Posts about Road Signs
Roads
Take Washington Blvd to mystery unnamed road
Look up driving directions from Pentagon City to the eastern part of Clarendon, and your map site will probably suggest taking Washington Boulevard to Clarendon Boulevard. And that's a fine route, except for one thing.
What's missing from these pictures?
Northbound (left) and southbound (right) Washington Blvd approaching Clarendon Blvd.
Answer:
That's right: No street signs. There's a giant green sign hanging from the traffic signal at Highland Street, which is a good way to get to eastbound Clarendon if you know to use it, but none for the slip lane to Clarendon from northbound Washington, and none from southbound Washington either.
Using these directions, a friend recently drove back and forth across this intersection, trying to find Clarendon Boulevard. Of course, it's hard to miss if you know what it looks like, but there's no sign.
And yes, I realize that the light pole in the right-hand picture is for Wilson and Clarendon. The street sign could appropriately list both. Drivers trying to turn onto westbound Wilson could benefit from signs too.
@ArlingtonVA says they've forwarded my request "to the appropriate department," but Michael Perkins wonders if Arlington might not have the power to fix a problem with a VDOT road.
Parking
Brunch links: Foolishness in Maryland
Proposed "superblock" development in Baltimore's West Side.
77 spaces for 48 condos in Bethesda? Apparently not taking the OLO report to heart, the Planning Board approved the Holladay at Edgemoor project, just three blocks from the Bethesda Metro, with 1.6 parking spaces for each unit. Apartment-dwellers right in downtown Bethesda really need more than one car per household? The Planning Board must not have been paying attention during their recent sustainability workshops.
Is it still the '60s in Baltimore? The Baltimore Sun reports on opposition to the Lexington Square development, nicknamed "superblock". The name is apt, since the project would close a block of Marion Street to create a 28 stories of apartments and hotel rooms over retail and 1,000 underground parking spaces. Of course, this not actually being the '60s, the developers also plan street-facing retail with smaller stores on the street and larger stores above. But closing a street? DC is restoring the street grid in large projects like the old convention center site or (possibly) Hine Junior High. Via Planetizen.
Drink, speed, and kill someone, just get a ticket: Prince George's County prosecutors have decided they can't go after the county police officer who struck and killed a UMD student in his cruiser after drinking. County officials want to change the law to add a lower and easier-to-prove offense below vehicular manslaughter.
And: Connetiquette Ave discovers that Metro is renaming some southbound weekday rush hour 42 buses as a new route, the 43, but has decided not to tell anyone yet what they're actually planning; homebuyers want walkable locations more than exurban sprawl, reports the AIA (tip: Louise).
Go round twice if you're happy: A few new signs recently popped up around Dubai. Via How We Drive.
Roads
"The far left lane is lava"
Jalopnik has a feature on confusing traffic signs (via Digg). This one, the #2 most confusing sign, should be familiar:
Connecticut Avenue. Photo by talkingdc on Flickr.
Not only is it confusing, there's something else wrong with it. (Hint: Look at the upper right.) That aside, this isn't the worst of DC's reversible-lane signs; I'd pick the entry ramp signs to Rock Creek Parkway, which have a giant DO NOT ENTER and then, in small type, something like "6:30-9:30 am weekdays". It always makes me stop for a split second (usually in the middle of the intersection as I'm turning across traffic to get on at P Street), and if I have a passenger, they invariably yell, "wait, it says do not enter!"
I also immediately recognized the city where the sign on the left below appears, as I've driven through intersections like that (probably that very one) many times. The meaning of the right-hand picture, though, had me stumped.
Photos from Flickr by stuart (left) and Ryner12 (right).
I shared Jalopnik's initial reaction: "look up to see how many planes are landing or taking off before attempting a left." It's always a good idea. (Here's the real, but still not entirely sensible, answer.)
@ggwash
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