Strange
Day

< weiny whineing >
Are you pondering what I’m pondering?
Signs.
I’ve been working on a couple projects that involve very old pictures of various towns. It’s caused my to take closer looks around me now, especially when I’m out taking pictures. And in the last hundred years city landscapes have become incredibly cluttered.
street signs
lights
roadmarkings
I doubt there’s an intersection in this city with less than 8 signs surrounding it. Most have 3 or 4 times that many. Two blocks from my place, there are two signs on the same corner, going the same direction, that both forbid right turns at a certian time. The problem is, the times conflict with each other.
Even where there aren’t conflicting signs, there are usually redundant ones. Or totally ointless ones. The most current trend in DC is to put up signs reminding people that causing gridlock in intersections is illegal.
Who
fucking
cares.
If you have enough mental capacity to drive, you ought to know that pulling into a crowded intersection is a stupid idea. And if you couldnt figure that out, the 6 ton city bus that is going to come barreling at you will likely clarify the point.
If you don’t think we’re becoming inured to it all, then why are the newest signs all done in flourescent yellow and green?
With an average of 15 signs at any given city intersection, and people haveing 1-3 seconds to look at signs, do you think anyone is getting all this information?
There needs to be a review of city signage, with brevity and clarity in mind. And a strong consideration for aestetics and usability. Put some standards in place, man.
I said this would be a ridiculous post. But I look at these old pictures of the city and you see people, and architecture, and skylines. I look today, and you see streetlights, and powerlines, and signposts every 10 feet.