be using Series C rather than Series D. I would imagine that this was the result of a legibility study.

That sounds more like something that would go in Standard Highway Signs, or individual states' sign design manuals.  I would hope it doesn't say to use always C for 2-digit Interstate shields, because if one of the digits is a 1, or if it's a single digit number, D (or possibly wider) numerals can easily fit even at half-shield-height.  Ohio's SDM basically says to use, at the specified height, the widest series that fits (up to D anyway) for all route classes.  I guess the issue here is whether that compact 24 can be described as "fitting".  Just because you can cram your foot into a shoe doesn't necessarily mean it fits.

[Alex]

<snip>

Just plain ugly numbers for 65...

Series E isn't ugly.  I think you just don't like Interstate shields without a lot of empty space inside.

No, I just don't like Interstate shields that look like shit. Series E is fine with me, as long as it is used decently: