The Worst of Road Signs

[formulanone]

Oh agreed...but then Lake County installed dozens of ugly wide unishields all around its domain.

[1995hoo]

I've been trying to get a good picture of this sign without stopping on the shoulder for a while, but I've given up. I can't decide where this belongs, so I'm putting it in "Worst of Road Signs" to bemoan the sad state of driver behavior that necessitated it. This is on westbound I-66 at Bull Run, just east of the Manassas exit, and the sign prohibits thru traffic from going through the rest area. Traffic backs up so much on I-66 that people would speed through the rest area at full highway speed to try to cut ahead of the stopped traffic in the travel lanes. The result was this sign. I don't know if they station cops there to enforce it because I try to avoid that road at rush hour!

[Alex]

I've been trying to get a good picture of this sign without stopping on the shoulder for a while, but I've given up. I can't decide where this belongs, so I'm putting it in "Worst of Road Signs" to bemoan the sad state of driver behavior that necessitated it. This is on westbound I-66 at Bull Run, just east of the Manassas exit, and the sign prohibits thru traffic from going through the rest area. Traffic backs up so much on I-66 that people would speed through the rest area at full highway speed to try to cut ahead of the stopped traffic in the travel lanes. The result was this sign. I don't know if they station cops there to enforce it because I try to avoid that road at rush hour!

Got a photo of that same panel from earlier this month and had wondered why there was the placard indicating "No Thru Traffic". To offset the issue, they could always add speed tables. Some of the rest areas in Florida have those in place.

[Brandon]

There is one of these (in a small regulatory sign form) on the northbound Tri-State Tollway (I-294) for the Hinsdale Oasis.  It's a bit of a choke point with traffic merging in from I-55.

https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=41.77522,-87.906262&spn=0.002156,0.005284&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=41.775513,-87.907319&panoid=ifVdtk4mIpLZNmey_ufqHQ&cbp=12,33.44,,0,3.62

[ET21]

There is one of these (in a small regulatory sign form) on the northbound Tri-State Tollway (I-294) for the Hinsdale Oasis.  It's a bit of a choke point with traffic merging in from I-55.

https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=41.77522,-87.906262&spn=0.002156,0.005284&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=41.775513,-87.907319&panoid=ifVdtk4mIpLZNmey_ufqHQ&cbp=12,33.44,,0,3.62

It's horrible right now because they are resurfacing the ramp for the oasis. They made this little wannabe ramp in the far right lane right at the merging of 55 traffic onto 294 north. I am shocked we have not seen a pileup yet at that spot

[empirestate]

I've been trying to get a good picture of this sign without stopping on the shoulder for a while, but I've given up. I can't decide where this belongs, so I'm putting it in "Worst of Road Signs" to bemoan the sad state of driver behavior that necessitated it. This is on westbound I-66 at Bull Run, just east of the Manassas exit, and the sign prohibits thru traffic from going through the rest area. Traffic backs up so much on I-66 that people would speed through the rest area at full highway speed to try to cut ahead of the stopped traffic in the travel lanes. The result was this sign. I don't know if they station cops there to enforce it because I try to avoid that road at rush hour!

Wouldn't be surprised if the truckers you see parked in there sometimes took it upon themselves to create a bit of a chicane to slow down the line jumpers.

[1995hoo]

The parked trucks were a significant reason for putting up that sign; as you can probably tell, the most direct route is straight through the truck lane. It's an extremely small rest area.

[corco]

Here's a beautiful bullet hole riddled bubble Montana Secondary shield with a missing arrow (330 turns right here)

[Billy F 1988]

Ewwww! The most pathetic MT Secondary shield I've seen. Damn contractors!

[Alps]

Maybe it's not as bad as many in this thread, but this is not a very pretty "6".  Taken earlier this month on NY 146 in Knox.

That's a common font. Check out the Albany portions of my update (including the state highways, which intersect many county highways). You'll also see enough wide shields to choke a goat.

[cpzilliacus]

The parked trucks were a significant reason for putting up that sign; as you can probably tell, the most direct route is straight through the truck lane. It's an extremely small rest area.

This rest are is also extremely old.  I believe it dates back to the opening of I-66 between I-495 and U.S. 29 at Gainesville. 

