The Worst of Road Signs

[architect77]

Texas-style gantries in Raleigh/Durham, NC. I'm not a big fan unfortunately. This is US64 at the new TriEx toll road. I think it's very confusing that it can't be I-540 that's partially tolled. NC540 is ridiculous.

[cjk374]

Texas-style gantries in Raleigh/Durham, NC. I'm not a big fan unfortunately. This is US64 at the new TriEx toll road. I think it's very confusing that it can't be I-540 that's partially tolled. NC540 is ridiculous.

Arkansas does almost the same thing while building interstates (using a state route 5xx number, xx being the new interstate number).  I agree they should use the interstate shields in NC's example.

[1995hoo]

Seen this afternoon on northbound I-295 in the District of Columbia just north of Exit 1 (Blue Plains sewage treatment plant). There are some other similar signs elsewhere on that road, but this one is the easiest to photograph. I probably should have just pulled off on the shoulder and gotten a closer picture because this doesn't do justice to how bad it really looks.

[Takumi]

Petersburg used a similar font on a sign that says "To Route I-85/To Route I-95" in all text on one side street. I've had a photo if it on my laptop for months but never uploaded it.

[vtk]

I think that's a stretched out Series B, possibly the PIXsymbols variant.

[agentsteel53]

PIXsymbols

can you explain what this is?  google shows nothing.

[vtk]

PIXsymbols

can you explain what this is?  google shows nothing.

I recently became aware of it from this post in Road-Related-Illustrations / Street Blade Signs:

Made this with PIXYMBOLS (sp?) Highway Gothic C that I purchased. I'm planning on purchasing Series D (February) and Series E (March).

There's a little bit of discussion downthread from that.

[agentsteel53]

huh, that looks like C stretched to halfway between C and D width.

[1995hoo]

I think that's a stretched out Series B, possibly the PIXsymbols variant.

I have no idea, but frankly it just looks weird. You know how a digital photo taken with a cheap camera can look all jaggy when blown up to larger size? The letters and numbers on the sign shown in my last post look kind of like that.

[Scott5114]

45781 by Richie Kennedy, on Flickr

Courtesy route56.

[Kacie Jane]

No... I... um... There are no words to accurately describe how I feel about that sign.

[agentsteel53]

No... I... um... There are no words to accurately describe how I feel about that sign.

yes there are. "poolog" comes to mind.

[Kacie Jane]

No... I... um... There are no words to accurately describe how I feel about that sign.

yes there are. "poolog" comes to mind.

That might have worked, but I was unfamiliar with such a word until you posted it.

[kphoger]

I wish that sign were a sticker so I could peel it off my screen, wad it up, and throw it in the trash.

[Alps]

Courtesy route56.

You just destroyed my faith in humanity.

[vdeane]

Courtesy route56.

I think I have to go throw up now.

[Stratuscaster]

I'll take "Poorly Designed BGS'" for $200, Alex.

The result if Oklahoma followed Georgia's older style, but used a narrowed Clearview and lost the ability to kern, space, and align properly.

[okroads]

DSC03216 by okroads, on Flickr

[Sanctimoniously]

Courtesy route56.

If cRaiG County is the worst of the worst, is this the second worst?

[Kacie Jane]

Courtesy route56.

If cRaiG County is the worst of the worst, is this the second worst?

No.

DSC03216 by okroads, on Flickr

That is.

[Scott5114]

Meh. That's just the typical "capital letters too big for the lowercase because we can't read the MUTCD" thing. For some reason in Kansas this always comes paired with Helvetica shields. There was one on I-435 for I-70, and there still is one on I-635 for K-32.

That is to say, this is the default mode of failure for KDOT. Most of their signs are great. Occasionally you get a stinker like this one.

[route56]

Courtesy route56.

What, the watermark doesn't give it away?

Image Page on route56.com
(I could use some image comments, people )

[Kacie Jane]

Meh. That's just the typical "capital letters too big for the lowercase because we can't read the MUTCD" thing. For some reason in Kansas this always comes paired with Helvetica shields. There was one on I-435 for I-70, and there still is one on I-635 for K-32.

That is to say, this is the default mode of failure for KDOT. Most of their signs are great. Occasionally you get a stinker like this one.

You can't say "That's just..." and then mention how it also has a Helvetica shield.  For me it's also the overlap between the "SOUTH" and "BYPASS" (and that "SOUTH" isn't centered w/r/t the shield), the excess spacing between the destinations, and the arrow being about two sizes smaller than it should be.

[Scott5114]

The point that I was making is that it's somewhat common. Sucks, yes, but since it happens so many times it's almost not worthy of Worst, in my opinion.

[Kacie Jane]

The point that I was making is that it's somewhat common. Sucks, yes, but since it happens so many times it's almost not worthy of Worst, in my opinion.

The way I was reading your post is that the ugly caps is somewhat common, but you're so jaded by them that you can't see the multitude of other others with that sign.