roadsignblog or something

***EPILEPSY WARNING! Lots of flashing lights!***

if you are sensitive to flashing lights, TURN BACK NOW!

me may try to rework this at some point

various postlingtons about road signs from discord, tumblr, etc, and so on

[note: i'm doing my best adapting vertical messages to horizontal viewing.]

overheight sign with LEDs (plus LED flash patterns)

hometown road sign saga (fairfield, ohio, 45014)

road sign overload

road sign redo

california califone cauliflower cialdfjwidlasjtflasghiuldfjkh

HAWK beacons

miscellanea

overheight sign with LEDs (plus LED flash patterns)

(Discord - 2025/08/24)

i made 3

(message is just something i came up with in 10 seconds)

[Imagine this would be used in an 11' 8" Bridge situation. Clearly you need to really get people's attention for some of them to listen.]

i was wondering what flash pattern of led would get the most attention

yellow is what it logically would be since is warning

white is for get most attention also stop now and do not enter are regulatory messages

red is for conveying the severity of the situation and also stop and do not enter are red

for example, the west virginia turnpike has white flashing lights on support pillars at toll plazas

you cant see it all that well but its the best video of it i could find

https://youtu.be/O5pgw2q9Yws?si=3Anrm3RGCL0Kseiy&t=58 (skip to 0:58)

rrfb (the crosswalks with rapid flashing leds) are like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBgjXet1QuE

(though my local ones flash like this [the ones pictured are not my local ones]) (tis yet another connection between florida and ohio)

https://youtu.be/woZJtSD4q3s?si=sp9Mvp01Y9VhwnB2&t=10 (skip to 0:10)

[update: lightguard just doesnt fear god and doesnt listen to the mutcd, florida did it correct:

Except as provided in Paragraph 8 of this Section, during each 800-millisecond flashing sequence, the left and right RRFB indications shall operate using the following sequence:

A. The RRFB indication on the left-hand side shall be illuminated for approximately 50 milliseconds.

B. Both RRFB indications shall be dark for approximately 50 milliseconds.

C. The RRFB indication on the right-hand side shall be illuminated for approximately 50 milliseconds.

D. Both RRFB indications shall be dark for approximately 50 milliseconds.

E. The RRFB indication on the left-hand side shall be illuminated for approximately 50 milliseconds.

F. Both RRFB indications shall be dark for approximately 50 milliseconds.

G. The RRFB indication on the right-hand side shall be illuminated for approximately 50 milliseconds.

H. Both RRFB indications shall be dark for approximately 50 milliseconds.

I. Both RRFB indications shall be illuminated for approximately 50 milliseconds.

J. Both RRFB indications shall be dark for approximately 50 milliseconds.

K. Both RRFB indications shall be illuminated for approximately 50 milliseconds.

L. Both RRFB indications shall be dark for approximately 250 milliseconds. ]

i have assembled 9 different patterns [i told you there was a lot of flashing images] [this is the smallest i can crop it]

pattern 1

normal beacon (the thing what isnt an individual led)

pattern 2

what led signs (signs with leds around border) normally do in my experience

pattern 3

constant flash

pattern 4

a couple quick flashes then pause

pattern 5

a bunch of quick flashes then pause

pattern 6

singular flash with large pause

pattern 7

like a bunch of pattern 6es strung together

pattern 8

single flash with long long pause like certain strobe lights do

pattern 9

unpredicatble (actually the pause keeps getting longer)

[idk why emergency vehicles can get away with it but some of these patterns probably fail the "shall not be more than 5 flashes per second, to avoid frequencies that might cause seizures" test]

[which one do you think its most effective? let me know in the comments below, murder that like button, obliterate that subscribe button, slit that notification bell's throat, share with your group of uninterested friends, and go give your personal information to the sketchy sponsor.]

hometown road sign saga (fairfield, ohio, 45014)

(Discord - 2025/03/25 through 2025/07/17)

??????? [translated: "Is... is that a Fairfield street name sign at the bottom?"]

