Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

The weird signs of San Diego

Cruise ships, trucks, Balboa Park

To: Matmail: I’ve always wondered about those signs you occasionally see on the freeway that say “Landscaping Ahead.” Why does Caltrans feel the need to alert drivers to upcoming ice plant?— Ann, Mission Valley

Sponsored
Sponsored

Just one more signage mystery, like “Cruise Ships Use Airport Exit” and “Trucks OK.” My personal favorite was the chunk of 163 south through Balboa Park marked at the north end “Begin Scenic Drive” and, half a mile or so later, “End Scenic Drive.” Scenic it was, but hardly worth a special trip. (Recently the “End Scenic Drive” sign has been removed, making us look less like idiots to out-of-towners.) But the landscaping notices are quite logical to Caltrans. The agency lets contracts to private companies to plant and maintain our roadside vegetation. Once the deal is struck for a particular stretch of road, Caltrans erects signs to let us know that shoulder work will be taking place in this area, and they’d be obliged if we stay alert and not hit anyone, The contracts usually run for five years and require that the companies maintain the ice plant, poppies, whatever, until they are well established and looking good. The landscapers set their own inspection and maintenance schedules, so rather than putting up temporary signs only when people are actually working, Caltrans erects permanent signs so the companies can come and go as they like. When landscaping (the stuff) is chugging along just fine, landscaping (the activity) ends, and the signs come down. If Caltrans were fully truthful, the signs would say, “It’s possible that from time to time over the next few years you’ll see people here spraying, and weeding, and feeding, but we can’t predict exactly when that will be, so just keep on your toes and be prepared for anything.” That would give us one less thing to fret about in our overstuffed lives, but is that what government is here for? I don’t think so.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader readers sound off about Encinitas cliffs

Not much sympathy for victims

To: Matmail: I’ve always wondered about those signs you occasionally see on the freeway that say “Landscaping Ahead.” Why does Caltrans feel the need to alert drivers to upcoming ice plant?— Ann, Mission Valley

Sponsored
Sponsored

Just one more signage mystery, like “Cruise Ships Use Airport Exit” and “Trucks OK.” My personal favorite was the chunk of 163 south through Balboa Park marked at the north end “Begin Scenic Drive” and, half a mile or so later, “End Scenic Drive.” Scenic it was, but hardly worth a special trip. (Recently the “End Scenic Drive” sign has been removed, making us look less like idiots to out-of-towners.) But the landscaping notices are quite logical to Caltrans. The agency lets contracts to private companies to plant and maintain our roadside vegetation. Once the deal is struck for a particular stretch of road, Caltrans erects signs to let us know that shoulder work will be taking place in this area, and they’d be obliged if we stay alert and not hit anyone, The contracts usually run for five years and require that the companies maintain the ice plant, poppies, whatever, until they are well established and looking good. The landscapers set their own inspection and maintenance schedules, so rather than putting up temporary signs only when people are actually working, Caltrans erects permanent signs so the companies can come and go as they like. When landscaping (the stuff) is chugging along just fine, landscaping (the activity) ends, and the signs come down. If Caltrans were fully truthful, the signs would say, “It’s possible that from time to time over the next few years you’ll see people here spraying, and weeding, and feeding, but we can’t predict exactly when that will be, so just keep on your toes and be prepared for anything.” That would give us one less thing to fret about in our overstuffed lives, but is that what government is here for? I don’t think so.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Mang Tomas, banana ketchup barred in San Diego

What will happen to Filipino Christmas here?
Next Article

San Diego Holiday Experiences

As soon as Halloween is over, it's Christmas time in my mind
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader