# Strange speed limit sign
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [July 24, 2013, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393 "2013-07-24T17:09:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393/21 "2013-07-24T20:32:46Z")
> [@pkbites](#):
>
> Nah. It’s in the U.S. so there wouldn’t be any metrics involved. Except of course in Puerto Rico where the speed limits are in miles per hour but the distance signs are in kilometers! You get totally discombobulated trying to calculate how long it’s going to take you to get somewhere!
That’s even more messed up than the UK!
---
### Author:  [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393/22 "2013-07-24T21:42:19Z")
Even stranger:
> **[Fake Signs On Bay Area Highways Say Drones Looking For Speeders](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/fake-signs-warn-of-drones-patrolling-bay-area-highways/)**
>
> Several signs have cropped up on Bay Area highways, telling drivers that drones are enforcing speed limits. The California Highway Patrol told KPIX 5 the signs are fakes and that they do not have drones.
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393/23 "2013-07-24T22:31:47Z")
I’ve seen a 75 mph limit posted in a Hudson Valley park. Thing is, attempting to do 75 in that park would likely result in the vehicle being launched over a hill and into a tree.
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### Author:  [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393/24 "2013-07-24T23:57:24Z")
The speed limit signs that are not in multiples of 5 mph are in violation of federal law because the Federal Highway Administration’s “Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices”
[http://mutc.fhwa.dot.gov](http://mutc.fhwa.dot.gov)
requires that for all public streets and private streets open to public travel, _to wit_:
"Section 2B.13 Speed Limit Sign (R2-1)
Standard:
01 Speed zones (other than statutory speed limits) shall only be established on the basis of an engineering study that has been performed in accordance with traffic engineering practices. The engineering study shall include an analysis of the current speed distribution of free-flowing vehicles.
02 The Speed Limit (R2-1) sign (see Figure 2B-3) shall display the limit established by law, ordinance, regulation, or as adopted by the authorized agency based on the engineering study. The speed limits displayed shall be in multiples of 5 mph."
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### Author:  [@horsetech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/horsetech)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2013, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393/25 "2013-07-25T09:34:33Z")
> [@thirdname](#):
>
> Even stranger:
>
> [Fake Signs On Bay Area Highways Say Drones Looking For Speeders - CBS San Francisco](http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/07/19/fake-signs-warn-of-drones-patrolling-bay-area-highways/)
It’s true, those signs are dangerous. I cracked up and almost drove into the marsh when I saw one for the first time. That’s one form of vandalism that I appreciate. Of course, whenever I see “Speed Enforced By Radar”, I picture a short, balding Army clerk sitting in a cruiser, so maybe I’m not the typical driver.
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### Author:  [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2013, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393/26 "2013-07-25T12:54:57Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#):
>
> [snip]
> Also, is there a sticky somewhere that I missed titled “Please spoil all pranks/funny stuff on the SDMB”? Did everyone see it but **Nzinga** and I? 😕
I wouldn’t get too worked up over it. After all, we got to enjoy the prank AND have our ignorance fought.
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### Author:  [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393/27 "2013-07-25T14:57:48Z")
> [@Colophon](#):
>
> Just the other day I saw a speed limit sign in a car park saying 8mph. Pretty pointless specifying a number like that, as most speedometers don’t read anything like accurately at those sort of speeds. Lots of them don’t even have graduations below 10mph or so.
You used to have to stop at a toll booth to pay a toll, then EZ-Pass, the automated toll system in the NE US came into being so you don’t need to stop anymore. Since the narrow toll booths still exist, they want you to slow down when going thru them. Their ‘solution’: 5mph speed limit signs. Most cars don’t even have a speedometer indicator below 10mph. :smack:
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### Author:  [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2013, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393/28 "2013-07-25T16:32:35Z")
My [favorite](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.autobahnbound.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/autobahn-end-of-restrictions-sign.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.autobahnbound.com/2009/06/24/the-autobahn/&h=485&w=640&sz=84&tbnid=gWtJ1_pEYlFRqM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=119&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dautobahn%2Bsign%2Bspeed%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=autobahn+sign+speed&usg=__c5O8874Ba-G4rQgD8FkUJfuV5Ao=&docid=DM_99iOxes6pRM&sa=X&ei=slLxUaaeDtWn4AP_noGICQ&ved=0CDsQ9QEwAQ&dur=3545) speed limit sign.
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### Author:  [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2013, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393/29 "2013-07-25T17:02:57Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#):
>
> My [favorite](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.autobahnbound.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/autobahn-end-of-restrictions-sign.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.autobahnbound.com/2009/06/24/the-autobahn/&h=485&w=640&sz=84&tbnid=gWtJ1_pEYlFRqM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=119&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dautobahn%2Bsign%2Bspeed%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=autobahn+sign+speed&usg=__c5O8874Ba-G4rQgD8FkUJfuV5Ao=&docid=DM_99iOxes6pRM&sa=X&ei=slLxUaaeDtWn4AP_noGICQ&ved=0CDsQ9QEwAQ&dur=3545) speed limit sign.
