The Worst of Road Signs

[PurdueBill]

The Coyote Cr Golf Dr (Coyote Creek Golf Drive) exit was originally signed as Scheller Avenue.  When the name was changed with the opening of the Coyote Creek Golf Course, a greenout plate was used to change the sign.  Of course "Coyote Cr Golf Dr" is substantially longer than "Scheller Ave" which is why the letter heights were reduced to make it fit on the exiting sign.  The sign in your photograph is a new sign but appears to be a carbon-copy of the old sign and I suspect the contractor recycled the support structure (the mounting hardware on the overpass) which is why the sign could not be enlarged.

"Because it's easier" is not a valid excuse in my book.
"Because it's cheaper" is a lame excuse, but if it's significantly (insert arbitrary number here) cheaper, may be a valid one.

In other words, there may be a reason behind it, but it's still a definitively ugly sign.

On that sign, it would have been better if all of the destinations/exits listed were in the same, smaller size.  At least it would have looked better that way.  Lines of text in all different sizes are distracting.  A really bad offender of that type is on OH 59; the old sign in button copy had reflective patches (for V Odom Blvd and Opportunity Pkwy over onetime Wooster Ave and Locust St) but all the lettering was in the same size; the 2009 Clearview replacement sign has Opportunity Pkwy in a much larger size than Vernon Odom Blvd, for no good reason, and it's extremely ugly.  I'll have to get a pic of the new sign.

Interestingly, the sign to its left on the same gantry, an advance for the next exit, is still the old button copy sign, over two years later.  Similar to OH 8, the 2008-09era sign replacement stalled out and there is still random button copy, still lighted, sometimes right next to Clearview (on OH 59) and FHWA (OH 8). 

[thenetwork]

On the bright side, it's nice to see that after nearly 40-some odd years, ODOT finally recognizes the I-77/SR-21 multiplex on at least one overhead sign, though they have mostly been multiplexed on roadside reassurance shields. 

On the dark side, I can probably bet the farm that ODOT and/or ODOT's sub contractors does the worst job of any state DOT when it come to aligning state shields on BGS and/or aligning numbers on state shields.

[NE2]

What the fucking fuck.

[agentsteel53]

"Because it's easier" is not a valid excuse in my book.
"Because it's cheaper" is a lame excuse, but if it's significantly (insert arbitrary number here) cheaper, may be a valid one.

In other words, there may be a reason behind it, but it's still a definitively ugly sign.

or, alternately, fuck golf and call it Scheller Ave.

[architect77]

From the "Longest Distances On A Road Sign" thread:

Seen in Morgan Hill, CA.
Even though it has a long mileage shown, they just couldn't get the fonts right. Or at least get a bigger sign.

This sign brings up an interesting issue: Should a column on the right always be reserved for the fractional distance as is here, or should everything be right-justified (as Georgia does it) with the "5" all the way over to the right?

[formulanone]

What the fucking fuck.

Fun Facts: Union County seceded from Bradford County in 1921 because they were bored, and built their own courthouse...name yourself after the word "union" after you broke away from another county. If I remember correctly, Union County is the smallest of all of Florida's counties. They were still using paper ballots and a pencil to vote in the 2000 election. Of course, Glades County was using IBM PCjrs as late as 1997, so that ticket revenue wasn't going into anything wasteful like computing power, but MUTCD county pentagon shields.

Anyhoot, if there was ever a time an em-dash isn't supposed to be used...and it's actually supposed to be a State Road, not a county for 100. I think I'm just rambling because I had the chance to see this abomination for myself two months ago, but hung out in Starke too much.

[roadfro]

From the "Longest Distances On A Road Sign" thread:

Seen in Morgan Hill, CA.
Even though it has a long mileage shown, they just couldn't get the fonts right. Or at least get a bigger sign.

This sign brings up an interesting issue: Should a column on the right always be reserved for the fractional distance as is here, or should everything be right-justified (as Georgia does it) with the "5" all the way over to the right?

The MUTCD does not right-justify the whole numbers where there is a combination of mixed and whole numbers on the sign. This practice is what's shown in the figures; there does not appear to be guidance or standards to support lining up the whole and half numbers or right justification. However, many engineers tend to take the MUTCD figures as gospel...I think the lining up looks better.