!!! [translated: "IT IS!"]

did i just accidentally stumble upon where fairfiled got their signs???

im not gonna say theyre exact

but its pretty fucking close

it has to be somewhere in ohio at the very least

https://www.southernmfg.com/modules/evolvecms/upload/SouthernMfgCatalog2014.pdf

theres only so many places in ohio where they use iisns [internally illuminated street name signs] with the OH-4 shield, city seal, and name "Dixie Hwy", at the 5300 blcok

(5 mins of searching later)

also i dont think that other place exists

well hell what are the chances of that

probably pretty medium

i wonder why its not exactly the same

i swear thats theskdthjkerstjdf

[translated: "I swear that looks like the signs directing you towards the hospital in Fairfield"]

https://www.southernmfg.com/illuminated-signs [Southern Manufacturing]
https://www.temple-inc.com/products/internally-illuminated-led-signs [Temple Inc]
are from florida and alabama respectively

i cant tell if these companies are both ohio coded or if ohio is american south coded

cause like

southernmfg literally has versions of signs i can see after a 30 minute walk or 10 minute drive away from my current location

i passed by their sign or one oddly reminiscent of it not even 3 hours ago

*vague motions*

hamilton ohi[o]

you cant make this shit up

i mean

you defintiely can

but why would you bother

also it maeks logical sense

i-75 is a direct link between ohio and florida and no other places

but really its a stragiht shot

its proabalbly pretty easy to get that up here

theres so many florida license plate cars up here its insane

also neither company knows how pdf and images work

so pixels

↓ (later in the day) ↓

me sees it

that's them [Temple Inc]

woah

↓ (the next day) ↓

an d forresdt park

[translated: "Forest Park, OH, also uses Temple Inc signs, just like Hamilton, OH"]

clearview

↓ (later in the day) ↓

(replying to "???????")

if i look closely, squint my eyes, and bludgeon myself with a hammer, i can barely maybe make out the text "FAIRFIELD OHIO CITY OF OPPORTUNITY" on the seal [(the Fairfield city motto is "City of Opportunity")]

also [finding other signs featured in the Southern Manufacturing product guide]

this one was pain

this one also a tad difficult because thats not how road signs work (Event Center is a street name, but this sign isn't at the intersection with Event Center)

fuck this one too the street name signs are all sorts of fucked up around here

everywhere tamiami tr goes pain follows

and im not convinced this one is real

if it is

then fuck you, municipality

there are so many bourbon streets

and all except for the new orleans one are stupid little trailer park roads

and the new orleans one doesnt have this [sign]

oerkljdstgpoesejdtoiflhk;wehjs]pe

tdhfsUJESDIOLTJOREISDJTOISDJGT

it also appears with some other styles in the eoiasjdtoistdljtoiehjsiodltfjosdiltujfosilreutjdrsolifeusoditlujorlsujtoirlds southern manufacturing

↓ (2025/07/17 - four months later) ↓

UPDATE!!!!

https://www.nationalssc.com/traffic-signs/street-name-signs

i believe THIS is the actual source of the [Fairfield] street name signs

National Sign and Signal [NS&S]

though i will say i think i was right in concluding that Hamilton has Temple Inc signs, due to [irreconcilable] similarities between jack warner pkwy (confirmed temple inc) and erie blvd

at first i though it might be multilink, since it looks quite similar and is made in ohio (vs. temple inc alabama), but the electrical hookup is a dead giveaway they arent the same

also some support structures on the back

and the screw pattern

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.2805377,-84.5015082,3a,39.6y,341.51h,134.97t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sDS3uDn4DYRmgKdj6Lq4_MQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-44.96700601371751%26panoid%3DDS3uDn4DYRmgKdj6Lq4_MQ%26yaw%3D341.5123567036935!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDcxMy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D the signs in Forest Park here are also Temple Inc, and make even more sense being Clearview

same story with this guy

though interestingly, the signs on OH-4 By Pass dont exactly follow this [(the one in the presentation)] standard

