Street Blade Signs Changing (All Uppercase > Mixed Case)?

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Wish the rest of the Main Line communities would have street blades that distinctive.

[Scott5114]

How easy are they to find and read at night?

[on_wisconsin]

An interesting note about the new regulations, it seems many small rural WI villages and cites replaced there old all CAPS signs with now required specs back in the mid- late 2000's. Was there a long lead time before the new mandate came into effect?
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=durand,+wi&aq=&sll=44.638048,-91.945052&sspn=0.007879,0.013797&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Durand,+Pepin,+Wisconsin&ll=44.638094,-91.944945&spn=0.007817,0.013797&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=44.638049,-91.94505&panoid=SeEw41YvtVGQVhxZ4mMR3Q&cbp=12,13.9,,1,7.42
EDIT
an (unrelated) oddity in this small city is that STH 85 ends in the middle of the main drag through town before the stop lights (intersection with USH 10 & STH 25): http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=durand,+wi&aq=&sll=44.638048,-91.945052&sspn=0.007879,0.013797&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Durand,+Pepin,+Wisconsin&ll=44.635504,-91.950584&spn=0.007818,0.013797&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=44.635566,-91.950475&panoid=HTw1PC02a4ysd_SfYt3D6Q&cbp=12,231.26,,0,14.56

[mjb2002]

Very good indeed! Would have been depressing to see those go as I see those once every other week. In case anyone was wondering, here is what they look like:

The town of Ardmore, Pa. is unable to replace those signs anyways, given how it was installed. Which means that money had nothing to do with the decision by LaHood to allow the town to keep their signs -- despite what the article says.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Well considering Ardmore is not an incorporated entity, they would not be able (legally, much less financially) to do anything to those roadsigns errected by Lower Merion Twp anyways.

[6a]

The great street blade sign debate made its way to Columbus today.

I had hoped they would use this occasion to put a little style in the signs, but nooooooooo...

[agentsteel53]

well, there's certainly some "style" there in the spelling of "Sullivan".

[mjb2002]

The great street blade sign debate made its way to Columbus today.

I had hoped they would use this occasion to put a little style in the signs, but nooooooooo...

Wow. (facepalm)

No 't' should be in the street name.

I also came across many mispelled signs myself in Barnwell County, S.C. alone.

[6a]

well, there's certainly some "style" there in the spelling of "Sullivan".

That'd be one Lucas Sullivant, a city father, although legend does hold that the family name was Sullivan at one time.

[Central Avenue]

The great street blade sign debate made its way to Columbus today.

I had hoped they would use this occasion to put a little style in the signs, but nooooooooo...
(picture)

Wow. (facepalm)

No 't' should be in the street name.

I also came across many mispelled signs myself in Barnwell County, S.C. alone.

"Sullivant" is actually the correct spelling for the street in Columbus. (Though it does look kinda weird)

[mjb2002]

The great street blade sign debate made its way to Columbus today.

I had hoped they would use this occasion to put a little style in the signs, but nooooooooo...
(picture)

Wow. (facepalm)

No 't' should be in the street name.

I also came across many mispelled signs myself in Barnwell County, S.C. alone.

"Sullivant" is actually the correct spelling for the street in Columbus. (Though it does look kinda weird)

Ok. Thanks for telling us that.

[mightyace]

A little bit of a bump on this one, but it's relevant.

From Newschannel 5 in Nashville, TN:
Federal Law Mandates Road Signs Must Be Replaced
http://www.newschannel5.com/story/14967087/federal-law-mandates-road-signs-must-be-replaced

[mjb2002]

The WTVF-HD story is not true. All non-retroreflective signs must be replaced by 2015, not just STOP and YIELD signs. The retroreflective signs must be replaced by 2018 IF the signs do not meet the requirements as specified by the 2009 MUTCD.

[The Premier]

Went to Akron last week and in some intersections, they now have Clearview mixed-case street blades. Didn't take a pic though. Sorry.

Anyway, some of the cities and townships in the Akron-Canton area are already in mixed-case. Kent, Kent State, Springfield Township, Lakemore, and Green are already in compliance.

[mjb2002]

They are starting to change the blades in the Aiken City Limits now. The new signs are Arial mixed-case with a pictograph of a horse on the right hand side. Don't have a pic of those particular signs yet.

[mjb2002]

The signs that the City of Aiken has used from the time I was born until December 2010:





Now, introducing the new City of Aiken sign:

[mjb2002]

There are only three other counties in South Carolina with mixed-case signs: Orangeburg, Pickens and Spartanburg. Here are their standards:

Orangeburg County:



Pickens County (credit to oldoinyo, a Flickr user):



Spartanburg County:

[Zmapper]

Off topic: What are those weather alert boxes on the Google Streetview screenshot? I have never seen those before.

[Dr Frankenstein]

Looks like a Google Earth extension to me.

[Ian]

Booger Branch Road. That's an interesting one.

[HighwayMaster]

Went to Akron last week and in some intersections, they now have Clearview mixed-case street blades. Didn't take a pic though. Sorry.

Anyway, some of the cities and townships in the Akron-Canton area are already in mixed-case. Kent, Kent State, Springfield Township, Lakemore, and Green are already in compliance.

Massillon has used mixed-case for years, and it's starting to pop up in Canton. However, it's nowhere in the townships.

[Scott5114]

Now, introducing the new City of Aiken sign:

Why switch to mixed-case to comply with the MUTCD if you're just going to break compliance by using the wrong font?

Actually, compliance issues aside, Helvetica can look alright on street blades. DC's blades look fine. Those...those do not.

[mjb2002]

Looks like a Google Earth extension to me.

Yep. The extensions are available on the National Weather Service's National Weather Data page:

srh.noaa.gov/gis/kml/

[mjb2002]

A sidebar about the Orangeburg County sign, that is one of the newer signs they installed -- I say about 2003-ish. Most of the signs were installed in the 1970s -- meaning that they are long past their life cycle. Those signs are a very light shade of green -- almost a moss-like green. You can see many of the old signs along SC 3 between Blackville and Swansea.

[roadfro]

Now, introducing the new City of Aiken sign:

Why switch to mixed-case to comply with the MUTCD if you're just going to break compliance by using the wrong font?

The green-on-white portion of the sign is also not in compliance with the MUTCD either.

If the city of Aiken had taken either the Whiskey/Ola Hitt or Marlboro/Park blade designs and changed them to accommodate larger lettering and mixed case, it would be in compliance.