ROAD SIGNS

Reprinted from PA Chapter “A” Newsletter

            Have you ever been driving on unfamiliar roads in bad weather, the visibility is poor, and suddenly you see this highway construction barrier or tressel in the middle of the road?  It looks huge with four inch wide alternating black and yellow stripes painted diagonally on it.  Which way should I turn to get around it, or should I try to go around it?  You need to make a quick decision.  If road signs are erected properly and the federal regulations are followed they can give you a lot of information.

            Look at the diagonal stripes on the barrier, they serve as arrows, if the bottom of the stripe slants to the left you want to stay to the left.  You should turn in the same direction as the slant of the stripes.  If the stripes on each side slant down toward the center of the barriers this tells you not to go around but to stop here.  It is quite common to find these striped signs on the left and right side of a rural road at the entrance to small bridges.  The bottom of the stripes on both signs will point toward the center of the road guiding you to enter the bridge and not to turn into the stream.

            Brown signs inform of historic, recreational or cultural places, yellow signs imply cautions to be taken.  If you get really bored and need some reading you may want to do some research on the highway signs – it could save you grief when you get back on the road.