Few places are safe from Captain Obvious these days, as creeping sign pollution alleviates the need to engage our own powers of observation.
Due Caution
When is enough already enough? Is there a time when, maybe, we should address a situation by leaving well enough alone.
Take a corner very near my home back in Washington. Having turned off of a fairly busy road that ran along the lake onto a side street that wound up the hill, there was a stretch of road, maybe 200 yards in length, that ran straight and fairly level before ending at a T. There a driver had to make a sharp turn to either the left or the right, as a hill rose steeply behind it.
It seemed completely intuitive to me that a person should stop before turning one way or the other. Still I did not think it particularly strange or unseemly to find a stop sign there. A gentle reminder to the driving public of this obvious need for caution could be considered helpful.
A Sign of the Times
Years passed. Then one day I noticed several additions along this brief stretch of road. Two new signs, each only a short distance before the stop sign at either end, now stood in the verge. A yellow square, set on end, framed a red octagon below a forward pointing arrow. “Stop Sign Ahead” was clearly the point.
Sometimes a point can be so sharply obvious, however, as to hurt. After that I could not turn out of my neighborhood onto that short stretch of road without shaking my head. There was scarcely enough road there to gather any unsafe speed before a 90 degree turn was clearly required. This was completely obvious from any point on the road. A large house and a hill stood on the horizon in one direction. A large tree and a lake marked the other. If that weren’t enough, the stop signs, in both directions, were clearly visible from any point on the road. There was no viewing angle along that small stretch of pavement where you could see the “Stop Sign Ahead” sign without seeing the “Stop” sign itself.
So, I have to ask – in a quiet little neighborly section of this scenic community, at what point does a helpful traffic sign become a waste of money? An insult to our intelligence? A public eyesore? A banner for Captain Obvious?
Another Victory for Captain Obvious
Lest you get too comfortably amused at the peculiarity and excess of small town Washington, let me hasten to add that I possess evidence my last home town is not alone in their zeal to post excessive signage. Few places are safe from Captain Obvious these days. Creeping sign pollution continues to alleviate our need to engage our own powers of observation.
Just across the river in Portland, OR I discovered a beautiful little garden terrace at the Kohler Pavilion of OHSU.
As I enjoyed the 7th floor views of Portland and the lovely sunshine of early summer I looked down toward the bench where I sat my bag. There on the low wall behind the bench I spied this little sign.
Captain Obvious strikes again!
Thank you, Captain Obvious! I was hoping you would look in on my post.
Lisa – Yes, they seem to think of a new thing to warn us about every few months on those yellow signs. There is another one on a very straight and level stretch of road, maybe on 15th, that warns of a traffic light ahead, a light that is clearly obvious if you look in front of you rather than to the side of the road where the warning sign is begging for the driver's attention. I think those signs are more of a distraction than a help. It is also next to impossible to get an unobstructed photo of small-town scenery anymore.
Thanks for your comment!
LOL>…OMG! I know EXACTLY where you are talking about….I live here in "that" small Washington town. Seeing those signs EVERYWHERE! Methinks, sometimes, we should take all the warning labels off and 'just let things sort themselves out', lol
Bwa Ha Ha!!
"Signed"
— Captain Obvious
🙂