There used to be something vaguely similar to that in the [U.S.](http://www.us-highways.com/montana/mtspeed.htm). Back in '96 I was doing over 90\* east of Billings and the highway crew trucks went flying by me.
\*The car I had at the time, a '96 Pontiac Grand Prix, had a governor on it and would shut down @ 100!:mad:
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### Author:  [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2013, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393/30 "2013-07-26T12:53:46Z")
When my son left the NYC DOT several years ago, someone had a No Parking type sign made up as a going away gift that said:
No Parking
Except
Har Seldon, Jr.
Yes, this is real (except for the name).
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### Author:  [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2013, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393/31 "2013-07-26T15:18:13Z")
Since this is MPSIMS, here’s a pointless thing I can share. **pk** my son was born in that hospital exactly 7 months ago
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393/32 "2013-07-26T15:39:36Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#):
>
> The idea is that having a funny number will make you actually notice it instead of just ignoring the invisible 25 MPH sign. It’s clearly working!
Exactly. That’s the way those odd-ball signs have always been explained to me.
On a related note, how common is it to see exit ramp distances not marked with a 2,4,8 or possibly 16 denominator? I ask because I was driving into Buffalo from Batavia, and one of the exit signs caught my attention with something like “Exit 2/10 mile” or “2/5” or something similar. I had never seen anything but a power of 2 as the denominator, and that’s the only one I remember seeing since.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2013, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393/33 "2013-07-26T15:41:48Z")
> [@Ignatz](#):
>
> The speed limit signs that are not in multiples of 5 mph are in violation of federal law because the Federal Highway Administration’s “Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices”
Aren’t those “novelty” signs usually on private property, though? Does that make a difference? (I’ve never seen one on a public roadway, myself.)
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### Author:  [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393/34 "2013-07-26T20:44:32Z")
> [@pkbites](#):
>
> \*The car I had at the time, a '96 Pontiac Grand Prix, had a governor on it and would shut down @ 100!:mad:
The first time I drove on the Autobahn many years ago, I was in my early 20s…I rented some kind of small-ish car (maybe a VW?), got out on the road all full of trepidation and excitement, and…goddamnit! The thing wouldn’t go faster than 95 mph! When I returned it they said it had a “speed limiter” on it. :mad:
I’ve rented faster cars there (Audis in particular) since then, but I’m older now…and other than one for-the-hell-of-it foray up to 130, I haven’t pushed more than 110 or 115.
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### Author:  [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2013, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393/35 "2013-07-27T00:49:10Z")
It’s not a speed limit sign, but I chuckle every time I see this [No U-Turn](http://www.flickr.com/photos/62628534@N03/9374849022/) sign…
There’s another one a bit down the road that lists something like 970 yards.
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### Author:  [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2013, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393/36 "2013-07-27T02:21:46Z")
I don’t even know how one would go about looking for it online but there are some very amusing signs on the west coast of British Columbia featuring a young kid getting smoked by a sports car. I took a picture of one a long time ago but it was on analog source and I never got around to scanning it. But if anyone has seen one of these, you’d know what I mean right away. It’s very eye-catching.
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### Author:  [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2013, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393/37 "2013-07-27T04:05:39Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> Exactly. That’s the way those odd-ball signs have always been explained to me.
>
> On a related note, how common is it to see exit ramp distances not marked with a 2,4,8 or possibly 16 denominator? I ask because I was driving into Buffalo from Batavia, and one of the exit signs caught my attention with something like “Exit 2/10 mile” or “2/5” or something similar. I had never seen anything but a power of 2 as the denominator, and that’s the only one I remember seeing since.
I can think of at least one exit sign in my area that gives the distance in feet (IIRC, 700 feet).
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### Author:  [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2013, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393/38 "2013-07-27T04:29:21Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> Exactly. That’s the way those odd-ball signs have always been explained to me.
>
> On a related note, how common is it to see exit ramp distances not marked with a 2,4,8 or possibly 16 denominator? I ask because I was driving into Buffalo from Batavia, and one of the exit signs caught my attention with something like “Exit 2/10 mile” or “2/5” or something similar. I had never seen anything but a power of 2 as the denominator, and that’s the only one I remember seeing since.
And why do they tell you to change your tires when they have 2/32 of an inch left, and not 1/16?
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2013, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393/39 "2013-07-27T04:36:17Z")
> [@Seanette](#):
>
> I can think of at least one exit sign in my area that gives the distance in feet (IIRC, 700 feet).
Oh, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen something like 500 feet or similar. Just the fractional mileage notation that was a little different than usual.
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### Author:  [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-speed-limit-sign/664393/40 "2013-07-27T15:56:24Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#):
>
> I’ve seen a 75 mph limit posted in a Hudson Valley park. Thing is, attempting to do 75 in that park would likely result in the vehicle being launched over a hill and into a tree.
I have been in many HV parks and never seen this one. Sounds quite cool. Which park, if I may ask?
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