Signs, signs, everywhere signs

August 22, 2009

speedlimit18

Driving through 46 states and Canada, I was bound to notice a bunch of weird road signs. My favorite was the one above from Albuquerque – “Speed Limit 18”. That was not an anomaly – those signs were all over the city.

I can just picture the city council meeting where they must have discussed this issue. I imagine the debate went back and forth between 15 and 20 mph on residential streets in the city, before someone suggested this bizarre compromise.

I like this sign from Yellowstone – “Avoid broken windshield.” Um, ok… want to tell me how to do that, exactly?

avoidwindshield

Austin recognizes that littering is both awful and unlawful. Clever!

awfullittering

Here’s another weird one from Albuquerque. As best as I can tell, the sign is supposed to mean, “Watch for men carrying 2x4s and briefcases, and women walking dog-wolves.”

strangesign

Portland has some funny signs warning bicyclists of grooves and train tracks in the road. I think the message here is, “Don’t try to ride a bike that’s missing its front wheel.”

bikerfalls

The sign for “playground” varies from place to place. This one in Vancouver is odd. I’d interpret it as “Watch for people playing bocce.”

vancouverplayground

This sign in the British Columbia mountains is one you don’t see everyday.

bighornsheep

Here’s another wacky one from Vancouver. I think it means that the stoplights are monitored by cameras – old-timey cameras like the ones Andy Warhol used to use. Strike a pose!

camerasign