That’s even more messed up than the UK!
Even stranger:
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.
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”
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."
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.
I wouldn’t get too worked up over it. After all, we got to enjoy the prank AND have our ignorance fought.
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:
My favorite speed limit sign.
There used to be something vaguely similar to that in the U.S.. 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:
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).
Since this is MPSIMS, here’s a pointless thing I can share. pk my son was born in that hospital exactly 7 months ago
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.
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.)
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.
It’s not a speed limit sign, but I chuckle every time I see this No U-Turn sign…
There’s another one a bit down the road that lists something like 970 yards.
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.
I can think of at least one exit sign in my area that gives the distance in feet (IIRC, 700 feet).
And why do they tell you to change your tires when they have 2/32 of an inch left, and not 1/16?
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.
I have been in many HV parks and never seen this one. Sounds quite cool. Which park, if I may ask?