Pardon me for posting, but I was wondering…what’s the most unusual warning or traffic sign anyone here has seen? The most unusual signs I’ve seen were a snowflake in a triangle, as a warning label on a tank of liquid Nitrogen, and a Canadian “Acid” label…showing a stick-figure hand turning into a stick-figure skeleton hand.
As for traffic signs, the most unusual I can recall are both from Southern California…a “Tank Crossing” sign near a military base, and a sign with an “Illegal immigrants” crossing sign (Complete with stick figures dashing across the road) near the Mexico border.
When I was walking in England, I saw a sign that said “Change of Priorities.” And as soon as I passed it, all of my priorities WERE different! It was miraculous!
I understand that it the sign has something to do with right-of-way.
At my alma mater, there was a parking sign at the medical school labeled “Radioactive Material Transport Vehicle Parking Only”. I wanted to steal it, but it was in a very well lit spot.
Just outside of Phoenix I believe it was. A big sign that said “Entering no firearm zone” . We were somewhat confused because we wondered what zone we were coming out of. It seems to be it was by a jail of some sort.
We also have “angled railroad tracks: motorcyles take care” (with an appropriate image) and when the road crews are in the middle of re-paving roads they put up “caution motorcyles: ridged pavement” signs.
There are also official signs on the highways and elsewhere directing you to the nearest (state-owned) liquor store.
Just on the edge of the CBD in Melbourne, ( Nth Cnr of Nicholson St. and Victoria St…near the Exhibition Buildings for you locals) is a pictorial sign that indicates to beware of cross-country skiers!
There’s a “no kissing” sign in the town I grew up in.
It consists of a man and woman facing each other in profile, with a big red slash drawn through it, like a no-smoking sign. It’s at an abandoned railway station, and it was originally supposed to keep young couples from throwing the train schedules off with goodbye kisses. This, of course, was in the days before the train leaving without you.
High school kids steal the sign all the time, so the town keeps getting new ones printed and replacing it. It’s a symbol of local pride, I suppose.
I opened this thread just to mention the sign on the I-15 just north of San Diego that warned of families, kids and all, dashing across the freeway. But you beat me to it.
So I’ll add something not nearly as uncommon or funny. I’m always amused by signs that warn: “Prison Area: Do Not Pick Up Hitchhikers” It seems there’s one on every major stretch of highway between relatively large cities.
Saw a few unusual ones on the Eastern side of Australia:
“BLIND PERSONS CROSS HERE”
Not a road warning for drivers, but a sign facing the footpath, so sight-impaired people could, umm, see it.
“REFUGE ISLAND”
If you place a person in the gap between the two words, it looked like “Refugee Island”. Very funny at the time, considering the Pacific islands Australia was bribing to take asylum seekers off our hands.
While driving in a freeway construction zone in Pennsylvania, I saw a very large official construction sign (you know, the bright orange diamond shaped ones) that had a drawing of a hand pointing directly out of the sign, and in gigantic caps it said: YOU SLOW DOWN!
Well, this isn’t a traffic sign, but it sure was weird.
When my second son was baptized (at our church children are baptized in the course of a regular Sunday service)we arrived at the church we go to every Sunday, with extended family in tow–my parents, my in-laws, my grandparents, aunts, cousins, etc. There was a huge new sign in the lobby reading: PLEASE LEAVE ALL FIREARMS IN THE BASKET PROVIDED.
huh!? Turns out it was some gun awareness weekend thing. It sure made great impression on my relatives.
When I was visiting Ireland, I visited a small fishing town called Howth just north (or was it South?) of Dublin. I was strolling around on some piers when I ran across it: your typical, yellow-diamond warning sign with a black sillouette image of a car driving over the pier.
I think the message was supposed to be either: WARNING: DON’T DRIVE OFF PIER, or else WARNING: IF YOU SIT JUST UNDER THE PIER, A CAR MAY FALL ON YOU.
When I was visiting Ireland, I visited a small fishing town called Howth just north (or was it South?) of Dublin. I was strolling around on some piers when I ran across it: your typical, yellow-diamond warning sign with a black sillouette image of a car driving over the pier.
I think the message was supposed to be either: WARNING: DON’T DRIVE OFF PIER, or else WARNING: IF YOU SIT JUST UNDER THE PIER, A CAR MAY FALL ON YOU.
While in England on vacation I managed to get a few pictures of some odd signs…
Turtle Crossing…Is this a warning, or a notice of right of way? It struck me as strange that the sign was about 100yds from the end of a dead-end road.
Heavy Plant Crossing…I have a picture of this large red sign sitting at the edge of a narrow road that is flanked with thick brush and under a dense canopy of trees overgrowing the road. This was just at the north end of Swansea.
and my favourite…Butthole Road…it is just outside of Doncaster near Shefield. We were on our way to Shefield and passed this road. I was the only one of four to spot the sign and turned around to get a picture. I’m sure the housing prices in this residential street are pretty low.
