Signage pet peeves

[1995hoo]

To me both of the signs in roadfro's post from yesterday look better than Maryland's peculiar style of sometimes using just the word "Only" when there's one must-exit lane and one optional-exit lane. An example can be seen at the link below. I had never noticed how the color of the sign border changes to black on the yellow portion of that particular style of sign. Now that I see it, it looks funny to me even though it's obviously standard on signs where the yellow portion spans the width of the sign (like in roadfro's post from early this morning with the I-15 to LA exit sign photo). I've never seen a sign like the one for the Downtown Reno exit sign shown above.

http://maps.google.com/?ll=38.994431,-77.158232&spn=0.003181,0.008256&z=18&layer=c&cbll=38.994316,-77.158217&panoid=9JeTIckg7JHlQdhLkGiQKg&cbp=12,162.08,,0,-2.75

[Jerseyman4]

Replacing a "mile based" or "sequential" exit number sign with a sign that just says "EXIT". It's cheap and lazy.

[thenetwork]

On I-75 and I-475 in Toledo there are still quite a few button copy signs, but I fear that many of them will be replaced with Clearview in the near future because of the slight presence of it along both roads. When did Ohio stop using button copy?

Depended on the region.  Parts of I-71 around Mansfield/Ashland stopped using button copy over 10 years ago -- and this was before the re-building/widening project. 

Said area was also installing them on large, wooden posts.  I don't think ODOT really caught onto the wooden post craze, although you do see occasional installs at various locations around the state with no real rhyme or reason.

[Marc]

I loathe the raised first letter on directions "North, East, South, etc." I realize that in typography that it can increase readability, however it destroys all aspects of centering and symmetry on overhead signage.

You'd love Texas then (and I agree with your statement).

[Kniwt]

A BGS from another thread reminds me how much I dislike improper plurals or lack thereof in distances.

It's not 1 1/2 MILE; it's 1 1/2 MILES.
It's not 3/4 MILES; it's 3/4 MILE.

[1995hoo]

I loathe the raised first letter on directions "North, East, South, etc." I realize that in typography that it can increase readability, however it destroys all aspects of centering and symmetry on overhead signage.

You'd love Texas then (and I agree with your statement).
[image removed from quote]

I don't necessarily mind the initial larger capital letter depending on the sign, but the one shown below in Springfield, Virginia, strikes me as hideous because the letters all look so squished-in on that tiny sign. (Of course, any typeface might look a bit kak on that narrow of a sign.) I find the directions on the other sign to the right to be far easier to read. This is one area where being in the correct lane for your desired connection is very important and so the clearer the sign, the better, although of course if you don't know the area merely having a compass point may not be of much help. The non-centered arrows on the sign on the right seem to correspond to a newer trend I've noted where VDOT seems to prefer somewhat smaller signs where feasible. Doesn't bother me here because the sign is still aligned correctly, but I've seen others where arrows meant for adjacent lanes wind up being over the same lane.

Sorry about the grainy picture. Zooming in a long way with a phone camera is not ideal.

[formulanone]

I know it's been said before, but the raised initial capital letter just nags me. I don't care if it's a standard, either follow proper capitalization rules or keep it all the same height.

Other than that, I like occassional weird things, so variety is interesting.

[myosh_tino]

I loathe the raised first letter on directions "North, East, South, etc." I realize that in typography that it can increase readability, however it destroys all aspects of centering and symmetry on overhead signage.

You'd love Texas then (and I agree with your statement).

... and California.  California does not use a raised first letter on cardinal directions on any of it's guide signs with the only exception being an I-5 pull through near the CA-126 junction.  Some newer reassurance assemblies (route shield + cardinal direction banner) have begun to feature a raised first letter but you have to look really close to notice it.

[cu2010]

Nor NY, for the most part...though some districts have been replacing signs with those with the raised first letter.

[Scott5114]

I think part of what's bothering you there is the fact that it's Series D. It doesn't look so hot then. If you take Series EM and space it out a bit like Kansas does it starts looking a lot nicer.

[Ned Weasel]

I just thought of one.  I don't remember seeing this mentioned, but I apologize if it was and escaped my notice.

Undersized exit number tabs.

