Signage pet peeves

[Scott5114]

Since we have a thread on one pet peeve, why not list your other DOT pet peeves? You know, stuff that the DOT does that grates on you, even if the MUTCD is silent on it. I'm sure we have plenty.

My top peeve is something that ODOT tends to do at termini.


It's all well and good to save a buck by glomming the END sign onto the same pole as the junction sign, but could you PLEASE put the END signage at the bottom? Otherwise, it reads to me like you're trying to say 37, 281, and 8 all end to the left and the right. I know what is meant, but it would be clearer if the signs read 281/8 <->, END 37.

[Quillz]

When wrong color directional arrows and signs are used with various classifications of highways. (For example, US-395 is represented by a black and white shield, but many directional arrows and signs along the route use the green and white California route colors.)

[NE2]

When signs are missing or unclear (Scott's example would be a minor case of unclarity). I can live with errors in design or even the wrong shield shape, but when there's simply no sign because nobody cares to post it there's a problem.

[cu2010]

Inconsistency.  This is especially bad in NY, with our 25 or so versions of the NY route marker...pick one and stick with it, dammit!

[corco]

US Routes not being posted along interstates is my biggest one. If states want to make their state highways disjointed, that's their prerogative. US Routes should always be very clearly marked.  Beyond that, I just dislike when signs are missing. At any junction of two state highways, there should always and without exception be some signage indicating what is happening.

[NE2]

I guess a secondary aspect to missing signage is lack of redundancy. There should be a junction or advance turn sign, a sign at the intersection telling you which way to turn, and a reassurance sign. That way, if any one sign is missing, you can still turn the correct way (or correct yourself after the fact). Hikers learned this long ago when blazing trails on trees: two blazes means it's about to turn and frequent reassurance lets you know you're going the right way. If a blaze disappears, one will know before long that they're no longer on the trail.

[SP Cook]

- Meaningless signage that names roads / bridges / etc.  Mostly after politicians.  If people do not call the road after the name, forget about it.

- Kentucky's "parkways" system.  OK, once it was a toll system and had "generic" names.  Now its just another freeway and the names have all been changed to politicians.  Confusing.  Just move the nearby US and KY route numbers onto the "parkways". 

- NC's idiotic misuse of the "business" interstate signage and of I-74 and I-73, especially in the Piedmont Triad area.  Just put the US highway signage up and forget about it.

- Stadium exits.  I can think of at least 8 college stadiums where the signed exit is not the best way to the stadium.  They take those following the signage out on some circuitious path and thus seperate them from those that know what they are doing.  Smart from a traffic management perspective, but at least cover the signs up the 358 days per year that there isn't a game.

- WV Turnpike.  Uses I-77 northbound as its "primary" route.  Parkersburg is the second "control city", there is even a sign telling the distance to the next rest area, on I-77, when 80% of the traffic is NOT going to stay on 77 north of Charleston.

- Any sign that states speed enforcement is "for your safety".  Since every speed limit increase has been followed by a DECLINE in traffic mortality and morbidity, just be honest and say "for the MONEY".

[Ian]

Clearview and neutered interstate shields are too obvious, so I won't include them. However here are some other pet peeves...

-Off centered text. It gets annoying when you see one control city way off to the left or right of the sign. Here is an example:


-Lack of direction on a route shield on a BGS. Signs on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the New York Thruway have a few interstates that end at them, and they don't even bother to post what direction the interstate is going.

-Obvious green-outs. Seeing signs with a control city covered up with a color patch that doesn't match the color of the rest of the sign. At least try to make it the same color.

-Signs mounted low to the ground on a multi-lane highway. If you are in the left lane, and there is a car to your right blocking the sign, there is trouble. A lot of the Atlantic City Expressway signs have this problem.

-Off standard font on a road sign. Seeing helvetica or arial on a road sign makes me cringe.

-Non-cutout interstate shields. *cough* Rhode Island *cough*. Bubble shields are also a pet peeve.

-Misuse of the new fluorescent yellow/green sheeting on warning signs.

Notice the sign to the left.

[papaT10932]

Two pet peeves of mine:
1.) States that do not post "END" signs at route ends. This is particularly true in New Jersey. Whether it is state, interstate, federal, or county, you will rarely ever see an "END" sign in the Garden State. 

2.) I hate New England's blank square highway shields. They are too easily confused. This is true especially on BGS. Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts's state highway trailblazers look identical on BGS. These tiny states all border each other and can lead to a confused driver. 

[vdeane]

Boxed street names.  They're no longer supposed to be used, but they're everywhere in some regions regardless.

[RustyK]

Poor/inconsistent signage for routes.  WA-202 at it's north end is very poorly marked.  For example, it hangs a right at an intersection immediately after a railroad trestle, the only signage indicating this is the sign attached to the traffic light (showing the street name, with a tiny 202 next to it).  The north end also can't figure out it's cardinal directions:  On consecutive BGS, it's listed as East 202 and South 202.  (The route DOES go SE, but that's ridiculous.  The signs are within 500 feet of one another!)

Seconding the lack of US/State routes on Interstate highways - if the route is on that roadway, mark the thing.   

[AZDude]

No state name on interstate shields.  No begin or end signs.  I also hate it when speed limit signs are not posted. 

[corco]

I also hate it when speed limit signs are not posted.

`

That's a good one. There's nothing worse than driving down a random empty arterial in a strange city with no speed limit signs posted when the road could easily have a speed limit between 30 and 50 depending on the whims of the town

[Quillz]

Boxed street names.  They're no longer supposed to be used, but they're everywhere in some regions regardless.

What are these?