no logo on the side

slightly differrent front fascia design

different screws

different lighting method (almost warmish greenish old ass leds that are starting to go out and you can see the individual diodes, unlike any others in fairfield)

mixed case suffixes

all installed in the same project ~2013

road sign overload

(Discord - 2025/08/21)

jesus new york

right off the highway

sign overload

fuck its midnighty andasoithjfgsldg

i need slippes

that

ish

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.6793442,-74.4192109,3a,51.3y,239.02h,88.92t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sKFnPoKwQpndrTEmf8YYC1Q!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D1.0836872614502653%26panoid%3DKFnPoKwQpndrTEmf8YYC1Q%26yaw%3D239.0176661540768!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDgxOS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

road sign redo

(Discord - 2025/05/11)

redoing some local road signs

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.3898181,-84.5319266,3a,15y,358.65h,89.2t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sTbl3yGW5nVdJvngv2xctNA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D0.8028997516413199%26panoid%3DTbl3yGW5nVdJvngv2xctNA%26yaw%3D358.65481530351417!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDUwNy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

i feel like the late 90s (when this road was built) is a bit late for button copy signs, but what do i know

see all those circles around the letters and stuff? thats reflective buttons

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Button_copy

Button copy - Wikipedia

not button copy but still could use with an update

also while im near i thought id redo this one too

im almost certain the ones i came up with (either brown or green) isnt 100% compliant, but at least it isnt "NORTH END BALL PARK to the right, or else you're getting a ticket!" regulatory black on white

idk if you can tell, but this thing is massive, and i was divided on whether to keep the arrow they used or use the other arrow thingy

about ye long from the intersection

simple as, i dont feel like making the alt veersion but replace "Fair Ave" with "Mill Rd"

well

actually

mill rd is a stupid street no one cares about, but soon after is erie blvd, which is less stupid and poeple do care about

plus mill rd is not a signalized intersection (no traffic light), so you couldnt just replace "Fair Ave"

erie blvd is signalized, but i feel it'd be confusing for the sign to say "NEXT INTERSECTION" and "NEXT SIGNAL"

[alternatively, all other signs could say "NEXT INTERSECTION" to jive well, or unsignalized intersections don't get advance street name signs]

and finally for this stretch of rd, do the "Fair Ave" but "Ida Ave" and instead of "SIGNAL" do "INTERSECTION"

california califone cauliflower cialdfjwidlasjtflasghiuldfjkh

(Discord - 2025/04/14)

the what

apparently its a place but that couldve been communicated a little better

"CHAINS REQUIRED NEXT XX MILES" or something

or just say "CHAINS REQUIRED" no clauses

you can put an r78 sign at the other end

[(CA MUTCD)]

yeah you'll be able to read all that going 80 in a 65

[something about this sign is just funny / ridiculous to me. the casual "if you're truck is fucked, keep left".]

i think to the left is a stretch of highway california hasnt used since the 80s

cause they're serious about agricultural inspection

so serious that if youre strategic about what road you use you can bypass it completely

me finds

[(CA MUTCD)]

↓ (the next day) ↓

oh my god california is pathetic

fucking

look at this

white on black for a guide sign? its not the 1950s anymore, get with the program

but

it was bright green in 2021

one year later in 2022

its sun damage.

SUN DAMAGE.

IN FUCKING CALIFORNIA. [(I'd think they would've solved this issue by now.)]

THAT MAKES THE GREEN SIGN BLACK.

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK CALIFORNIA

I HAVE SEEN SIGNS FROM THE 1970S THAT ARE STILL GREEN

you know what's worse?

by my estimation, these signs were installed in the last 10 years

California is either the most hostile environment for signs ever

or uses only the weakest materials

it's not even like its to the same level as other signs!

