# Most unusual warning/traffic sign you've seen? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 25, 2002, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489 "2002-04-25T03:05:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489/61 "2002-04-28T20:44:09Z")
Conoco’s exploration facility here has signs that say “Speed Limit 16 MPH.” I guess these are cases of people trying to post limits of 25 and 30 kilometers per hour in the U.S. In Conoco’s case I’m pretty sure that’s the reasoning. ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2002, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489/62 "2002-04-28T21:12:48Z")
On the Cook campus of Rutgers, there is a sign that says RANDOM PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS NEXT 1/4 MILE Considering the absolutely fearless streetcrossing habits of Rutgers students (more fearless than New Yorkers), the sign’s absolutely justified. They need more of them. ---
**Author:** ![jdc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@jdc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jdc)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489/63 "2002-04-29T01:59:58Z")
Route 84 in New Jersey: “Low Flying Aircraft” ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489/64 "2002-04-29T04:46:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ResIpsaLoquitor \* > \*\*Oh, when my high school sophomore English teacher was a kid, he and his friends ran across a sign that said: > > ``` > PRIVATE POOL > NO > > ``` > > SWIMMING ALLOWED > > …which they took to mean: “Private Pool? No. Swimming Allowed!” \*\* [lionel hutz] “Works on contingency? No, Money Down!” Oops, shouldn’t have this bar association logo on here either." [/lionel hutz] ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489/65 "2002-04-29T05:11:12Z")
I grew up near a street with a sign saying “Ped Xing”. I always thought it sounded Chinese. It took me a while to figure out what it said. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489/66 "2002-04-29T19:23:17Z")
In Austin, TX on the Capitol of Texas Highway: WATCH FOR DANGEROUS AIR CURRENTS Umm…could you describe one for me? What do they look like? Near the White Sands missile range in NM: DANGER: ACTIVE MISSILE RANGE. DO NOT LEAVE THE ROADWAY. No fences or anything by the side of the road. It got our attention. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489/67 "2002-04-29T22:08:58Z")
Scene: 1994 or so. Our epic mid-continental road trip. We’re on the return leg of the trip, driving back from Edmonton to Toronto, with six people, an old Buick that drank a litre of oil a day, and an Opel Optima. (The Opel Optima was sold here as an “Optima” through GM’s “Passport” chain of import dealerships… but I digress…) Both cars are packed to the gills. We’re on an isolated two-lane highway in Alberta, heading south from the Trans-Canada Highway to the US border at a spot somewhat worrisomely labeled on the map as “Dead Horse, Montana”. The road is getting narrower and less well maintained. I’m starting to wonder about the amount of gas in the car and the remaining distance to the border post. Suddenly we come to a sign: “No services _or residences_, next 137 km” :eek: Fortunately, the Buick did not break down until we reached Glasgow. (Glasgow, Montana, that is…) ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489/68 "2002-04-30T00:33:44Z")
WOAH on a stop sign inside belmont racetrack ---
**Author:** ![dweezil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@dweezil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dweezil)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489/69 "2002-04-30T13:31:57Z")
Sign on a tree near a park in Queens: “TOUCH NOT THIS TREE” Sign on a sidewalk near Houston St. in NYC said something like “CAUTION: Hollow Walkway” (I guess there’s a tunnel underneath). On an apartment building’s front wall: “POSITIVELY NO BALL PLAYING ALLOWED.” ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489/70 "2002-04-30T13:47:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dweezil \* > “POSITIVELY NO BALL PLAYING ALLOWED.” They have that sign up at [Comerica Park](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/stadiums/tigers/) this year, too, don’t they? ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489/71 "2002-04-30T14:52:15Z")
Down in Ft. Meyers, FL, there’s a speed limit sign for 11 MPH at a public beach. Obviously not the only odd speed limit sign out there, but still odd enough. Iowa City has both the duck signs and, at least as late as 1991, the “nuke-free zone” signs at the city limits. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489/72 "2002-04-30T16:48:56Z")
