So I'm on Ox Rd / 123 north leaving Lorton going towards Fairfax and right before Silverbrook Rd there is a blue VA state highway sign: "DQ Grill and Chill 1.2 mile" and an arrow directing to turn right on Silverbrook.

How does Dairy Queen get a state funded sign? There are other food places in that direction.

I think the restaurant or gas station pays something to Virginia for those little signs that steer you towards their business.

So, there's people in this world called lobbyists...perhaps you've heard of them, though I suspect not. Companies like DQ pay these lobbyists in order to broker political deals between the lobbyist's client and the relevant politicians who can further their agenda. In this case, DQ or its franchisee wanted a state sponsored sign erected advertising their business. So, they paid a lobbyist and the politician in order to make that happen. The other possibility is someone at DQ sucked a politician's cock to get the sign put up.

Huh??? Wrote:
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> So, there's people in this world called
> lobbyists...perhaps you've heard of them, though I
> suspect not. Companies like DQ pay these lobbyists
> in order to broker political deals between the
> lobbyist's client and the relevant politicians who
> can further their agenda. In this case, DQ or its
> franchisee wanted a state sponsored sign erected
> advertising their business. So, they paid a
> lobbyist and the politician in order to make that
> happen. The other possibility is someone at DQ
> sucked a politician's cock to get the sign put up.

I think they paid a simple fee for the little sign.

I recommend that you try to grasp this concept, and not let the DQ torment you at night with sweat drenched nightmares.

Highways are loaded with signs directing drivers to gas stations, hotels, restaurants, attractions, churhes, etc. You don't get out much, do you?

YedNy Wrote:
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> Highways are loaded with signs directing drivers
> to gas stations, hotels, restaurants, attractions,
> churhes, etc. You don't get out much, do you?

Sure, mang...but joo didn't read his post, ese! Dat OP just wants to know why all doze restaurants near that sign aren't equally repped. Why just the DQ, bruh? Shit ain't right, mang...

Pay up sucker Wrote:
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> Huh??? Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > So, there's people in this world called
> > lobbyists...perhaps you've heard of them, though
> I
> > suspect not. Companies like DQ pay these
> lobbyists
> > in order to broker political deals between the
> > lobbyist's client and the relevant politicians
> who
> > can further their agenda. In this case, DQ or
> its
> > franchisee wanted a state sponsored sign
> erected
> > advertising their business. So, they paid a
> > lobbyist and the politician in order to make
> that
> > happen. The other possibility is someone at DQ
> > sucked a politician's cock to get the sign put
> up.
>
> I think they paid a simple fee for the little
> sign.
>
> I recommend that you try to grasp this concept,
> and not let the DQ torment you at night with sweat
> drenched nightmares.

I love holding a blizzard upside down above my cock and jerking off against the clock.

Here is the answer - http://www.virginiadot.org/programs/sign-programs.asp

Basically you pay a fee. The structure is here - http://www.virginiadot.org/programs/resources/IDSP-CTBFinalFees6-16-05.pdf

I followed one of those signs to a McDonald's once. I wanted to get a coke, and take a piss.

That series of little blue signs took me 4+ miles off of the interstate.

What a fool I was to follow them that far.

YedNY: Do you really consider Ox Rd a "highway"? No truck driver ever starved to death unable to find food on that part of Ox Rd since it is surrounded by food establishments. I81 is a different story. Many a time on a long trip on 81 I would be desperate for a gas station/ McDonald's sign after driving over 100 miles. Even a DQ Chill and Grill would pull me into an exit.

Yellow Brick Road Wrote:
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> I followed one of those signs to a McDonald's
> once. I wanted to get a coke, and take a piss.
>
> That series of little blue signs took me 4+ miles
> off of the interstate.
>
> What a fool I was to follow them that far.

GPS, muh-fuckah...do you KNOW it?!?!? Shit, the last time I fell for that, "McDonald's this way, right off the highway...oh shit, it's 12 miles down the road!" gag was 8 years ago.

