The Worst of Road Signs

[mjb2002]

fuck Arial.

Nope, Helvetica!

whatever.  I don't care if there's a difference; they're both shitty fonts that should never be used in any public context.

I actually like Helvetica, but not on road signs. It's best suited for rapid transit and public transport, like the NYC Subway.

I only like Arial and Helvetica on Street Name signs AND ONLY if the signs are mixed-case.

[roadfro]

More Hopewell horrors...

I was less drawn to the 156 shield and more thinking about the school zone sign in the background. I've never seen a flasher inbedded in a sign like this before, and I don't like what I see... A lot of wasted sign panel area--the beacons could be above, above and below, or on the sides of the sign to achieve the same effect.

[1995hoo]

That school zone sign is the standard style throughout most of Virginia. I suppose since I've lived here almost 40 years it colors my perception, but I've always preferred that type to the style where they list the hours. Easier as a driver since you don't have to read a small sign with a bunch of numbers. Easier for the DOT/school officials because they don't have to replace or patch the sign if school hours change (which they did when I was in high school–they added half an hour when they went from a six-period schedule to seven periods).

[Roadsguy]

Almost all of them I've seen around the greater Philly area have the number (it's 15 around here) in a light so that it goes on only when it's flashing.

[jeffandnicole]

More Hopewell horrors...

I was less drawn to the 156 shield and more thinking about the school zone sign in the background. I've never seen a flasher inbedded in a sign like this before, and I don't like what I see... A lot of wasted sign panel area--the beacons could be above, above and below, or on the sides of the sign to achieve the same effect.

That's a bit of nit-picking about that school sign.  Seems fine to me.

[agentsteel53]

(which they did when I was in high school–they added half an hour when they went from a six-period schedule to seven periods).

I'll bet the kids were real thrilled...

[mjb2002]

The scourges of the road. Two of these photos were featured on WIS News 10.









Even though you can spell it as MATHEWS, the sign is supposed to be spelled as MATTHEWS. Which is why it is here.

[agentsteel53]

Fell0wship

is that a zero or a capital O?

if it were a zero, it would be sUp3R dYst333Rb1ng111122loll1pop

[Takumi]

Looks like a zero. Truly atr0ci0us.

[1995hoo]

(which they did when I was in high school–they added half an hour when they went from a six-period schedule to seven periods).

I'll bet the kids were real thrilled...

Especially since it was prior to my senior year. We were NOT happy.

[codyg1985]

Contractor installation of shields is pretty horrible with the cardinal direction banner (S0UTH): http://goo.gl/maps/sIzvp

[vtk]

Fell0wship

is that a zero or a capital O?

Had they used the correct font, I don't think there would be any difference.

[mjb2002]

Fell0wship

is that a zero or a capital O?

Had they used the correct font, I don't think there would be any difference.

Actually, there IS a difference - regardless of font. It is a 0 - which would have made it egregious even if it was in FHWA.

And there are plenty of FHWA guide signs that just don't cut it because they use Series C, which makes the "g" look like a backwards "q".

Case in point.

[ctsignguy]

Case in point.

The Wile E Coyote Memorial Sine Salad!!!

[SidS1045]

Case in point.

The Wile E Coyote Memorial Sine Salad!!!

Can't be.  It wasn't manufactured by Acme.

[cpzilliacus]

This is a mix of signs with design errors, signs that are generally correct (but designed without a clue as to what comes before or after).  It's on U.S. 50 eastbound, headed out of the District of Columbia, where the road transitions from arterial New York Avenue, N.E. (District Department of Transportation maintenance) to the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (National Park Service maintenance) and then to John Hanson Highway (Maryland State Highway Administration maintenance).

We start in D.C., approaching Alternate U.S. 1, Bladensburg Road, N.E., where we have these overhead signs:


Then we approach the Anacostia River, still in D.C.:


Now we have crossed the Anacostia River and are in Maryland, on the very short part of U.S. 50 that is also the Baltimore-Washington Parkway:


A closer view of the big brown signs:


Now we are onto the John Hanson Highway, Maryland SHA maintenance:

[Kacie Jane]

To me, there are few things more ironic than the number 1 on a wide shield.

[roadfro]

More Hopewell horrors...

I was less drawn to the 156 shield and more thinking about the school zone sign in the background. I've never seen a flasher inbedded in a sign like this before, and I don't like what I see... A lot of wasted sign panel area--the beacons could be above, above and below, or on the sides of the sign to achieve the same effect.

That's a bit of nit-picking about that school sign.  Seems fine to me.

I'm more used to something like this... or this... This seems to be more standard and achieves the same effect.

[Dougtone]

This gem can be found on St. Lawrence County Route 38A, in the Norfolk, New York area (between Massena and Potsdam).

[Alex]

This is a mix of signs with design errors, signs that are generally correct (but designed without a clue as to what comes before or after).  It's on U.S. 50 eastbound, headed out of the District of Columbia, where the road transitions from arterial New York Avenue, N.E. (District Department of Transportation maintenance) to the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (National Park Service maintenance) and then to John Hanson Highway (Maryland State Highway Administration maintenance).

We start in D.C., approaching Alternate U.S. 1, Bladensburg Road, N.E., where we have these overhead signs:

That wide US 1 shield has been in place since at least 1993. Never liked it either.

[cpzilliacus]

This is a mix of signs with design errors, signs that are generally correct (but designed without a clue as to what comes before or after).  It's on U.S. 50 eastbound, headed out of the District of Columbia, where the road transitions from arterial New York Avenue, N.E. (District Department of Transportation maintenance) to the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (National Park Service maintenance) and then to John Hanson Highway (Maryland State Highway Administration maintenance).

We start in D.C., approaching Alternate U.S. 1, Bladensburg Road, N.E., where we have these overhead signs:

That wide US 1 shield has been in place since at least 1993. Never liked it either.

I think it goes back to the 1980's.   That panel should read "ALT U.S. 1", not "TO U.S. 1," even though the District of Columbia's District Department of Transportation long ago ceased to post Alternate U.S. 1 (it's faithfully posted in Maryland).

[cpzilliacus]

To me, there are few things more ironic than the number 1 on a wide shield.

Looks especially bad next to the correctly-sized U.S. 50 shield on the adjacent panel.

[cu2010]

These NY104 shields are not only obnoxiously huge, they have two different fonts...







Worse is, there's more of them...a stretch of 104 was rebuilt a few years back, and ALL of the shields along that stretch are just like these!

[bootmii]

Looks like a zero. Truly atr0ci0us.

Yeah. H0w w0uld y0u like it if I turned all my l0wercase 0's int0 zer0es?

[Alps]

Looks like a zero. Truly atr0ci0us.

Yeah. H0w w0uld y0u like it if I turned all my l0wercase 0's int0 zer0es?

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