Have you ever wondered what sort of work goes into making a road
sign? It's actually an intensive, ongoing process - one involving
more than posting giant white lettering on a big reflective
sign.
Traffic experts from around the world attend conferences on the
creation of effective road signs. They do studies and experiment
with visibility, legibility and understandable instructions for
drivers whizzing by.
And yet... signs have defied more than a century of attempts at
standardisation.
And then there's just good old human error. Check out some of
these humorous head-scratchers, starting with this, a slightly
frosty reception for visitors to the Cumbrian village of
Allonby.
Deer can cause a lot of damage when hit by a car, so drivers in
North Vancouver are probably happy to be warned that deer may be
crossing.
However, using a photograph of a camel in the sign is a bit
puzzling. Doh!
not sure why people should call this number, and we weren't
particularly keen to find out...
Despite signs like this spelling it out, some drivers insist on
following their sat navs.
London taxi drivers are never short of an opinion or three and
when a survey asked them to suggest some new UK road signs they
didn’t hold back.
What follows are some of the signs motorists would be treated to
if cabbies ruled the roads...
This helpful sign reminds motorists of the lane hierarchy
This is the last of the cabbies' road signs. A warning of what
drivers should expect when passing a school during rush hour.
No country has a monopoly on funny road signs but if you had to
put your finger on one place where they’ve got more than their fair
share, it would have to be the mountainous areas of northern
India.
On the region’s treacherous Himalayan roads they’ve turned the
hilarious road sign into an art form.
It’s a slightly garbled message but its heart is in the
right place.
When it comes to the crunch, some signs really are
unnecessary.
This sign near Glastonbury, Somerset, should have heeded
its own warning.
You don't see signs like this every day, unless you live
in the arctic circle
This warning sign on the Falkland Islands is one that you
definitely don't drive past lightly.
Wherever possible road signs should blend in with their
local environment. This one in Wiveton, Norfolk, even goes so far
as to adopt the local vernacular. Either that or Yoda has landed a
job with the town council.
There are tight squeezes and then there's this physically
impossible fit. Although we can think of a few cars you could
attempt it in, you'd have to pray you didn't meet anything
coming the other way.
A light-hearted sign warning against a deadly serious
offence.
Whoever planned this series of signs clearly has a sense of
humour. The road surface may be uneven, but so are camels
The existence of the sasquatch or 'big foot' is a popular myth
in remote areas of the US. Or is it? If they've put up a road sign
it must be tr
In 2008, speeders on the country road between Great Dunmow and
Finchingfield in the UK were given the warning that they'd be
tracked by a police helicopter if they strayed above the
limit. In fairness, if we breached the limit and found a
searchlight in the rear view mirror, we'd slow down pretty
quickly.
Is it a gopher? Is it a tortoise? Apparently, it's both and is
likely to cross the road at the (very slow) drop of a hat.
In Oz, drivers are warned of the dangers of possums. Though
there's no indication as to whether they'll dangerously leap across
the road or are just there for motorists to see..
Similar to the possums sign in Australia, this sign in Nova
Scotia, Canada only suggests that there may be a moose or two
kicking around, rather than what the moose are likely to do.
This is more like it! If you're going to put an
out-of-the-ordinary sign on the road, it may as well be useful. And
apparently New England has a full 11-mile stretch of road full to
the brim of asphalt-traversing Moose. Drive slowly through
there
Residents of Wellington, New Zealand, are warned of penguins
crossing the road. That said, New Zealand penguins look awfully
like miniature burglars. Maybe that's why the sign is so big?
In Charlestown you can hire your own, erm, hoofs to get around.
Though we hope that this is just an opportune picture, rather than
the actual deal.