Naw dawg...fuck that...my ass ain't gettin' off the highway no way no how until I have positively identified the distance to my impulse gas/bathroom/food stop.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

I love those stories about stupid fucks driving into a lake because the GPS told them to do it.

Yellow Brick Road Wrote:
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> I followed one of those signs to a McDonald's
> once. I wanted to get a coke, and take a piss.
>
> That series of little blue signs took me 4+ miles
> off of the interstate.
>
> What a fool I was to follow them that far.

There are always two sets of signs for restaurants/gas stations/hotels off the interstate. The first one on the highway shows what's at an exit. The second one on the exit ramp gives the direction as well as the mileage. This is a federal highway standard.

And yes, there's a fee for those signs. I used to work at a KFC off I-64 as a young lad and saw the invoices from VDOT with my own eyes. On exits that are really built-up a bidding war can ensue to get on the highway sign as there's only six slots and not being on it is bad for business. The ones you see around on local roads in Northern VA are just another cash grab by VDOT.

I saw this sign this evening and wondered the exact same thing. Funny that you posted this.I just don't see this section of road to be a major highway, where the food and gas and hotel signs are actually very helpful and save getting off the road to try and find something.

Now You Know Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yellow Brick Road Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I followed one of those signs to a McDonald's
> > once. I wanted to get a coke, and take a piss.
> >
> > That series of little blue signs took me 4+
> miles
> > off of the interstate.
> >
> > What a fool I was to follow them that far.
>
> There are always two sets of signs for
> restaurants/gas stations/hotels off the
> interstate. The first one on the highway shows
> what's at an exit. The second one on the exit
> ramp gives the direction as well as the mileage.
> This is a federal highway standard.
>
> And yes, there's a fee for those signs. I used to
> work at a KFC off I-64 as a young lad and saw the
> invoices from VDOT with my own eyes. On exits
> that are really built-up a bidding war can ensue
> to get on the highway sign as there's only six
> slots and not being on it is bad for business.
> The ones you see around on local roads in Northern
> VA are just another cash grab by VDOT.

I don't know...a lot of that depends on how the businesses are built off the exit. If everything is jammed together within a mile of the exit, then there's really no benefit to paying for placement on the sign. If my Burger King is within visual distance of your KFC, a Starbucks and others then the customer will see all of us.

Where I think paying for placement on the sign makes sense, is when things are more spread out or if you are not right on the road exiting the highway. For example, if a customer prefers Jimmy John's over Subway, they might be willing to go much, much further for a JJ's than they would a Subway.

Then again, like the person above said...I don't really use the signage anyway, because I've already identified exactly where I'm stopping before I can even see those signs.

There's an iOs app, called iExit, which tells you what services are near each exit as you are approaching it. I'm sure there's a similar one for Android.

For what it's worth, less than a half mile south of the DQ sign on Ox there is Lorton Valley Shopping Center with a Five Guys, pizza joint, Starbucks, Sweet Frog and a Giant. Even a Sunoco with a convenience store. But hey, thank goodness that sign is there so I know to drive over 2 miles off 123 for the DQ experience.

If you get to that DQ just go to shopping center across the street to Steak and Things. Still not great but better than the DQ.

Casual Observer14 Wrote:
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> For what it's worth, less than a half mile south
> of the DQ sign on Ox there is Lorton Valley
> Shopping Center with a Five Guys, pizza joint,
> Starbucks, Sweet Frog and a Giant. Even a Sunoco
> with a convenience store. But hey, thank goodness
> that sign is there so I know to drive over 2 miles
> off 123 for the DQ experience.

Alert...there is an ABC store here as well, skip all this shit and get some JD.

So much better having uniform signage at major road exists to find fuel and restaurants. If this wasn't provided, there would be 1000s of tacky billboards all over the place.