[sandiaman]

States  that don't  put  up  state line  signs  that make it confusing to  know when  you are actually  in that state.  It happens.   In New  Jersey,  on the Ben Franklin  Bridge  from Philly  going to Camden,  there  is no sign letting you know you  are indeed ,  in Jersey.  Also, entering Oklahoma  from  Arkansas  on the Cherokee  Turnpike,  no  sign  welcoming one to Oklahoma, instead,  it  welcomes  you to the Cherokee Indian Nation.  Does that   now take  precedence  over a state?

[thenetwork]

Some more pet peeves:

1) Streets which straddle 2 different municipalities that have different speed limits on each side of the roadway. Used to be a road I traveled all the time in NE Ohio where it was 35 MPH southbound in the "City limits" but in the northbound direction, it was 45 as it was in a township.  Always made me wonder that if I was southbound following someone at 35MPH, and had a clear passing zone, would I be "speeding" if I passed the car ahead of me doing 45 in the northbound lane to pass?

2) Lack of mileage signs on a freeway or non-interstate highway outside of urban areas.  Especially in the middle of nowhere, it would be nice to have signage which states the mileage to the next 2 or 3 significant points (cities or intersections) on the highway you are on.

3) States where destinations on interstate off-ramps only point the direction to the control city with only an arrow but not list the mileage to that control city. Indiana is one of the biggest abusers of this pet peeve.

4) The small villages or burbs which give you a lot of notice when the speed goes down at the city limits, but never bother to tell you when you are leaving the other side of the city and you can speed up again.

5) Construction zones/Lane Closures that are set up for a multi-mile stretch, but the actual work zone is only happening in a fraction of the zone. ...and the closed lane(s) are perfectly okay to drive on at regular speeds.

[SidS1045]

When signs are missing or unclear (Scott's example would be a minor case of unclarity). I can live with errors in design or even the wrong shield shape, but when there's simply no sign because nobody cares to post it there's a problem.

My biggest pet peeve about my home state (er, commonwealth).  Trying to follow a state or US route in some parts of Massachusetts, particularly in the Boston metro area, is almost impossible.

And yes, papaT, the plain square or rectangle state highway markers ought to be outlawed IMO.  It really shouldn't be that difficult to come up with a unique yet simple design that won't drain the state's treasury to implement.

[papaT10932]

I grabbed these pics from the aaroads website but I think this proves my point:

BGS in Rhode Island.


BGS in Massachusetts


BGS in Connecticut


Keep in mind these (very tiny) states border each other. I agree, this should be outlawed.

[Ian]

Boxed street names.  They're no longer supposed to be used, but they're everywhere in some regions regardless.

What are these?

[sandiaman]

Another  peeve:  States  that  don't put  the latest  population  figures on the city limits signs.  This  helps  if you're  driving thru  unframiliar territory.  Actually,  hardly any states  do this, but they  should.

[Duke87]

- a lack of mile markers or reference markers on state highways. Makes gauging distance that much more difficult.
- even worse is when there's also a general lack of reassurance shields. Following unfamiliar highways can get tricky this way.

- centered exit tabs
- or worse, inconsistently aligned exit tabs. I'd rather see them all centered than have some centered and some done right!

[Brian556]

Ok, here's what bugs me...

Construction:
Lane Closure signs posted when then lane is not closed
Flagman Ahead signs posted when there is no flagman.
No warning sign for a Bump or Steel Plate

Warning:
Signal Ahead Sign upside down
Two Way Traffic Sign with arrows reversed (telling you to drive on wrong side)
Divided Highway Ahead/Ends sign upside down or on Island

Guide:
Overhead signs that indicate that you need to be in certain lanes for certain highways, but don't give the distance to the split. You really need to know how long you have to make the nesessary lane change.

Street Name Blades that incorrectly identify a highway's type (Ex: FM 377 when it's actually US 377)

[Dr Frankenstein]

Helvetica, whether it's standard (see Ontario) or not.
Interstate shields in Quebec and New Brunswick: They're almost always wrong in some way.
Not signing route ends. Not putting a cardinal direction under a shield (Ontario county roads).
Non-rounded border corners, whether it's standard (Ontario again) or not.
Putting more than 3 lines of destination legend on BGSs (Canada is an expert at that).
Favouring road names over town destinations, regardless of the highway being in the middle of freaking nowhere (Ontario standard).
...to be continued.

[Ian]

A few more...

-3-digit sized route shields for a 2/1-digit route. South Carolina's new state route shield and Tennessee's state route shields have that for all their routes, and they don't look good in my opinion.

-I'm probably going to get a lot of heat for this one, but I don't like state named interstate shields on BGSs. It is hard to even see the state name when traveling at high speed, mostly because it seems cramped in the shield. Though I am perfectly okay with a state named stand alone interstate shield. 

-Route shields with a font that is obviously not meant for that shield. Series B for a 3-digit route shield, series E for a 2-digit route shield, etc.

-BGSs with route shields that have a black background (New Jersey style). I never really got into the NJDOT signs with that feature.

-For the exit tabs, a large space between the word "EXIT" and the number. I've seen signs along some of MdTAs (Maryland) roads and they don't look very good.

-Bold font on route shields.

-Mixed-case street signs. It's going to take me a bit to get used to them.

[joseph1723]

Some of mine:

-Helvetica/Arial or similar fonts used on signage sometimes even mixed with FHWA on the same sign. 

-compressing FHWA fonts to fit them onto the route shield instead of using a narrower series.

-undersized signage especially on freeways, seems to be pretty common here in Ontario

-shrinking the font instead of making the BGS taller when four or more lines of text are used.

-lack of exit tabs on BGSs other than advance signage (standard practice here)