Signs With Design Errors

[WillWeaverRVA]

Found this on Facebook, it's apparently in Cumberland, MD:


The acorn US shield strikes again!

Dear God, the plague is spreading! Hopefully they don't pop up in VA or WV next...

[epzik8]

This one may not be an error, but it's definitely a nonstandard font for U.S. highway signs. This is I-176 approaching its northern terminus at U.S. 422 near Reading, Pennsylvania.

[SignGeek101]

This one may not be an error, but it's definitely a nonstandard font for U.S. highway signs. This is I-176 approaching its northern terminus at U.S. 422 near Reading, Pennsylvania.

Not nonstandard, but done so poorly that it looks hideous. Cardinal directions look like they're MUTCD spec, but maybe not. Spec says that the first letter should be 15" with the rest 12". All of those letters look almost the same size to me. Control cities are done horribly in Clearview 5W. A diagrammatic isn't really needed here I don't think, after all, it's only one lane each.

[machias]

This one may not be an error, but it's definitely a nonstandard font for U.S. highway signs. This is I-176 approaching its northern terminus at U.S. 422 near Reading, Pennsylvania.

Not nonstandard, but done so poorly that it looks hideous. Cardinal directions look like they're MUTCD spec, but maybe not. Spec says that the first letter should be 15" with the rest 12". All of those letters look almost the same size to me. Control cities are done horribly in Clearview 5W. A diagrammatic isn't really needed here I don't think, after all, it's only one lane each.

Someone is treating the Clearview as a "font" and sizing the letters improperly.  For example, plans may say 15" with 12" lc, which means that all the letters would be a 15" font, but the lowercase letter loop height is only 12" inches.  I've seen quite a few signs in Pennsylvania, Virginia and a couple in New York State that suffer from this.  It's part of the "making a sign is as easy as using Microsoft Word!" mentality.

[jbnv]

Someone is treating the Clearview as a "font" and sizing the letters improperly.  For example, plans may say 15" with 12" lc, which means that all the letters would be a 15" font, but the lowercase letter loop height is only 12" inches.  I've seen quite a few signs in Pennsylvania, Virginia and a couple in New York State that suffer from this.  It's part of the "making a sign is as easy as using Microsoft Word!" mentality.

It's not just a Clearview problem.

[national highway 1]

The middle sign for the I-110/CA 110 exit is ridiculously cramped. Also, the whole layout for the sign on the right for 'Convention Center, Los Angeles St' leaves a lot to be desired..

[national highway 1]

Also, the placement of this CA 82 shield seems a little bit odd. One would think it would've been better center-aligned  vertically along with the text 'El Camino Real', which is correctly aligned.

[machias]

The middle sign for the I-110/CA 110 exit is ridiculously cramped. Also, the whole layout for the sign on the right for 'Convention Center, Los Angeles St' leaves a lot to be desired..

I have always loved Caltrans for doing their own thing. While the design of the two signs you mentioned is a bit odd and not 100% of what it could be, in the California context, the signs work just fine. To someone not familiar with the way Caltrans signs things it might be confusion but the typical California motorist it's fine. I'm not saying it's right, but they're doable.

[kphoger]

My best friend just texted this picture to me.

101TH ???

[Bluenoser]

My best friend just texted this picture to me.

101TH ???

"32th Ave" in Edmundston, New Brunswick, from GSV:
https://www.google.ca/maps/@47.3703247,-68.3196075,3a,15y,134.06h,91.43t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sMJ9gDc99nSy-hbIIQAOz9Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

[ekt8750]

This one may not be an error, but it's definitely a nonstandard font for U.S. highway signs. This is I-176 approaching its northern terminus at U.S. 422 near Reading, Pennsylvania.

Not nonstandard, but done so poorly that it looks hideous. Cardinal directions look like they're MUTCD spec, but maybe not. Spec says that the first letter should be 15" with the rest 12". All of those letters look almost the same size to me. Control cities are done horribly in Clearview 5W. A diagrammatic isn't really needed here I don't think, after all, it's only one lane each.

