# How many cities do you know have internally illuminated street signs?



## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Internaly illumated street signs are basicaly street signs that light up at night in order to assist drivers with visibility. They are usually lit up using LED lights or Fluorescent Bulbs. 

















http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i.dailyherald.com/stories/81/normal/81432.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.dailyherald.com/story/%3Fid%3D220683&usg=__X_SlgnYj-N-l8hKt_NNiN1s-wlQ=&h=222&w=325&sz=10&hl=en&start=26&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=Uv2ZtUHJtIQ_BM:&tbnh=81&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dinternally%2Billuminated%2Bstreet%2Bsigns%26start%3D18%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1R2GGLL_enUS384%26ndsp%3D18%26tbs%3Disch:1
Two examples of internaly illuminated street signs along with a link to an article that goes into more detail.

These are relatively common in parts of the U.S. especialy in the states of California, Colorado (mostly in the Denver area), Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Illinois (mostly around Chicago), Michigan, and Florida from my experience and from looking at certain photos.









An example in the Galleria area Houston, TX

Any other cities that have these?


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## El Tiburon (Mar 21, 2010)

There are some in Miami-Dade County, Florida (USA), not just street signs but traffic control signs as well.


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

Unnecessary if you have reflective signs (unless they're posted on a place car-lights don't illuminate). 

In the 60's, most overhead signage in the Netherlands was lit from below, but they have replaced them with regular diamond grade reflective signs. That saves considerably in maintenance and cost. If the lights were broken for whatever reason, you simply can't read the sign. 

Belgium still uses internally lit signage extensively, although there has been some progression towards reflective signage recently.


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

ChrisZwolle said:


> Unnecessary if you have reflective signs (unless they're posted on a place car-lights don't illuminate).
> 
> In the 60's, most overhead signage in the Netherlands was lit from below, but they have replaced them with regular diamond grade reflective signs. That saves considerably in maintenance and cost. If the lights were broken for whatever reason, you simply can't read the sign.
> 
> Belgium still uses internally lit signage extensively, although there has been some progression towards reflective signage recently.


I've never seen anything like this any place I've been in the US. Do they still have them in France?


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

I doubt if France ever used internally lit signs on Autoroutes. they probably did use them in cities.

The old-style French signage looks like this;


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

Here's a Belgian internally lit sign. You can recognize them because they are much thicker than regular signs. It may be 15 - 20 centimeters thick to provide space for the internal lighting structure.

Also note the vandalism, this is Belgium after all.


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

ChrisZwolle said:


> I doubt if France ever used internally lit signs on Autoroutes. they probably did use them in cities.
> 
> The old-style French signage looks like this;
> ...
> ...


Yep, in French cities. Including Caen, where I studied for a summer, too long ago. There are examples (some from Caen) in this thread:
http://forum.sara-infras.com/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=1848


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

ChrisZwolle said:


> Here's a Belgian internally lit sign. You can recognize them because they are much thicker than regular signs. It may be 15 - 20 centimeters thick to provide space for the internal lighting structure.
> 
> Also note the vandalism, this is Belgium after all.
> http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3439/3213608444_0a3a65964c_o.jpg


"Lüttich"! In German-speaking Belgium (where French is accommodated as a second language). That might be linguistic vandalism, although I didn't think - [warning - generalization!] - that was much of an issue between German- and French-speaking Belgians


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## nerdly_dood (Mar 23, 2007)

There are a handful of internally-lit signs in the Virginia side of the greater Washington area, but they're not common. (Using a fluorescent backlight) On wide highways, signs posted on overhead gantries use lights shining on it from underneath, and if it's reasonable to assume cars' headlights will be effective at the proper angle, every other sign is reflective. (I think every road sign except internally-lit ones are reflective anyway)


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## Verso (Jun 5, 2006)

There're a few in Slovenia, but there used to be more.


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## I-275westcoastfl (Feb 15, 2005)

You will rarely find those in Florida they are way too cheap to have that here, there are still some non reflective signs around.


