I don’t have a car and don’t drive that often, but recently I’ve had to drive from downtown to the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal through Delta twice. I noticed the first time how terrible the highway signage was. I was thinking that maybe it doesn’t matter anymore because everyone has a gps with a demanding woman telling them where to drive. (The demanding woman in my gps pronounces No. 5 Road in Richmond as “No Five Road”.) The second time I was returning from the ferry terminal, at night, evem knowing the signage was terrible, with no gps, I got psyched out and took the wrong turn through that ridiculous interchange above.
It was this series of signs that got me muddled:
First, these signs all refer to the same exit in several different ways with different destinations listed. I didn’t realize this was the all the same exit. No I didn’t pay attention to the exit number. Does anyone? Second, that last sign placement is truly terrible. The BC Manual of Standard Traffic Signs & Pavement Markings clearly prescribes much longer distances before decision points for sign placement:
I’m not sure whether this would be a Condition A or C situation, or both, but clearly the sign ought to have been placed earlier and not at a point that would invite last second swerving over solid white lines.
Even better would be a sign like this, placed 1200m ahead as prior warning, and then 200m before the actual exit:
This would refer to the exit in the same way and make clear that it is one exit for all these destinations and also keep the northern and southern streams separate so that they can divide cleanly after they exit.