Corporate Limit Boundary Sign!

Usually the corporate limit boundary signs are very boring. They are either simple green-and-white or white-and-black rectangular signs that just don't quite announce that you're entering a city or c crossing into another county. They can very easily be missed. Here is an example, which is about as plain as it can get:



Source: sbsun.mycapture.com

A boring sign in a dreary landscape! (Sorry, Californians.)

Now here is my idea for the several States' corporate limit boundary signs. I have redesigned Massachusetts'  version from white-and-black to green-and-white (The grey is sky, of course.) Basically the redesign keepis the commonwealth-designed present shape and layout, with the participle "ENTERING" bannered in an arc. The rest of the sign possesses the state seal and the city or town's name and date of establishment, just like at present. Other states can have similar signs, with different shapes and data, of course.

Out-of-State Plates 24

Update: A plate from Hawaii has been sighted in New Orleans!

Today, we shall present to you registration plates from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

 

In my opinion, the most legible auto tag plates in the US.

Despite the closed numeral '4'.

 

EDIT: Added 19 October 2014:

"Preserve the Trust" low-number (specialty) plate.



Some Big Green Signs Using Some of My Suggestions.

Here are some big green signs using some of my suggestions.

Florida:

Louisiana:

New Jersey:

The County Road route marker is Chris Blaney's idea

Massachusetts:

Massachusetts, Number 4

This is an idea for off-Interstates limited access expressways (freeways). It is patterned after the Quebec Autoroute design, and has the colors and two elements (shield and star) of the Massachusetts state flag.

Massachusetts, Number 3

This is the third series, based on the old Mass. Pike corporate logo, which in black text on white space was used as a reassurance route marker on the turnpike itself.  Also on display in much smaller size at RV Droz's website. It's just a state route sign. No provisions to differentiate parkways, town roads, and special tourist routes. Same as the present plain rectangle, the sign for all the numbered state routes, regardless of roadway ownership and maintenance responsibility.

Massachusetts, Number 2

 Here I have a second idea for the posting of Massachusetts state routes. This idea is based on the shape of wayfarer signs that is no longer extant -- the signs are now rectangles where before they used to have cut corners like Philadelphia street signs or Phoenix street signs. Even after they switched to squares they kept the old cut-corner typeface into the 1970s.

ON EDIT: Here are two examples of the cut-corners wayfarer sign type.

Okay, here's my idea. Like the previous set, I sent these to R.V. Droz and they are also at his website.

This first one would be posted for the regular state routes.

This is a special one for the Cranberry Highway which runs along Routes 28, 6 and 6A from the Middleborough Rotary in Middleborough, Mass. to the Orleans Rotary in Orleans, Mass.

This one would be for state parkways (which used to be owned by the Metropolitan District Commission)

And this last would be for town-maintained routes, except when maintenance responsibility goes from state, to town, and back again. Only where the whole stretch, the first part, the last part, or a new extension is maintained by the town. Certainly not like State Road / County Road / State Road / County Road 865 in Fort Myers, Florida!

And now the same ones (well, the first three), but for mounting on the overhead directionals* and other big green signs:

Regular state routes. 

 Cranberry Highway.

State parkways.

* Overhead directionals: big green signs mounted on overhead sign bridges, or gantries.

Massachusetts

I have some ideas for making over the route signs in Massachusetts. I sent these to RV Droz's Great International Highway Makeover all in a bunch before, and they're there, so this will be a series of four posts. So here's the first idea, with an option for town roads with routes marked on them separate from the state routes.

This first one is a makeover of the basic Massachusetts blank square. The number is still in the middle of a white field, with the Massachusetts state shield off to the left and off-centered vertically. I think it is the most elegant of any route markers, anywhere, actual or imaginary.

This second one could be for town roads with routes on them. A rectangle with a line through it, with the name of the town on top and the route number below. The route number is in goldfinch yellow rather than warning sign / county route marker gold for higher visibility at night, especially when it rains. That's because by my experience the standard gold has extremely poor visibility at night, with zero at night and in the rain.  The example shows a possible extension of Route 123 in Scituate, Mass., from the Greenbush Rotary along The Driftway, New Kent Street and Kent Street to Scituate Harbor. What I would not want, though, is a route that goes from a state route marker to a town route marker and back again. Nor would I want a town route marker on a stretch of highway owned by the state. That would create confusion.