The Kansas Turnpike has long been guilty of this, even on some of its newer beautiful/ugly Clearview signs, but I'm sure it happens in other places as well.  It makes the sign look as if the exit number is just some piece of miscellaneous information that was thrown on to fulfill a requirement.  I greatly prefer the standard exit number tabs, where the text is the same or nearly the same size as the text in the rest of the BGS.

Actually, I prefer the way the New Jersey Turnpike handles exit numbers, but that's a unique case.  And I suppose people in Illinois would tell me, "Just be grateful your state's toll road has exit numbers."

[Mergingtraffic]

A big one for me is BAD looking construction signs!  Here in CT, the ones that are owned by the DOT are fine, they have the proper fonts, borders and are curved corners and properly alligned, just like any other sign.  They are metal too.
BUT
The ones that are made by contractos are awful, square corners, awful fonts, misalligned words.  Its like they were made of cardboard, even if they are made of plastic, can't they still be properly alligned and the usual signage fonts!?!?!? I wish I had pics of either or.

[Eth]

Undersized exit number tabs.

Allow me to also add:  oversized exit number tabs.  Maryland, I'm looking directly at you.  There is no need for the exit tab to be wide enough to comfortably fit a five-digit exit number.

[Ian]

Allow me to also add:  oversized exit number tabs.  Maryland, I'm looking directly at you.  There is no need for the exit tab to be wide enough to comfortably fit a five-digit exit number.

Agreed 110%

[Brandon]

I just thought of one.  I don't remember seeing this mentioned, but I apologize if it was and escaped my notice.

Undersized exit number tabs.

The Kansas Turnpike has long been guilty of this, even on some of its newer beautiful/ugly Clearview signs, but I'm sure it happens in other places as well.  It makes the sign look as if the exit number is just some piece of miscellaneous information that was thrown on to fulfill a requirement.  I greatly prefer the standard exit number tabs, where the text is the same or nearly the same size as the text in the rest of the BGS.

Actually, I prefer the way the New Jersey Turnpike handles exit numbers, but that's a unique case.  And I suppose people in Illinois would tell me, "Just be grateful your state's toll road has exit numbers."

Honestly, coming from Illinois, we've never much cared one way or the other about Tollway exit numbers.  We always used the street name or route number for the exit (even when the expressway (IDOT) has exit numbers).  Of course, it's all changing now that the Tollway (ISTHA) is getting exit numbers.  They exist west of Aurora on I-88 right now, and are distance-based.

[Ned Weasel]

Honestly, coming from Illinois, we've never much cared one way or the other about Tollway exit numbers.  We always used the street name or route number for the exit (even when the expressway (IDOT) has exit numbers).  Of course, it's all changing now that the Tollway (ISTHA) is getting exit numbers.  They exist west of Aurora on I-88 right now, and are distance-based.

Ah, I didn't know the ISTHA had already started to implement exit numbers.  I haven't driven on any of the Illinois Tollways since 2007, when I distinctly noticed that all of the IDOT-maintained Interstates had exit numbers but none of the Tollways did.

[vdeane]

Undersized exit number tabs.

Allow me to also add:  oversized exit number tabs.  Maryland, I'm looking directly at you.  There is no need for the exit tab to be wide enough to comfortably fit a five-digit exit number.

Or tall enough to fit the Thruway's implementation of clearview.

[us175]

I'd rather have my own pic of this, but since Sergey and Larry sent their little camera-car around...

http://maps.google.com/?ll=32.306713,-96.003567&spn=0.000005,0.0042&t=h&z=18&vpsrc=6&layer=c&cbll=32.306661,-96.003456&panoid=HwpieMh5J0EP5wHQ8t_L3Q&cbp=12,159.37,,1,-0.63

After a recent widening of US 175 through Eustace, TX, the re-signers did a rush job of the approach signage of the east end of a brief multiplex with FM 316.  WHY would you ever put a route that will turn off to the left, on the *right* side of the signpost arrangement?!?  It's bad enough that they used that AWFUL skinny-font version of the US 175 shield (umm, how much more would it cost to do it with the font in my avatar--which is well-represented along other parts of the highway??)....>ugh<  IIRR, before the widening, they just had a simple straight-pole FM 316-turning-left sign arrangement there.

