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> Sometimes I play a game while driving, seeing how long I can go without seeing a sign or warning. If you had to hold your breath between each one you'd be in

> Sometimes I play a game while driving, seeing how long I can go without seeing a sign or warning. If you had to hold your breath between each one you'd be in no danger; you could drive hours with no risk of passing out. This struck me the last time I traveled in the UK: they seem to have about 3-4 times as many road signs as the US, to the point where it almost becomes a dangerous distraction. On the other hand, they don’t have the omnipresent billboards and other public advertising that the US has.

louthy 1y ago
> UK As a UK resident this drives me mad. Signs like “Tractors Turning” [1]. Like I’m going to see the sign and not notice the f**king tractor? And also, there’s never a tractor there! Another classic is “Road liable to flooding” [2]. Reeeeally? Ok, am I drowning? No. Phew… looks like it’s not flooding right now, I’ll make a mental note if I ever come this way again and it’s raining, or I’m struggling to breathe and I can’t work out why. Signs for occasional happenings that anyone with eyes can see. Then there’s the speed-camera signs, but no speed cameras. Or, the classic “mobile speed camera” sign [3]. Fixed. In place. Forever. Or, the “New Road Layout” sign [4], where the layout will never grow old! Our street furniture has gone so extreme, there’s no way one could read all of it and concentrate properly on driving and the vast majority of it is utterly useless. /rant [1] https://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/04/64/50/4645087_4636b9c6.jpg https://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/04/64/50/4645087_4636b9... [2] https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/resources/images/19016634.jpg?type=og-image https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/resources/images/190... [3] https://s0.rbk.ru/v6_top_pics/media/img/9/55/754788605175559.jpeg https://s0.rbk.ru/v6_top_pics/media/img/9/55/754788605175559... [4] https://i0.wp.com/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/New_Road_Layout_Ahead_Sign_-_Allendale_Road%2C_Loughborough.jpg?ssl=1 https://i0.wp.com/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0...
- truculent 1y ago
  A favourite of mine is the London Underground having warnings about using the escalators, stating that last year there were 100 incidents from people not being sufficiently careful. Given the number of people using the service, this is incredibly small and I hardly think a sign is going to help the few people at risk!
  - dcminter 1y ago
    Not to mention the enjoyably ambiguous "Dogs must be carried" !
  - potato3732842 1y ago
    The thing that really peeves me about those signs is that pretty much all the accidents involve women with fashionably loose clothing. While I'm sure a few guys got scalped by their dreadlocks it's worth directing the warning at people most likely to need it and therefore most likely to benefit from it same as you would if it were screening for a particular disease.
- sokoloff 1y ago
  Curious to hear your thoughts on the "Bridge Freezes Before Road Surface" signs. To me, that seems like a sign where the "let nature sort it out" way of learning is too dangerous to just YOLO it sign-less (despite generally agreeing that we have too many warning signs).
  - louthy 1y ago
    If there’s an invisible danger, that could realistically cause a serious accident, then a sign makes sense. Only ever seen that sign in the US (driving through the Sierras). Never seen a similar UK version. I guess we must have superior bridges ;)
    - sokoloff 1y ago
      ;) I doubt it's a difference in chemistry or physics. Ambient temps play a large role, so the Gulf Stream's and elevation's influence does as well (dry adiabatic lapse rate is 5.5°F per 1000 ft or 9.8°C per km).
dcminter 1y ago
I always thought this Welsh art installation was a rather risky choice: https://i2-prod.walesonline.co.uk/article10291631.ece/ALTERNATES/s1023/magic-gordonplantJPG.jpg https://i2-prod.walesonline.co.uk/article10291631.ece/ALTERN... I can't say I ever otherwise felt like the British frequency of road signs was a risk in and of itself, but I suppose it's a matter of what you're used to.
gs17 1y ago
Sometimes the US can be similarly bad about oversignage. There's a street by me where there's a pedestrian crossing. There's a sign by it saying drivers should yield to it, then another sign ~100 feet back saying to watch for pedestrians, then another, and then a fourth sign, and I'm sure they're considering a fifth.
- thedanbob 1y ago
  Fair enough. A favorite of mine is "sidewalk ends", which around where I live are so ridiculously over-the-top[0] I can only conclude someone sued once and now the state isn't taking any chances. [0] https://imgur.com/a/NdoE22S https://imgur.com/a/NdoE22S
garblegarble 1y ago
That's funny, I had the exact same thought in the US - so many road signs, so much to read. It was quite overwhelming. I think it may come down to familiarity: as you get familiar with the signage of a particular country they blend into the background (and you, presumably, just take in what they're saying subconsciously). By the end of the US trip I was much less overwhelmed by the amount of text on and around the roads.

