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At first I thought it was a coincidence or just me not paying attention, but after yesterday I have come to conclusion that highway signage in Colorado leaves a bit to be desired. A couple of examples:
1. On I-25 there is no sign indicating Castlewood Canyon State Park.
2. Even on the state highway from which you must turn off for the western section of the state park, there is no signage.
3. When traveling up state route 470 the exits have no exit numbers, though state maps have exit numbers, and there are no small mileage indicators.
4. Going up to Golden I saw no signs on 470 for Golden and suddenly I was off on a side road that ended up in Golden.
5. Unlike most states (at least in the east), where entrance ramps to get on interstates are on the right, in the I-25 corridor lots of the entrance ramps are on the left, with some on the right. It would be great if early on those roads there was some indication of whether the entrance ramp would be on the left for right.
No. 5 is one of my gripes too, and not just here, but in many cities. When you are not familiar with an area, I hate finding out at the last possible moment that I need to be in the far left lane to get my on-ramp. In self defense, it's almost become an intuitive thing that if I'm in an urban area, there will be a left turn required for one direction of travel, i.e., on the far side of the bridge where the interstate runs, with the near side usually a right turn. I've seen this in rural areas too as it's cheaper to build than big cloverleafs. Earlier warning would be most welcome in congested areas.
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In couple of more years, especially if some of the current ballot initiatives pass, Colorado will be lucky to be able to keep pavement on many roads. Inconvenient signage will be the absolute least of our road problems.
In couple of more years, especially if some of the current ballot initiatives pass, Colorado will be lucky to be able to keep pavement on many roads. Inconvenient signage will be the absolute least of our road problems.
Yeah, you can see the pavement decay already taking hold in the parking lots around town...a harbinger of things to come.
But hanging signs might be good work for the road crews of WPA II.
Actually the main problem I see is not the signage but that there is no good reflectors and reflective paint for night driving. Yes I understand about the snow plows but surely they can do something better.
5. Unlike most states (at least in the east), where entrance ramps to get on interstates are on the right, in the I-25 corridor lots of the entrance ramps are on the left, with some on the right. It would be great if early on those roads there was some indication of whether the entrance ramp would be on the left for right.
This must be an east coast thing. Most entrance ramps are on the left? It's much safer than those cloverleaf things that they have back east. How am I supposed to merge with traffic at freeway speed when I've spent the past five minutes going around in a tight circle? That design is outdated and dangerous. I know I-25 at US 34 near the Centerra area in Loveland is getting a makeover because of that cloverleaf design to get from southbound I-25 onto eastbound US 34.
At first I thought it was a coincidence or just me not paying attention, but after yesterday I have come to conclusion that highway signage in Colorado leaves a bit to be desired. A couple of examples:
1. On I-25 there is no sign indicating Castlewood Canyon State Park.
2. Even on the state highway from which you must turn off for the western section of the state park, there is no signage.
3. When traveling up state route 470 the exits have no exit numbers, though state maps have exit numbers, and there are no small mileage indicators.
4. Going up to Golden I saw no signs on 470 for Golden and suddenly I was off on a side road that ended up in Golden.
I've driven all over the Western US, and I don't think Colorado road signs are any worse then anywhere else. I think your issue is just that those signs are don't give you the information that you are personally are looking for. The signs can't make everybody happy. For example I just looked at the Street View for the for the signs on 470. The exit signs say "I-70 - Denver - Grand Junction" (right lanes) "US-6 - 6th Ave." (left lane). I suppose the sign could say "US-6 Denver - Golden". But I'd guess they though "6th Ave." was simpler and more descriptive. If they were to going to try to make everybody happy the sign would have to say something like "US-6 6th Ave., Denver, Lakewood, Golden, Clear Creek Canyon, Loveland Pass, Dillon, Silverthorne, Avon, Edwards, Eagle, Gypsum, New Castle, Silt, Rifle, Parachute, De Beque, Palisade, Grand Junction..." That might be a little confusing.