At one point, there were plans to demolish and replace this rest area and the one opposite it (on the eastbound side), but those plans got shelved when the bottom fell out of the economy (and out of VDOT's budget) in 2007.

[Zeffy]

http://goo.gl/maps/hDOd4

"Make left" just sounds horrible, and what is the reason for putting it there when you have an arrow already pointing left? (IMO, it should be a LGS instead of this rather small blue sign)

[KEK Inc.]

http://goo.gl/maps/7NWLx

Meanwhile, turn around and you see an official eyesore.

[NE2]

http://goo.gl/maps/7NWLx

I think this warrants a 'what'.

[vtk]

http://vidthekid.info/imghost/IMG_20130828_184101.jpg

Too lazy to get on desktop PC to resize, so I just uploaded full size image directly from my phone.

Several of these detour signs are currently displayed along OH 4 between Attica and Chatfield.  They're all this bad.  I assume there are more along US 224 for some distance east of Attica.

Could be worse, I suppose. That outline is reasonably close to spec (though it looks like it could be a stretched 2 digit blank).

[Zeffy]

http://goo.gl/maps/7NWLx

Meanwhile, turn around and you see an official eyesore.

Actually, I've seen that type of CIRCLE sign in other places than here. I'm not sure why there isn't a border around the sign, but I know that this isn't the only case of a borderless circle sign in New Jersey.

[Central Avenue]

http://vidthekid.info/imghost/IMG_20130828_184101.jpg

Too lazy to get on desktop PC to resize, so I just uploaded full size image directly from my phone.

Several of these detour signs are currently displayed along OH 4 between Attica and Chatfield.  They're all this bad.  I assume there are more along US 224 for some distance east of Attica.

Could be worse, I suppose. That outline is reasonably close to spec (though it looks like it could be a stretched 2 digit blank).

I couldn't help but laugh.

It almost looks like someone got the kind of pre-printed numerals you'd use to put an address on a cheap mailbox and stuck them to an Ohio shield blank.

[vtk]

http://vidthekid.info/imghost/IMG_20130828_184101.jpg

I couldn't help but laugh.

It almost looks like someone got the kind of pre-printed numerals you'd use to put an address on a cheap mailbox and stuck them to an Ohio shield blank.

Actually, I think that's exactly what they used. 

Apparently this is due to a bridge replacement in the Village of New Washington. I'd expect ODOT District 3 to handle project, including detour signage, but this looks more like the work of a part time deputy mayor who also works at the hardware store.

[KEK Inc.]

Seriously, button copy doesn't immediately make it the 'best of road signs', especially when it's some mutated hybrid.

[ctsignguy]

http://vidthekid.info/imghost/IMG_20130828_184101.jpg

I couldn't help but laugh.

It almost looks like someone got the kind of pre-printed numerals you'd use to put an address on a cheap mailbox and stuck them to an Ohio shield blank.

Actually, I think that's exactly what they used. 

Apparently this is due to a bridge replacement in the Village of New Washington. I'd expect ODOT District 3 to handle project, including detour signage, but this looks more like the work of a part time deputy mayor who also works at the hardware store.

Shhh!  You arent supposed to know that! 

[Scott5114]

Street view since i've never managed to get a photo:


I-40 westbound approaching Shawnee, OK.

[Alps]

http://goo.gl/maps/7NWLx

I think this warrants a 'what'.

Standard NJDOT sign back before roundabouts entered the MUTCD. One that used to be on NJ 10 WB at Livingston Circle many, many years ago: (from my first digital camera in 2001)

[Scott5114]

Street view since i've never managed to get a photo:


I-40 westbound approaching Shawnee, OK.

That doesn't seem bad. It seems like Street view is making it bad.

The fact that the lowercase letters are bigger than the uppercase makes it pretty bad to me...

[Zeffy]

Street view since i've never managed to get a photo:


I-40 westbound approaching Shawnee, OK.

That doesn't seem bad. It seems like Street view is making it bad.

The fact that the lowercase letters are bigger than the uppercase makes it pretty bad to me...

Yeah it's pretty bad. How did that even happen? If they used a CAD program to design the sign, that shouldn't have ever happened.

[hotdogPi]

http://goo.gl/maps/jrFdA

That "End 27" sign is blocking the "Jct 4" sign, especially if you are further away than this picture.