ROAD RANT

Cleveland & Northeast Ohio Traffic News, Road & Driving Conditions

Some troubling signs

by John Horton/Plain Dealer Reporter

Monday December 01, 2008, 4:01 PM

Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs.

Some make sense.

Some don't.

Road Rant drove around town and found examples of both. Here's one local signage style that we'd like to see catch on, plus a few roadside markers that could use a little attention.

Kudos: Westlake made something out of a dead-end job.

The city takes a unique approach in marking dead-end streets, placing rectangular "No Outlet" signs just under the actual street sign. This makes the message much easier to spot for cross-traffic.

Most communities simply install a larger "No Outlet" sign farther down the dead-end street. In that setup, drivers don't see the marker until after they finish turning onto the street.

"It's kind of pointless then," said Dave Rencehausen, who oversees Westlake's sign department.

Pairing the yellow "No Outlet" notice with the street sign informs drivers earlier. Westlake uses the signs to mark certain dead-end streets that are off of high-traffic corridors, stretches where motorists might be tempted to turn off in hopes of finding a shortcut.

The approach also cuts down on "sign clutter," as the smaller signs on a shared post replace larger stand-alone signs. The smaller signs also cost a few bucks less.

All in all, it's a good idea. Let's hope a few communities copy it.

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Road Rant: Avon sign confusion must come to an end

by John Horton/Plain Dealer Reporter

Monday November 24, 2008, 2:43 PM

The end is near in Avon.

It's just not where the Ohio Department of Transportation says it is.

On Ohio 611 just south of Interstate 90 in Lorain County, a pair of roadside signs indicates that the left lane ends. There's one slight problem: It's the right lane that disappears, according to Road Rant spotter Lisa Mackin of Avon.

Left, right . . . what's the difference, really?

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Road Rant: ODOT barrels guard old Geauga home

by John Horton/Plain Dealer Reporter

Monday November 17, 2008, 4:58 PM

The Geauga County cottage sits in the woods off of Ohio 87. "Novelty Barn," the aged sign on the wood fence announces. Built in 1913.

The soon-to-be-century home's a local fixture.

Just like its orange barrels.

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Road Rant: Motorists take back seat along Euclid Corridor

by John Horton/Plain Dealer Reporter

Monday November 10, 2008, 4:49 PM

Take a deep breath, Cleveland: The reborn Euclid Avenue's not that bad to drive. It's just different.

There are issues, of course. Road Rant fielded blistering e-mails over the past few weeks about the recently completed project. "Euclid Corridor Disaster," read the subject line heading one note ... and that represented one of the more tame criticisms.

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Road Rant: Willoughby Hills reacts in timely manner to slow traffic signal

by John Horton/Plain Dealer Reporter

Monday November 03, 2008, 4:55 PM

Timing's everything in life.

Willoughby Hills understands this concept. That's why commuters may be smiling these days.

The Lake County city adjusted a traffic signal on Ohio 91 after gripes appeared in last week's column about "aggravating" delays at the light. The signal hangs at the driveways to the Cleveland Clinic Family Health Center and the Classic Lexus dealership.

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Road Rant: Ohio 91 intersection in Willoughby Hills is a bottleneck

by John Horton/Plain Dealer Reporter

Monday October 27, 2008, 4:16 PM

Two green arrows glowed over Ohio 91 in Willoughby Hills during the afternoon rush hour, an open invitation for motorists in the center lanes to turn left into either the Cleveland Clinic Family Health Center or the Classic Lexus dealership.

Nobody accepted the offer, though. Not one vehicle used the arrow to move through the Lake County intersection.

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That thin green line in median is scant protection on the highway

by John Horton/Plain Dealer Reporter

Monday October 20, 2008, 4:25 PM

Think of a small suburban lawn. We're talking a postage stamp-sized lot, about 30 feet wide. The sort of real estate that couldn't contain a Wiffle Ball game.

That's the Interstate 71 median.

Only a thin green line separates high-speed traffic zipping north and south along miles of the six-lane highway. In Medina County, Ohio Department of Transportation planners treat that band of land as a potential danger. In Cuyahoga County, they don't.

Guess where you're safer.

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Road Rant: Highway workers add insult to injury for painted-over roadkill

by John Horton

Monday October 13, 2008, 3:59 PM

John Horton/The Plain DealerHighway workers painted over several animal carcasses while striping Cleveland's Shoreway, including this roadkill near East Ninth Street.

Not everything looks better with a fresh coat of paint.

Highway workers striping the Shoreway added a dash of color to dead animals while doing the job. A bright yellow line now decorates several critters flattened along Ohio 2.

Three carcass canvases can be spotted along the left edge of the westbound lanes between Dead Man's Curve and West Third Street. Another furry Frisbee with bold-and-gold highlights sits on display on the left side of the eastbound lanes at West 45th Street.

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