I saw the best road sign ever on a trip from NW Ohio to Niagra Falls about 7 or 8 years back. We were driving through NY and were in a bit of an empty area littered with industrial complexes. The sign said > [@](#): > > WARNING! In case of roaming vapor clouds, do NOT exit vehicle. :eek: made me feel kind of paranoid bella ---
**Author:** ![Parrothead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/59ef9b/32.png) [@Parrothead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parrothead)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489/73 "2002-04-30T21:00:52Z")
I keep a picture of this one on my desk at work. Northbound highway on the East shore of Kauai, just north of Lihue… CAUTION: FALLING COCONUTS Summed up the entire island to me, I loved it. ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489/74 "2002-04-30T21:33:40Z")
I’ve got two: Right below a sign welcoming tourists to the Skagit County Tulip Festival in Washinton State is a little hand painted sign that reads…“Why do they call it Tourist Season if I can’t shoot them” And on Yongsan Army Base in Seoul, right below an unlit yellow light is a sign that simply reads “When Flashing” Can’t tell you the number of nights spent contemplating the depths of that little piece of the Tao. yanceylebeef ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489/75 "2002-04-30T22:23:53Z")
One of my favorite comedians, Brian Regan, said “I passed a sign the other day that said ‘Caution: Blasting Zone.’ Shouldn’t that read ‘Road Closed’?” ---
**Author:** ![anenquiringmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anenquiringmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anenquiringmind)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489/76 "2002-05-01T05:13:43Z")
The funneeest one I ever saw was in Canada somewhere. We were on a motorcycle trip and and came upon a sign that said SQUEEZE LEFT I bout fell off the motorcycle I was laughing so hard. Apparently they wanted you to merge left but all I could picture was cars squeezed in like sardines vying for a spot. Other signs that kill me are: Slow Children At Play… What? Are they bragging??? And EVERYTIME I see: STOP AHEAD I have to place my hand on the forehead of the person sitting next to me and and say… “OK”, Now what?" ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Kahuna\_Burger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Big\_Kahuna\_Burger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Kahuna_Burger)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489/77 "2002-05-01T05:23:45Z")
A merge sign Well, it looked pretty weird on my car right before I crashed it. There’s a road in my town that has a connector between two major cross-streets that happens to house some of the biggest and nicest houses around. To prevent people from using it as a connector they installed speed bumps. To alert motorists of the impending danger they posted at the intersection of it and one of the major cross-streets they posted: HUMPS AHEAD After being stolen numerous times, the rich people finally caught on and changed the sign. ---
**Author:** ![BalmainBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@BalmainBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BalmainBoy)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489/78 "2002-05-01T07:53:05Z")
c\_of\_cyn has reminded me of another one: the 1998 Winner of The Bleeding Obvious **FALLING ROCKS** **DO NOT STOP** ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489/79 "2002-05-03T07:26:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hoops \* > **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!** Hey, I saw that sign too. I was on my way to D.C. on I-70/76, about 150 miles east of Pittsburgh. It was quite rude. I almost expected to see a swastika on it somewhere. Achtung! ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489/80 "2002-05-03T08:02:52Z")
The road between Pojoaque and Los Alamos in New Mexico is largely cut into the sides of mountains. For long stretches, you’ll have a sheer wall of rock on one side and a steep drop-off on the other. At one stage, when going toward Los Alamos, you’ll pass through a stretch where the rock to your right is a pretty large wall of white pumice. But at one point there’s something of a break in the rock, and you can look up and see the hillside above. And if you look at just the right spot, way way up on the hillside, you will see a **yellow diamond sign with a silhouette of a cow on it**. That’s right, in this area very poorly suited to raising cattle and barely accessible even by car, they’ve chosen to warn you about the presence of cows with a sign barely even visible. Incidentally, my family gets a good laugh out of my interpretation of the standard US “Flagman Ahead” sign as “Hitchhiker With Shopping Bag Ahead”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-unusual-warning-traffic-sign-youve-seen/105489.md?page=5)