Do You Like New Street Signs?

[Archivist]

To be honest, I find the versions from New York and Chicago to be pretty miserable, worse and cheaper looking than almost the variants we have here, and far cheaper and uglier than the new ones. It's a good point that wylie is making.

 

[wyliepoon]

I was on a bike ride through south Scarborough and the Beach (aka the Beaches). I don't like the Beach street signs, having seen them in person for the first time. The signs are huge and out of proportion, with the Beach BIA logo taking up as much space as the street name itself.

(Beach BIA photo)

Also interesting of note is how the City has emulated the acorn-style signage to Scarborough. In North Scarborough there is one version that is all blue, shaped like the acorn but without the acorn on top, with the street name in white. In South Scarborough there is another version that includes the acorn, and is also blue except for a white strip in the bottom where the neighbourhood name is displayed.

 

[AgentOrange]

I haven't even noticed these new signs as I don't pay attention to (no need to) street signs anyways.

I just walked back from the store and in Liberty Village where I am I noticed they have the rectangle green ones with white lettering.

 

[syn]

To be honest, I find the versions from New York and Chicago to be pretty miserable, worse and cheaper looking than almost the variants we have here, and far cheaper and uglier than the new ones. It's a good point that wylie is making.

I don't really agree with it. The fact that the design of street signs isn't really an issue in other cities shouldn't matter. They should be an issue here. It isn't even just the street signs either; it's the entire package. Not only do you have different signs of differing quality, but sometimes they're tacked onto a crappy wooden utility pole, other times you see them on a thin metal pole (that isn't even straight)...there is just no consistency anywhere.

It's simply bad design and it shouldn't be accepted.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Agreed, syn. It's always fun to catalogue and pigeonhole things that already exist - things that form our heritage, if you like, of messy urbanism - and reassure folks not to worry their pretty little heads about bad design because it's even worse in other towns and we'd better get used to it, but this is basically an issue of getting it right in the creation of something.

 

[SunriseChampion]

What they ARE better than are those horrid faux-acorn street signs that started coming up in the last three or so years.

As the Bay Street one in the photo on the first page of this thread. Now THOSE things were a travesty. These Lego-ised new signs are just in bad taste. I kind of like them if viewed out of context but when on the streets, they definitely don't fit certain neighbourhoods.

There seems to be a pre-occupation at City Hall with conforming standards applied throughout the city for everything. In some cases (certain bylaws, perhaps) this may make sense but in the case of street signs, I just don't understand why they'd paint the whole town the same.

For example, I've not seen the ground-level two wooden post street signs they have in Etobicoke anywhere else. I think it'd be a shame to lose those.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

isn't this city supposed to be a champion of diversity? why do they insist on turning this place into genericville?

 

[Dan416]

What they ARE better than are those horrid faux-acorn street signs that started coming up in the last three or so years.

As the Bay Street one in the photo on the first page of this thread. Now THOSE things were a travesty. These Lego-ised new signs are just in bad taste. I kind of like them if viewed out of context but when on the streets, they definitely don't fit certain neighbourhoods.

There seems to be a pre-occupation at City Hall with conforming standards applied throughout the city for everything. In some cases (certain bylaws, perhaps) this may make sense but in the case of street signs, I just don't understand why they'd paint the whole town the same.

For example, I've not seen the ground-level two wooden post street signs they have in Etobicoke anywhere else. I think it'd be a shame to lose those.

Agreed 100%. I actually always loved those Etobicoke ground-level street signs as a kid (saw them whenever we visited our aunt in Etobicoke).

I don't think the new signs are that bad. I like that Beach one. The one thing I dislike is the difference in size between the "Queen" and the "St". Why is "St" smaller? It just looks silly with "Queen" big, "St" small and "E" big again.

 

[syn]

Agreed, syn. It's always fun to catalogue and pigeonhole things that already exist - things that form our heritage, if you like, of messy urbanism - and reassure folks not to worry their pretty little heads about bad design because it's even worse in other towns and we'd better get used to it, but this is basically an issue of getting it right in the creation of something.

I was thinking the same thing. If these were old signs and the city had no money it would be one thing. Instead they're actually in the process of creating new signs and still can't get it right.

If they came up with specific standards for lighting poles, signs, etc. across the city I think it would end up being cheaper in the long run. I would think a good design firm could come up with a practical, unique and well designed lighting/pole/sign standards that could be affordable to produce and flexible enough to satisfy the various BIAs and interest groups around the city.

 

[adma]

Just a whimsical thought I had: it's a wonder that nobody ever devised a backlit glass/plastic version of the classic acorn sign...

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

Just a whimsical thought I had: it's a wonder that nobody ever devised a backlit glass/plastic version of the classic acorn sign...

do they still have those yellow or white back-lit signs near/in the core? what's the story behind those?

 

[wyliepoon]

^ I believe they were put up as part of Canada's centennial celebrations in 1967. They're still around... I've noticed some are still up at Bay and Queen.

 

[Towered]

Agreed 100%. I actually always loved those Etobicoke ground-level street signs as a kid (saw them whenever we visited our aunt in Etobicoke).

Really? I had no idea those signs were unique to Etobicoke - I always just assumed that they were common in all the suburban areas. On a related note, in Thorncrest Village there are several street signs with white lettering in "ye olde" font on dark wooden signs on dark wooden posts that I haven't seen anywhere else. They've been there as long as I can remember. I should snap some pics before they disappear in the name of homogenization.

 

[wyliepoon]

Really? I had no idea those signs were unique to Etobicoke - I always just assumed that they were common in all the suburban areas.

Not unique to Etobicoke. Markham used to have ground-level signs too.

 

[Jonny5]

^ I believe they were put up as part of Canada's centennial celebrations in 1967. They're still around... I've noticed some are still up at Bay and Queen.

Sadly, the one at Queen and Bay is just an immitation of the back-lit type. The lettering and panel is just reflective.
Recently I saw what I think was an original back-lit sign still posted on Danforth at I think Pape.