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

I-275westcoastfl said:


> You will rarely find those in Florida they are way too cheap to have that here, there are still some non reflective signs around.


When I was in Orlando there were alot of them around. Maybe they are just concentrated in the more tourist heavy areas?


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## ttownfeen (Nov 30, 2004)

We have them in my city on newer traffic light gantries. They're mostly for decorative purposes.


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## go_leafs_go02 (Jan 16, 2007)

They're around in Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows, BC (just east of Vancouver on the north side of the Fraser River)


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## Carldiff (Jan 30, 2010)

I thought you meant these:

http://goo.gl/maps/J0MA
http://goo.gl/maps/VwaF

they aren't very common in the UK but you do see them about.


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## I-275westcoastfl (Feb 15, 2005)

diablo234 said:


> When I was in Orlando there were alot of them around. Maybe they are just concentrated in the more tourist heavy areas?


Yea Orlando probably has the most of cities in Florida and they are on the heavily traveled roads.


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## nerdly_dood (Mar 23, 2007)

Does the MUTCD specify specifications for fluorescent street signs?


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## Bad_Hafen (May 19, 2010)

There are in Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia, it used to be lot of them in YU times but not anymore.


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

A few more examples on US 69 in Jacksonville, TX.









Another example on CO 83 in Parker, CO









Yet another example in Colorado Springs, CO


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## g.spinoza (Jul 21, 2010)

Isn't that a waste of money and electricity? (the internally lit signs, not the traffic lights) I mean, aren't reflective signs sufficient?


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## LMB (May 5, 2008)

g.spinoza said:


> Isn't that a waste of money and electricity? (the internally lit signs, not the traffic lights) I mean, aren't reflective signs sufficient?


Nowadays it is, but there were times in which enamel was the only permanent material to be used on road signs, and that doesn't reflect at allhno:. 

Surely now there is no other sense to use them than decoration.


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## Glodenox (Mar 26, 2007)

Here's another example of such signs in Belgium:










Further on in the distance you can see the same information, but on a reflective sign. I'm not sure whether the lights still work in this one though.

This is what it looks like at the other side:










As far as I'm aware, these old signs are still being maintained, but there aren't any new ones being placed any more. This internal lighting system is also used on some destination signs, but I haven't got any pictures of those yet. I'll see if I can get to that intersection tomorrow.

Greetings,
Glodenox


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

Here is an example in Detroit, MI.


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## Glodenox (Mar 26, 2007)

As promised, I took pictures of those other signs as well today.

During my trip I realised that I was wrong about those signs not being placed any more. A couple of years ago, some new ones were placed at the intersection I was thinking about...

Anyway, I do think those internally illuminated signs can be handy if you want to place a sign higher than a car's light can illuminate. Example:










This is one of those new signs that I remembered, also notice that the traffic signs to the left are internally illuminated. The bottom one is in dire need for replacement though...










I hadn't noticed this before, while I had already driven past here hundreds of times: this sign has the same information on both sides, making the light work for two sides at the same time. At this spot however, I don't really feel that a sign has to be placed so high and thus the need for illumination isn't there. Either way, I liked discovering it.










Other side, same sign:










A bit further on there's an intersection where this type of sign is also used. I'm not sure why they decided to do that, but there's no point changing anything there now because they'll change the whole intersection in about 2 years anyway. Still, I felt it was worth taking pictures of:



















And then I realised that a bit further on, there was an illuminated sign which I always thought was odd and realised I should just go take a picture of it as well to share it with you guys. Taking a picture of it while illuminated was hard though because the sign is actually flashing all the time. The reason for this is that this bridge consists of two bridges next to each other, one for each direction, and sometimes people who come from the lane on the left of the picture think that they can also just turn left (despite what the signs clearly say). It's probably therefore that they tried to make it overly clear that the bridge shouldn't be entered from that side. The sign isn't lit internally, but it is padded with LEDs in the corresponding colour of that part of the sign.










