Stop
It's the regulatory street sign everyone can enjoy! Fans of law
and order love its no-nonsense authoritarian message,
free of silhouettes and other namby-pamby kowtowing to
illiterate and non-English-speaking drivers, and free-thinking
activists enjoy pasting phrases like "EATING MEAT" or
"NOT FREEING MUMIA" at the bottom. A
Slippery When Wet
I find this sign oddly soothing. Perhaps it's because
the driver looks so placid and generic, in spite of the
fact that his or her car is moving around like a Nerf
ball in a jacuzzi. It's as if the sign is saying
to me "Slippery when wet or icy, but you're going to
be just fine, Tiger." B+
Scenic Route
An interesting idea in principle, but it doesn't work too
well in practice. For instance, near where I live there's
a lovely stretch of highway that goes right along the West
Coast. You can see crashing breakers, frolicking pelicans,
lovely beaches, and other things that the gods put on
earth to prop up the postcard industry. And at some point
along this highway there's a marker that says "Begin Scenic
Route." Suddenly you're in the land of government approved
beauty. I refuse to take advice on California scenery from
anyone who chooses to live in Sacramento. D
Deer Xing
Pretty good. Straightforward, dynamic icon, only one
problem: the antlers are on backwards. They really are.
You'd think that the government would provide its icon
designers with reference material, but apparently that's
a little too much to ask. I suppose we should just be
grateful the Ped symbols don't have three arms. D+
Gas Food Lodging
Of the Highway Trinity I like
lodging the best. The circa 1957 design of the pump
for "gas" is nice, and the fork and knife is refreshingly
ironic, considering that most highway-side dining establishments
would be better represented by a french fry box and a
Mulan toy, but lodging wins because the icon looks like
it should stand for "Warning: Giant Cocktail Onion and
Twinkie Rest Area." A