Invasion of the Advisory Signs...

I was walking to the Roswell Farmers and Artisans Market yesterday when I came across a shiny new road sign. Regular readers know that I'm not a fan of frivolous road signs that tell us things that are either plainly obvious or completely unnecessary.  This sign is one of those.

New sign along Norcross St approaching Historic Rowell. I feel safer already.

Here's what that spot looked like last month...

The fact that there is a sign here now isn't going to cause me to drive any slower. I'm going to drive at the speed the road feels safe at.

As a driver on a city street, you know there are curb cuts, you know there are side roads, you know there are intersections and you drive accordingly.  A sign is not going to change driver behavior.  Road design changes driver behavior.  If you follow the logic used for this sign to its eventual conclusion, you will have a sign for every driveway and intersection to alert unsuspecting drivers to the the chance that there are intersecitons or that other cars may be trying to access the road they are on.  

We have an almost perfect illustration of this right here in Historic Roswell.  There are no fewer than 12 road advisory signs in a .4 mile stretch along Alpharetta Hwy right through our Historic District.  Here's a collage courtesey of Google Street View.  This garbage pollutes our historic corridor all the way to the River.

Advisory signs are taking over our pubic realm in Historic Roswell.

The only thing these signs are doing is polluting our public realm with bright shiny objects.  Yes, they give some people a false sense of security that they are somehow now safer from bad drivers.  News flash.. we are all 'bad drivers' at some point and signs aren't going to prevent that fact.  

These types of signs are meant for high speed environments that require advance notice of intersections so drivers can reduce speed and plan accordingly to make turns.  Think Highway 316 to Athens or GA 400 north of the access controlled section.  We don't need this type of Highway engineering in the heart of a city where speeds are 40mph or less.  

Please STOP THE MADNESS!!

Comments

[Annie Bell]

I couldn't agree more. Along that same line, I would love to eliminate the signs that clutter every intersection during election times. I can't imagine anyone ever being inclined to vote for someone because they saw a sign on the corner.

[Debbie]

There is such a new sign on my road which I welcome. My road is lined with subdivisions on one side and very busy parks on the other. Additionally there is lots of bike and runners riders sharing this road. However the posted speed limit is 40 mph, which many cars try to achieve. When I called the city about lowering the speed limit I was told the state DOT has jurisdiction and has refused the city's request to lower the speed limit many times over the years. So I see this as the city trying to make the best of a bad situation.

[Michael D Hadden]

Debbie, Thanks for your comment! I definitely understand your concern and completely agree that GDOT is a huge part of the problem. From both a speed perspective by over engineering our roads to a point where they encourage speeding (wider lanes = faster cars) and from an unnecessary signage perspective, they are by in large negatively impacting our cities and towns.

The sign collage in my post exists because the traffic engineering standards dictate that advisory signs belong on state highways that approach intersections. Those standards seem to be applied regardless of context. There is absolutely no reason that we need 12 huge signs warning of approaching intersections on a well lit street through the heart of our city. Now, on high speed roads (40mph+) with limited sight distance, they can be useful.

That said, those signs aren't going to slow cars down. You will still have the same amount of speeders because the road tells the driver how fast to drive.. not the sign. But, with the sign, the city (or state) can feel immune to any potential legal issues that may arise when drivers who are driving at the speed the road was engineered for, collide with other drivers/peds/cyclists who were expecting (hoping/praying) that driver to adhere to a sign.

There has to be a better way to make our roads safer while not polluting our public realm with a bunch of sign clutter. There is.. Narrow the lanes to 10' where our streets front residential areas!! But until pigs fly, we can expect more signs and happy motoring at the expense of our public realm.

[Annette]

I don't know if the signs are there so much as warnings to slow down or be more cautious, but to alert folks looking for these roads that "Hey, here's the turn you're looking for coming up!" Not everyone drives around with talking GPS', so this is about as good as any a way to figure out where the heck you're going -I appreciate knowing where to turn without having to slow down at every side street and slow down traffic/cause fender benders behind me.