The Worst of Road Signs

[Scott5114]

It would be completely fine if they had just made the digits a couple of inches smaller.

[US 89]

It would be completely fine if they had just made the digits a couple of inches smaller.

The digits are too big, but in a state like Utah you find that kind of thing fairly often (see the permanent I-80 shields in the background). My only issue was that the 80 patch is bigger than the shield itself, so you’ve got blue corners poking out of the shield. Surely someone had an extra I-80 shield lying around they could have used, or at least used smaller numbers as mentioned above.

Edit: fixed spelling

[TBKS1]

Surely there was a better way to do a temporary shield than this:

I don't know why, but I actually like the numbers being bigger on it.

[MNHighwayMan]

I don't know why, but I actually like the numbers being bigger on it.

Because you have no taste.

Negative space is just as important as the legend itself.

[paulthemapguy]

Negative space is just as important as the legend itself.

At first I was like, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT but I think I see your point.  With no negative space, it's hard to distinguish the legend from the background.  In order to identify the digit "8" in the photo, you want it to be totally surrounded by a decent layer of blue so you can read it.  Bigger numbers mean more people can read them, so the bigger, the better, generally--but if your symbology overlaps with other elements or the sign border, you've gone too far.

[MNHighwayMan]

With no negative space, it's hard to distinguish the legend from the background.

Or borders, or anything else. Digit size is not be-all-end-all, and as someone with astigmatism, I appreciate it when sign designers give proper space to their legends.

The Standard Highway Signs manual states that, for 24" Interstate shields, the numerals are only supposed to be 10" tall (make that 15" for 36" shields). Way too many DOTs and/or contractors just slap the biggest digits they can into the space they're provided, regardless of specified number heights or proper horizontal alignment on the sign. Reading difficulties aside, the result is also just ugly.

[thenetwork]

With no negative space, it's hard to distinguish the legend from the background.

Or borders, or anything else. Digit size is not be-all-end-all, and as someone with astigmatism, I appreciate it when sign designers give proper space to their legends.

The Standard Highway Signs manual states that, for 24" Interstate shields, the numerals are only supposed to be 10" tall (make that 15" for 36" shields). Way too many DOTs and/or contractors just slap the biggest digits they can into the space they're provided, regardless of specified number heights or proper horizontal alignment on the sign. Reading difficulties aside, the result is also just ugly.

I-80 in Nebraska says "Hi".
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.6886749,-98.9446107,3a,75y,109.72h,92.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s4iP9fEEUI8iHYpoPnTPI7Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[Scott5114]

With no negative space, it's hard to distinguish the legend from the background.

Or borders, or anything else. Digit size is not be-all-end-all, and as someone with astigmatism, I appreciate it when sign designers give proper space to their legends.

The Standard Highway Signs manual states that, for 24" Interstate shields, the numerals are only supposed to be 10" tall (make that 15" for 36" shields). Way too many DOTs and/or contractors just slap the biggest digits they can into the space they're provided, regardless of specified number heights or proper horizontal alignment on the sign. Reading difficulties aside, the result is also just ugly.

I-80 in Nebraska says "Hi".
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.6886749,-98.9446107,3a,75y,109.72h,92.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s4iP9fEEUI8iHYpoPnTPI7Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

The elusive Series D Modified. Mercifully rare, as it accomplishes nothing–by making the counter spaces inside the letters smaller, it actually becomes less legible than regular Series D (larger counter spaces was the whole philosophy of why Clearview was supposedly more legible).

[kphoger]

It would be completely fine if they had just made the digits a couple of inches smaller.

You know, in case people are mistaken about which Interstate's detour they're following...

[csw]

It's detour signage, what do you expect?

[jakeroot]

With no negative space, it's hard to distinguish the legend from the background.

Or borders, or anything else. Digit size is not be-all-end-all, and as someone with astigmatism, I appreciate it when sign designers give proper space to their legends.

The Standard Highway Signs manual states that, for 24" Interstate shields, the numerals are only supposed to be 10" tall (make that 15" for 36" shields). Way too many DOTs and/or contractors just slap the biggest digits they can into the space they're provided, regardless of specified number heights or proper horizontal alignment on the sign. Reading difficulties aside, the result is also just ugly.

IIRC, the technical reasoning for the negative space has to do with halation. Speaking non-technically, I think shields look massively better with more compact numerals.

[kphoger]

It's detour signage, what do you expect?

This.

[TBKS1]

Negative space is just as important as the legend itself.

At first I was like, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT but I think I see your point.  With no negative space, it's hard to distinguish the legend from the background.  In order to identify the digit "8" in the photo, you want it to be totally surrounded by a decent layer of blue so you can read it.  Bigger numbers mean more people can read them, so the bigger, the better, generally--but if your symbology overlaps with other elements or the sign border, you've gone too far.