this sign not a mile away has been there since time immemorial and still looks

ancient, not new by any means, but not fucking BLACK FROM SUN DAMAGE

most california signs end up looking like this

faded, peeling, ancient garbage

and i dont know if its because they are weak shit, in the world's most hostile area, or just fucking ancient

caltrans isnt known for speed

also im not the only one who noticed this garbage

also slightly unrelated but they put the dash in the wrong spot

it used to be correct

HAWK beacons

(Discord - 2025/03/15 through 2025/09/28)

i think we should get rid of HAWK beacons

no one understands them
very confusing
no one listens to them
pedestrians don't bother with 'em
flashes red like a railroad crossing (big no-no)
[Also, it's dark on approaching it, which for most signals means "power cut, take extreme caution, treat like stop sign". Yes, I know it's technically a 'beacon', not a 'signal', but most beacons aren't designed and put up like normal traffic signals, with three signal sections, two signal faces, a backplate with yellow edge, red signals, etc. Yes, stop beacons exist, but those are emphasizing existing stop signs, they are not themselves the command.]

[note: this is not an original opinion. see also: https://youtu.be/d-5A2RxgvOc?si=9s650VVHF79osCzQ]

instead, use a normal traffic light

well

two options

1. RRFB

PROS:

decently respected
effective at getting drivers attention

CONS:

not legally enforceable
[Now that I think about it, wouldn't a "STOP HERE FOR PEDESTRIANS" sign fix that?]

2. Normal traffic light

PROS:

very well respected
effective

CONS:

can leave drivers waiting for a while after pedestrian crossed

so i propose a different way to program the lights

Phase 1: Normal, no peds

light is green, red hand says fuck you to pedestrians

Phase 2: Pedestrian presses "please let me cross" button

light immediately goes yellow, then red

Phase 3: Pedestrian crosses

light stays red, pedestrian walk signal lets peds cross for, say, 7 seconds, before flashing red hand and 10 second timer

Phase 4: Pedestrian maybe done crossing

light flashes yellow for 10-20 seconds in case any pedestrians still in crosswalk, ped hand solid red, after time done, light goes green back into phase 1

optionally accompanied by one of these signs

timing of phases can be tweaked depending on needs
pressing the "please let me walk" button again after activation will reset back to 7 seconds (for example, if a large group is crossing and it starts doing the flashing red hand, you can press the button again and it will go back to the full walk signal)

↓ (2025/09/28 - six months later) ↓

NOTE ON [my proposed signal programming]:

Ideally, with this setup, there would be a separate indication for the flashing and steady yellows (4 signals instead of 3), plus blah blah it could be revised

so instead i propose an idea that already exists and its given a small mention in the MUTCD

here is a gif of what it could look like

no greens
green is instead a flashing yellow, to warn at all times of potential pedestrians crossing

when the push button is pushed like a button, the signals turn solid yellow, then red

then the pedestrians are allowed to cross (walking white guy time and countdown may be longer in real applications)

also i dont think i knew it at the time, but there is a specific sign for extra time

example of signal with flashing yellow, steady yellow, and steady red indications

miscellanea

(Discord - 2024/12/22)

[this is a collection of miscellaneous signpostings, not much of a theme or narrative]

thats pretty neat

you can see back in 2008 when they were testing out the new crosswalk thing

lights in the roadway like [↓ this ↓]

you can see their trucks down the road too

today the crosswalk has a normal rapid flash beacon

[the experiment must not've worked out]

↓ (topic change) ↓

fuck you hamilton ohio you fucking cunts

this stop sign across the road has been up since time immemorial

and when they put up new signs and had a chance to correct their mistake (NO STOP SIGNS PUT LIKE THAT), they slapped a street name sign on it

↓ (topic change) ↓

BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD

NUH UH

do like this

[contrary to any austin's belief, this sign does not have to be exclusively used for traffic that rejoins. it can also be used for traffic that changes direction and goes somewhere else.]

↓ (topic change) ↓

ancient ass signs

(they be replaced by now)

circa late 1960s

"bad ass" as in "this ass is horrible!"

then they replace with clearview not-as-bad-but-still-not-quite-good signs

and less than 10 years later theyve been replaced with better but-still-not-perfect-and-with-a-new-problem-of-one-arrow-for-two-lanes-plus-back-to-basic-bitch-boring-bullshit-highway-gothic-#justiceforclearviewhwy