Likewise for the signs for Castlewood Canyon State Park. I'm sure if you are looking for Castelwood Canyon Park it would be a big help to have a sign for it. But for everyone else, I don't think they will miss not having that sign. Over all I think The U.S. Dept. of Transportation pretty good job with road signs. They are pretty much the same in every State.
Quote:
Originally Posted by phetaroi
5. Unlike most states (at least in the east), where entrance ramps to get on interstates are on the right, in the I-25 corridor lots of the entrance ramps are on the left, with some on the right. It would be great if early on those roads there was some indication of whether the entrance ramp would be on the left for right.
Again I don't see any difference e with Colorado's entrance ramps, and other states. Sometimes they are on the left, sometimes the right. It just depends on how the interstate was designed. I do agree that they should always have signs in advance of the ramps. Like "Golden - Left Lane, Denver - Right Lane", or "Denver First Right, Golden Second Right". If those are missing, it's a major safety issue. You don't want drives cutting across multiple lanes of traffic when they realize the entrance is on the other side of the road.
I've driven all over the Western US, and I don't think Colorado road signs are any worse then anywhere else. I think your issue is just that those signs are don't give you the information that you are personally are looking for. The signs can't make everybody happy. For example I just looked at the Street View for the for the signs on 470. The exit signs say "I-70 - Denver - Grand Junction" (right lanes) "US-6 - 6th Ave." (left lane). I suppose the sign could say "US-6 Denver - Golden". But I'd guess they though "6th Ave." was simpler and more descriptive. If they were to going to try to make everybody happy the sign would have to say something like "US-6 6th Ave., Denver, Lakewood, Golden, Clear Creek Canyon, Loveland Pass, Dillon, Silverthorne, Avon, Edwards, Eagle, Gypsum, New Castle, Silt, Rifle, Parachute, De Beque, Palisade, Grand Junction..." That might be a little confusing.
Why do you take your answer to the extreme?
Where I feel there should have been a sign for Golden was 4 miles from Golden, while all the other destinations you mentioned were MUCH further away. And Golden is the most populated town in that whole area, and includes major destinations such as the largest employer in the area -- Coors Brewery, as well as the Colorado School Of Mines. Throwing into your argument a small town (Rifle), which is 183 miles away from that intersection is preposterous.
And 6th Avenue might mean a lot to a local. A local who probably doesn't even need a sign. But to a long distance traveler, 6th Avenue probably means nothing at all.
This must be an east coast thing. Most entrance ramps are on the left? It's much safer than those cloverleaf things that they have back east. How am I supposed to merge with traffic at freeway speed when I've spent the past five minutes going around in a tight circle? That design is outdated and dangerous. I know I-25 at US 34 near the Centerra area in Loveland is getting a makeover because of that cloverleaf design to get from southbound I-25 onto eastbound US 34.
I think I need to clarify.
Early interstates were built with cloverleafs as interchanges, especially where land was plentiful. The safety, or lack thereof, with this design model is known, getting up to speed within a very confined space while others are trying to slow down for their exit ramp is not good. I didn't say I like cloverleafs, just that it's the model I'm used to, with access almost always being from the right side of the road.
In most urban areas, lack of land prevents use of the cloverleaf design, which means that one of your choices will almost always be a left turn. I'm cool with that. My gripe is that they don't put up signs soon enough to give you adequate time to get in the correct lane to access the ramp. The first time I tried to leave downtown Denver and head south on I-25, I had no idea if my access lane would be on the right or left. Because the signs weren't posted far enough in advance, I found myself in the right lane and suddenly needing to cross 3-4 lanes to get to a left turn, which I managed due to light traffic. Over the years, I've grown to expect a left turn lane for many access ramps, but earlier confirmation of such lanes would be welcome.
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Last edited by Mike from back east; 08-22-2010 at 01:33 PM..
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