I see what you mean by this now talking about the background space. I didn't even notice at first that it did overlap other elements of the sign itself. It would just be better if they made the numbers a bit smaller to not overlap the other elements but that's all I would change to it. Plus it's only going to be there for a limited amount of time.

Way too many DOTs and/or contractors just slap the biggest digits they can into the space they're provided, regardless of specified number heights or proper horizontal alignment on the sign.

I've seen ARDOT do this too, which might be why I'm mostly used to seeing cases like that but they usually don't overlap the other elements on it.

[Tonytone]

I-15 North - Exit 344 by sagebrushgis, on Flickr

Blech. Welcome to Ogden, land of bad signage. So many things wrong here. Let's see, we have a huge exit tab, series E instead of E(M) used, the two-digit guide sign beehive unmercifully stretched to accommodate three digits (even though it's for a two-digit route!), and the arrow that's not intended for exit usage. Thank you contractors...

Wow they were using tubed BGS Equipment in 2011 [emoji33] the east coast is just now doing that


iPhone

[US 89]

I-15 North - Exit 344 by sagebrushgis, on Flickr

Blech. Welcome to Ogden, land of bad signage. So many things wrong here. Let's see, we have a huge exit tab, series E instead of E(M) used, the two-digit guide sign beehive unmercifully stretched to accommodate three digits (even though it's for a two-digit route!), and the arrow that's not intended for exit usage. Thank you contractors...

Wow they were using tubed BGS Equipment in 2011 [emoji33] the east coSt is just now doing that

Utah has been using monotubes exclusively since at least the mid-1980s.

[jakeroot]

Wow they were using tubed BGS Equipment in 2011 [emoji33] the east [coast?] is just now doing that

Western states have been using monotube sign gantries for a long time. Some of WA's older monotubes date to at least the 80s. ^^Looks like Utah's are just as old.

[Tonytone]

Wow they were using tubed BGS Equipment in 2011 [emoji33] the east [coast?] is just now doing that

Western states have been using monotube sign gantries for a long time. Some of WA's older monotubes date to at least the 80s. ^^Looks like Utah's are just as old.

What makes them so much better to use if it took them this long to start installing them over here.


iPhone

[Roadsguy]

I-15 North - Exit 344 by sagebrushgis, on Flickr

Blech. Welcome to Ogden, land of bad signage. So many things wrong here. Let's see, we have a huge exit tab, series E instead of E(M) used, the two-digit guide sign beehive unmercifully stretched to accommodate three digits (even though it's for a two-digit route!), and the arrow that's not intended for exit usage. Thank you contractors...

Wow they were using tubed BGS Equipment in 2011 [emoji33] the east coast is just now doing that

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has been using monotube gantries since at least the Valley Forge—Norristown widening, perhaps longer for isolated gantry replacements. They're not unheard of here. PennDOT seems to have only started within the past 10 years or so, though.

[Tonytone]

I-15 North - Exit 344 by sagebrushgis, on Flickr

Blech. Welcome to Ogden, land of bad signage. So many things wrong here. Let's see, we have a huge exit tab, series E instead of E(M) used, the two-digit guide sign beehive unmercifully stretched to accommodate three digits (even though it's for a two-digit route!), and the arrow that's not intended for exit usage. Thank you contractors...

Wow they were using tubed BGS Equipment in 2011 [emoji33] the east coast is just now doing that

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has been using monotube gantries since at least the Valley Forge—Norristown widening, perhaps longer for isolated gantry replacements. They're not unheard of here. PennDOT seems to have only started within the past 10 years or so, though.

Are they the new standard? Or can states still choose what gantries they want to use?


iPhone

[kphoger]

Are they the new standard? Or can states still choose what gantries they want to use?

States have always been able to choose what gantries they use, haven't they?  Why would that change?

[Tonytone]

Are they the new standard? Or can states still choose what gantries they want to use?

States have always been able to choose what gantries they use, haven't they?  Why would that change?

I was just wondering, Delaware is doing the Monotubes with all new signs & they are replacing the old ones with them, so I wondered if that was the new style, they are cool but Also big as hell.


iPhone

[kphoger]

I was just wondering, Delaware is doing the Monotubes with all new signs & they are replacing the old ones with them, so I wondered if that was the new style, they are cool but Also big as hell.

Some threads you may find interesting:
Truss vs. tubular gantries by state
Types of Big Green Sign mounting posts?
Gantry Style/Design Between The States

There's no such thing as "the" old style, so there's no such thing as "the" new style.

[jakeroot]

^^
I think you can have an "old" and "new style" from region to region.

For example, in Washington State, old vs new.

In British Columbia, old 1/old 2 vs new.

[plain]

Come on VDOT, this is just all out lazy



SM-S820L

[Mapmikey]

Come on VDOT, this is just all out lazy



SM-S820L

Was going to give them the benefit of the doubt since the ramp configuration is new with the second exit lane available.  But...GMSV shows a similar EXIT ONLY tab for the original single lane configuration back to at least 2007...