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I originally posted this on 4/2. This morning on my way to 99th St. station, I encountered a CDOT worker and asked him a few questions. He was looking at signage on the corners, so I guessed (correctly) that he was responding to this issue.
He said that, with the new ornamental light poles used in the streetscape project, the city doesn't attach street signs to those. The normal process for attaching street signs to light poles (tightening a metal band around the pole) could potentially damage the ornamental poles, so they use signposts in these locations instead.
I pointed out the problem with the too-low signs at 99th and Walden (blocked by ped crossing sign for eastbound traffic). I asked if they could install a taller pole. He said they don't have them that tall and would need to add an extension to the existing pole.
I also mentioned the face-height stop sign problem. He said that someone had reported the location as 98th and Walden. He went there and couldn't figure out what the problem was - because there is no problem at that location. I told him that location was incorrect and gave him the right spot. He said he would go to 98th and Longwood and check it out. These fixes may not happen immediately, but at least someone at CDOT has it on their radar now.
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In my travels around the neighborhood in recent months, I've noticed that some signage has been replaced, or remounted on new poles, either due to the removal of old light poles (99th and Walden streetscape) or ADA curb ramp replacement.
At 98th and Longwood, we have this winner. The sidewalk is not exceptionally wide here, as illustrated by the bike and construction horses. The previously pole was closer to the curb. When the ADA curb ramp installation was done, they used a much shorter pole for the stop sign. I'm 6'1" and this sign is now at face height, as illustrated by the selfie below. Large signs like this should be well above head height. For safety, the bottom of this sign should at least 1 foot higher than it is. To make it worse, this too-short pole is set into the new concrete.
At 99th and Walden, where the old light pole at the corner was recently removed after completion of the streetscape project, the one way sign and street signs were placed on a pole short enough that they are mostly obscured by the pedestrian crossing sign and light pole in front of them.
We have another bit of brilliance at 99th and Wood, also related to the streetscape project. The old street signs at this corner were rather faded. They were mounted on an old light pole that has been removed. The new light pole slightly east of the corner. The one way sign and street signs are now mounted on a sign pole, like the ones at 99th and Walden. In addition to being so low that they're easily reachable, the pole is in line with the west side of the building, so that the building obscures the signs until one is right at the stop sign.
Someone has obviously messed with these already, as they are rotated out of position. Is it too much to ask for people to actually use their brains when installing signs, to look at context and place the signs so that they serve their intended purpose effectively?
I wish this was an April Fool's Day joke. Sadly, it's not. How long will it take to get this fixed? Can CDOT stop doing this? Time will tell.
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