Someone is treating the Clearview as a "font" and sizing the letters improperly.  For example, plans may say 15" with 12" lc, which means that all the letters would be a 15" font, but the lowercase letter loop height is only 12" inches.  I've seen quite a few signs in Pennsylvania, Virginia and a couple in New York State that suffer from this.  It's part of the "making a sign is as easy as using Microsoft Word!" mentality.

There's a bunch in New Jersey too. I've some townships whose sign blades are formatted that way as well (looking at you Gloucester Twp.).

[3web]

Found this on a road trip to AZ on the I-515.

[kkt]

This guide sign in Burnaby, BC has a black right arrow.

It looks like a stealth bomber seen from the underside, silhouetted against the sky.

[jay8g]

My best friend just texted this picture to me.

101TH ???

Also, why does it seem like both blades have the same text? It can't possibly be 101st St and 101st St, can it?

[freebrickproductions]

My best friend just texted this picture to me.

101TH ???

Also, why does it seem like both blades have the same text? It can't possibly be 101st St and 101st St, can it?

If the road bends at the intersection it's possible.

[paulthemapguy]

The middle sign for the I-110/CA 110 exit is ridiculously cramped. Also, the whole layout for the sign on the right for 'Convention Center, Los Angeles St' leaves a lot to be desired..

For the sign on the right, I wish they'd just do the "EXIT r7 ONLY" tabs like you see in Illinois at the bottom...  A picture I uploaded as an example:


IMG_4273 by Paul Drives, on Flickr

[roadfro]

The middle sign for the I-110/CA 110 exit is ridiculously cramped. Also, the whole layout for the sign on the right for 'Convention Center, Los Angeles St' leaves a lot to be desired..

For the sign on the right, I wish they'd just do the "EXIT r7 ONLY" tabs like you see in Illinois at the bottom...  A picture I uploaded as an example:


IMG_4273 by Paul Drives, on Flickr

Caltrans typical standard is to use a yellow "Exit Only" plaque and put the arrow next to the plaque on the same line.

This sign is unusual in two ways: (1) the arrow and plaque are on different lines, even though they clearly could have been on one line; and (2) simple "Only" plaques, as seen here, are typically only used on freeway-to-freeway exits, which this is not.

[kphoger]

My best friend just texted this picture to me.

101TH ???

Also, why does it seem like both blades have the same text? It can't possibly be 101st St and 101st St, can it?

If the road bends at the intersection it's possible.

I don't know the exact location of the photo, but 101st Street is a major section-line road that doesn't bend anywhere.

[SignBridge]

So paulthemapguy let me get this straight........in Illinois the first advance sign for an exit might be 5 miles or even 11 miles before the exit?

[J N Winkler]

So paulthemapguy let me get this straight........in Illinois the first advance sign for an exit might be 5 miles or even 11 miles before the exit?

What he showed is actually a Tollway heirloom--advance signs for the next one or two exits mounted next to an exit direction sign.  Another heirloom is extra-large digits and name "ILLINOIS" in the state route shields.  Neither is representative of signing on the untolled freeway network in Illinois.

(There are isolated examples elsewhere of exits signed well in advance, e.g. Nebraska I-80 Exit 432 at Exit 439.)

[paulthemapguy]

So paulthemapguy let me get this straight........in Illinois the first advance sign for an exit might be 5 miles or even 11 miles before the exit?

At each exit off of an Illinois tollway, you will see sign(s) telling motorists what the next exit or two exits are, no matter how distant.  Even if that exit isn't for another 16 miles... https://goo.gl/maps/1eAaSpFUFvz

[SignBridge]

Well I guess all the toll-road authorities have their signing quirks. I see the Tollway also doesn't use exit numbers on the advance signs either. That's not MUTCD compliant. I seem to remember reading somewhere years ago that the Tollway didn't use exit numbers at all years ago. Is that true?

[tckma]

Posted by an instagram friend of mine:

[chays]

Posted by an instagram friend of mine:

We've seen some bad error's, but this one take's the cake.

[cbeach40]

Also, why does it seem like both blades have the same text? It can't possibly be 101st St and 101st St, can it?

No, it's 101th and 101th.