There's another lovely sign mess I could post about down around the eastern terminus, but I need a drink first (IINM, that excuse for signage is still the same after almost *10 years*!!).....

[Riverside Frwy]

For me:

-Inconsistency in signage material. In California, it's annoying to see a nice new sign then see an ancient one from the 70s.

-Inconsistency in exit numbers. Again, in California, it's annoying having some exits with exit numbers and some that don't.

-Signs that have plates on them that cover up old shields and exits.(They look terrible and cheap)

-deformed route shields.

-Construction signs still up when the construction has been done for months.

[Quillz]

Definitely agree on inconsistent signage material. Seems the S.F. Valley is full of new signs, ancient signs and "Frankensigns" (old ones that have been patched with newer elements.)

I also noticed when driving through NorCal that tons of I-5 freeway entrance signs along remote exits (mostly in Shasta and Siskiyou Counties) were using wide, 21×18 shields. Not so much a pet peeve, as I quite like them, but I guess they would technically be in error.

[msubulldog]

I loathe the raised first letter on directions "North, East, South, etc." I realize that in typography that it can increase readability, however it destroys all aspects of centering and symmetry on overhead signage.

I know that is 610, but is this pic going towards Reliant Stadium or towards I-45 where you'd exit for Hobby Airport and Galveston?

You'd love Texas then (and I agree with your statement).

[myosh_tino]

For me:

-Signs that have plates on them that cover up old shields and exits.(They look terrible and cheap)

-deformed route shields.

I agree with you on the deformed route shields like California's 2-digit angular interstate shields and the 3-digit bubble interstate shields.

But I will disagree with the greenout plates.  I don't find them irritating because it extends the life of a sign and it probably costs less to "correct" a sign instead of replacing it.

[agentsteel53]

I also noticed when driving through NorCal that tons of I-5 freeway entrance signs along remote exits (mostly in Shasta and Siskiyou Counties) were using wide, 21×18 shields. Not so much a pet peeve, as I quite like them, but I guess they would technically be in error.

technically an error, but only if you follow federal guidelines.  the feds have not used that size since 1970, but it is still officially on California's books.

I don't think there is a correlation between ruralness, though; just by district, maybe, with a whole slew of randomness added on.  There are a bunch in Kern County, for example.

I've always wanted to find at least one example for each route number - having just found some 15s, and a 210, I am quite happy.

the real trick is to find an 18x18.  I'd have to do my research but I don't think that was ever a size California used.  Certainly not by 1980, which is the earliest a particular 110 could've been installed.  It's the only one I know of in the state!

[Marc]

I know that is 610, but is this pic going towards Reliant Stadium or towards I-45 where you'd exit for Hobby Airport and Galveston?

Interstate 610 East at SH 288. The gantries on the westbound approach to 288 are the originals. The last time I went through there, the signs were still damaged from Hurricane Ike. I-610 from 288 to I-45 also does not have high mast lighting, a refreshing thing to see in the Houston area.

[M86]

My biggest pet peeve is inconsistency.  I've always hated all Iowa signage... The arrows, the gore point exit signage... just everything. 
I haven't been a huge fan of Arkansas signage either.  I don't mind their Clearview takeover at all, but along I-540 in NW AR, I see so many things that need change.  Why is Exit 83 signed as only Pinnacle Hills Parkway, when New Hope Road is the main arterial that 540 is intersecting.  The same could be said about Exit 82.  Promenade Blvd is signed but that actual street doesn't technically touch 540.  It's Whitaker Parkway.  I also noticed that in NW AR, they sign medical centers/hospitals as the names.  Normally, and as it should be (like along I-40), the medical centers/hospitals are signed with blue HOSPITAL signs.
Another big issue is the ridiculous use of abbreviations on AHTD signage.  AHTD likes to use abbreviations like "Reg", "Nat", and "Wash".  "Reg" could be regular or regional.  "Nat" could be natural or national.  "Wash" is just a sorry excuse for a abbreviation. 
Also, when I lived in Sioux Falls, I battled with a DOT engineer about signage that I thought was needed at a newly constructed SPUI, but he used accident data to back his opinion up... which consisted of a few months.