Greetings,
Glodenox


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## Vrooms (Mar 4, 2010)

There is in Singapore but only at the Airport.


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## Professor L Gee (Aug 10, 2009)

There are several here in Athens, Georgia. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures.



g.spinoza said:


> Isn't that a waste of money and electricity? (the internally lit signs, not the traffic lights) I mean, aren't reflective signs sufficient?


Illuminated signs allow drivers to be able to read them much sooner than reflective signs. Reflective signs only do any good once car lights are close enough to reflect off them, which sometimes can be a very short window if you're traveling along at a pretty decent clip.


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## CptSchmidt (Jan 7, 2010)

It seems to me that lit signs are a waste of resources. Just use reflective paint, or if it's absolutely needed just put a light in front of it or on top of it.


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## nerdly_dood (Mar 23, 2007)

CptSchmidt said:


> It seems to me that lit signs are a waste of resources. Just use reflective paint, or if it's absolutely needed just put a light in front of it or on top of it.


I agree, but it's nice to have a few unique curiosities like that around.


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## Glodenox (Mar 26, 2007)

Well, in Belgium pretty much every sign that's on a motorway and isn't placed where a car's lights would shine has internal lighting.

Perhaps this is done because the motorway itself is also illuminated for a big part of the night? Perhaps that has an effect on the readability of those signs or so.

Greetings,
Glodenox


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

Glodenox said:


> Well, in Belgium pretty much every sign that's on a motorway and isn't placed where a car's lights would shine has internal lighting.
> 
> Perhaps this is done because the motorway itself is also illuminated for a big part of the night? Perhaps that has an effect on the readability of those signs or so.
> 
> ...


I read somewhere that out of energy/money conservation, they don't illuminate highways at night after 10pm, unless there is fog or rain. Is that true?


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## nerdly_dood (Mar 23, 2007)

*Only smaller signs in the US are lit up like that - larger ones are standard reflective metal, with lights shining on it from underneath. (It also seems to me that internally-lit signs are always mounted above the roadway, not on the side)*


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## Glodenox (Mar 26, 2007)

Suburbanist said:


> I read somewhere that out of energy/money conservation, they don't illuminate highways at night after 10pm, unless there is fog or rain. Is that true?


Hmm, I'm not sure, but I'd estimate that time to be more like 11:30pm, and even then the entries, exits and interchanges are still illuminated - because those are illuminated all night.

Greetings,
Glodenox


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

It seems like they are common in the Phillipines as well.


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## ed110220 (Nov 12, 2008)

South Africa has quite a few of them. They are always sponsored by a fast food outlet or something like that, which has its own sign on top.


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## Verso (Jun 5, 2006)

Nova Gorica, Slovenia:


hofburg said:


>


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## ed110220 (Nov 12, 2008)

South Africa has quite a few of them. They are always sponsored by a fast food outlet or something like that, which has its own sign on top.

Here's an old photo of Voortrekker Road, the signs are now white but otherwise the same. Credit Etiennedup on Flickr


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## Fargo Wolf (Oct 23, 2009)

The City of Maple Ridge BC has them I know, on the signs identifying the street name. But only where there are traffic lights. I THINK there are a few in the city of Port Coquitlam to the west as well.


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## keber (Nov 8, 2006)

diablo234 said:


>


It's off-topic, but c'mon, "Left turn signal" sign?:bash:


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## lanolama (Sep 8, 2008)

del


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

CptSchmidt said:


> It seems to me that lit signs are a waste of resources. Just use reflective paint, or if it's absolutely needed just put a light in front of it or on top of it.


Keep in mind that alot of people have night blindness issues which visually impares them at night so having these signs would be helpful in certain scenarios. There were a few times when I was driving in a different city myself that I was unable to read any street signs because it was so dark out and the sign was in an area which the headlights did not reflect any light.



keber said:


> It's off-topic, but c'mon, "Left turn signal" sign?:bash:


Well it's not blatantly obvious if you are at the intersection as the signal does not have a red arrow.


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