On another note, this sign has poorly-formed fraction rectangles...

[Kacie Jane]

On another note, this sign has poorly-formed fraction rectangles...

Thank you.  I'd meant to mention it earlier; I'm glad I'm not going crazy and someone else noticed it.  At first glance, it definitely looks like it says 11/2 and 101/2.

Also, it looks like the second row is top-aligned (i.e. the tops of the 5 and the capital letters are level, where as the bottom of the 5 dips below).  Granted, this problem only exists because of the original problem (different font sizes), but I would think if you have to use different sizes, you'd want each line to be center-aligned.

[Takumi]

Shop smart. Shop S-Mart.

[codyg1985]

^ Looks like they use different directional banners for US 33 (East vs South) and VA 197 (East vs North) between the two shield assemblies, if you call them that (I assume the one mounted on the traffic signal pole is the newer one).

[Alps]

I assume the older sign is correct.

[Takumi]

It is. The new one wasn't there last year.

[Brandon]

Is the shield big enough, or the cardinal direction tab small enough?

[Kacie Jane]

I actually don't have a problem with that one.

[adt1982]

Where is that 55 sign?

[Stratuscaster]

I want to guess Wilmington/Braidwood, IL - around IL-129?

[Brandon]

I want to guess Wilmington/Braidwood, IL - around IL-129?

You'd be right.  It's southbound, just after the Lorenzo Road Exit (Exit 240).  Passed that sucker a number of times before I could get a good photo.

[achilles765]

Wow, those interstates shields sure are ugly. I kinda like the Clearview numerals, just not on shields.

Those are also weird arrows on the I-12 sign in the last picture.

Also, are left exits supposed to have yellow exit-tabs?

Many roads in LA, especially in Baton Rouge, are quite ugly and not in a charming way like in New Orleans.  The diagonal arrows on the IH 12 sign are a new touch; when I lived there the downward pointing arrows were on the entire stretch approaching the "10-12 split."  On my last few trips to/through Baton Rouge I have noticed some interesting, often misguided and even badly implemented changes especially along the IH 12 corridor.  Ramp meters at already nightmarish onramps, resigning the stretch of IH 110 in downtown with "Left Exit" tabs that are redundant considering that the exits are obviously left exits, and the slanted lines to indicate that at a freeway split, there is a slight curve to the left. 

As for the yellow tabs, this is now apparently the standard practice in LA at left exits.  They are now at every left exit in Baton Rouge, and at many in New Orleans.  I don't remember seeing them in use anywhere else, though.  Here in Houston there are a couple of left exits on IH 45 downtown that have "Left Exit" in yelow background on the BGS, but thats underneath the main sign.  Here is an example at the US 59 exit on IH 10

[Scott5114]

The new MUTCD specifies that LEFT is supposed to be above EXIT on the exit tab, and in black-on-yellow, but the rest of the tab is supposed to be green. Louisiana is Doing It Wrong™.

Also, I could tell you were from Texas just from reading your second sentence... IH 12 indeed

[achilles765]

The new MUTCD specifies that LEFT is supposed to be above EXIT on the exit tab, and in black-on-yellow, but the rest of the tab is supposed to be green. Louisiana is Doing It Wrong™.

Also, I could tell you were from Texas just from reading your second sentence... IH 12 indeed

Actually I am from the New Orleans area, which is why i know its not that unusual for Louisiana to do something wrong.  Ssying IH was a habit I picked up when I started coming to Texas often before moving here.  Its one of those things that got ingrained in my vocabulary, like calling frontage roads "feeders" (a Houston-area colloquialism) and medians "neutral grounds" ( a New Orleans term.

[mhallack]

Look at the skid marks on the bicycle. Not only is it sliding sideways, but it is sliding backwards.

You didn't know bikes can do that?? :lol: What about the bike in the other sign going backwards off a jump??

[kharvey10]

Chalk this up for another best of IDiOT moment:

sb159i64east by Kimmy1978, on Flickr

[NE2]

What's the problem (other than your tiresome misspelling of IDOT)?

[Brandon]

What's the problem (other than your tiresome misspelling of IDOT)?

NE2, Piss off.
/rant off.     

Chalk this up for another best of IDiOT moment:
{Image}

The fact that US-50 goes nowhere near Mount Vernon? 

[NE2]

And I-64 does...