louthy 1y ago

> UK As a UK resident this drives me mad. Signs like “Tractors Turning” [1]. Like I’m going to see the sign and not notice the f**king tractor? And also, there’s never a tractor there! Another classic is “Road liable to flooding” [2]. Reeeeally? Ok, am I drowning? No. Phew… looks like it’s not flooding right now, I’ll make a mental note if I ever come this way again and it’s raining, or I’m struggling to breathe and I can’t work out why. Signs for occasional happenings that anyone with eyes can see. Then there’s the speed-camera signs, but no speed cameras. Or, the classic “mobile speed camera” sign [3]. Fixed. In place. Forever. Or, the “New Road Layout” sign [4], where the layout will never grow old! Our street furniture has gone so extreme, there’s no way one could read all of it and concentrate properly on driving and the vast majority of it is utterly useless. /rant [1] https://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/04/64/50/4645087_4636b9c6.jpg https://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/04/64/50/4645087_4636b9... [2] https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/resources/images/19016634.jpg?type=og-image https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/resources/images/190... [3] https://s0.rbk.ru/v6_top_pics/media/img/9/55/754788605175559.jpeg https://s0.rbk.ru/v6_top_pics/media/img/9/55/754788605175559... [4] https://i0.wp.com/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/New_Road_Layout_Ahead_Sign_-_Allendale_Road%2C_Loughborough.jpg?ssl=1 https://i0.wp.com/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0...

truculent 1y ago
A favourite of mine is the London Underground having warnings about using the escalators, stating that last year there were 100 incidents from people not being sufficiently careful. Given the number of people using the service, this is incredibly small and I hardly think a sign is going to help the few people at risk!
- dcminter 1y ago
  Not to mention the enjoyably ambiguous "Dogs must be carried" !
- potato3732842 1y ago
  The thing that really peeves me about those signs is that pretty much all the accidents involve women with fashionably loose clothing. While I'm sure a few guys got scalped by their dreadlocks it's worth directing the warning at people most likely to need it and therefore most likely to benefit from it same as you would if it were screening for a particular disease.
sokoloff 1y ago
Curious to hear your thoughts on the "Bridge Freezes Before Road Surface" signs. To me, that seems like a sign where the "let nature sort it out" way of learning is too dangerous to just YOLO it sign-less (despite generally agreeing that we have too many warning signs).
- louthy 1y ago
  If there’s an invisible danger, that could realistically cause a serious accident, then a sign makes sense. Only ever seen that sign in the US (driving through the Sierras). Never seen a similar UK version. I guess we must have superior bridges ;)
  - sokoloff 1y ago
    ;) I doubt it's a difference in chemistry or physics. Ambient temps play a large role, so the Gulf Stream's and elevation's influence does as well (dry adiabatic lapse rate is 5.5°F per 1000 ft or 9.8°C per km).

dcminter 1y ago

I always thought this Welsh art installation was a rather risky choice: https://i2-prod.walesonline.co.uk/article10291631.ece/ALTERNATES/s1023/magic-gordonplantJPG.jpg https://i2-prod.walesonline.co.uk/article10291631.ece/ALTERN... I can't say I ever otherwise felt like the British frequency of road signs was a risk in and of itself, but I suppose it's a matter of what you're used to.

gs17 1y ago

Sometimes the US can be similarly bad about oversignage. There's a street by me where there's a pedestrian crossing. There's a sign by it saying drivers should yield to it, then another sign ~100 feet back saying to watch for pedestrians, then another, and then a fourth sign, and I'm sure they're considering a fifth.

thedanbob 1y ago
Fair enough. A favorite of mine is "sidewalk ends", which around where I live are so ridiculously over-the-top[0] I can only conclude someone sued once and now the state isn't taking any chances. [0] https://imgur.com/a/NdoE22S https://imgur.com/a/NdoE22S

garblegarble 1y ago

That's funny, I had the exact same thought in the US - so many road signs, so much to read. It was quite overwhelming. I think it may come down to familiarity: as you get familiar with the signage of a particular country they blend into the background (and you, presumably, just take in what they're saying subconsciously). By the end of the US trip I was much less overwhelmed by the amount of text on and around the roads.