My wife and I got stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on Sunday. That's when I noticed that the folks in VDOT's sign shop apparently went to elementary school in DC.
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VDOT has more serious concerns right now than to make sure signs are spelled correctly.

Did you know that was the exit for Sycamore Street even though it was spelled wrong? Ok, then...

I don't think VDOT has any more serious concerns than making sure that tax dollars are being spent wisely.

They're going to have to fix that sign, if they haven't already done so, and they just blew a couple thousand dollars, in both the cost of the sign and the labor to install it, on a misspelled sign - an oversight that should have been caught way before that sign ever ended up getting placed on the highway.

Here's another thought: VDOT employees have bad attitudes and don't give a shit so they do this sort of thing on purpose.

That sign existed for days/weeks in some facility before it was hung - no supervisor saw it?

Or maybe the VDOT hires people too stupid to know the difference.

the only fail there is the bad photoshop work



View Larger Map

I blame Bob McDonnell. And accordingly, Alexandria public schools, where Bob McDonnell grew up, for this obvious failure.

Bodega Bob Wrote:
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> Here's another thought: VDOT employees have bad
> attitudes and don't give a shit so they do this
> sort of thing on purpose.
>
> That sign existed for days/weeks in some facility
> before it was hung - no supervisor saw it?
>
> Or maybe the VDOT hires people too stupid to know
> the difference.

I'm a VDOT supervisor, mang! And I take exception to your challenging my English.

Exit 69, dudes! Woooo! *hifive*

Not photoshop at all. That's a photo from my iPhone from Sunday, December 4th around noonish.

The sign was replaced as part of the spot improvements. Google Street View is a little out of date.

BrianSchoeneman Wrote:
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> Not photoshop at all. That's a photo from my
> iPhone from Sunday, December 4th around noonish.
>
> The sign was replaced as part of the spot
> improvements. Google Street View is a little out
> of date.


Then the real failure is in spending state money to replace a sign that was perfectly fine to begin with.

Nothing like spending money to replace perfectly good signs in the middle of an economic downturn while complaining about budget shortfalls etc.

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2013 02:34PM by chuckhoffmann.

chuckhoffmann Wrote:
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> BrianSchoeneman is one of two posters on FFXU I
> absolutely trust to tell the truth because he uses
> his real name, rather than hide behind some
> half-witty, half-witted user name.




Just because you use your real name as an internet handle does not mean you have greater credibility, Chuck Hoffmann.

eesh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> chuckhoffmann Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > BrianSchoeneman is one of two posters on FFXU I
> > absolutely trust to tell the truth because he
> uses
> > his real name, rather than hide behind some
> > half-witty, half-witted user name.
>
>
>
>
> Just because you use your real name as an internet
> handle does not mean you have greater credibility,
> Chuck Hoffmann.

Seriously, Chuck. I'm not saying he's not who he says he is but, how do YOU know he is who he says he is?

If you could pretend to be anybody, why pick a towering Pennsylvanian with a high forehead, a gay haircut who just got beat in a political campaign? Why not pretend to be someone cool, like Joe Biden?

Well, Mr. Schoeneman...perhaps the person making posts with your name is someone impersonating you? How would we know? That's my point. We wouldn't. There are totally anonymous posters here that have total credibility with their content. As the previous poster on this thread said...using your real name doesn't make postings any more or less credible.

Here you go. One conspiracy theory put to rest. That's FFXU on my laptop, sitting next to my mostly eaten lunch.

Back to the subject - I honestly don't want VDOT to change the sign. At least not any time soon. I want to be able to use it to teach my son the importance of spelling and double checking your work. Textbook definition of a teachable moment.
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The Brian I know would never leave his lunch half-eaten...

I was pacing myself.

Ok, Mr. Schoeneman...I had forgotten that you are of German extraction and we Germans are known for our truthiness. I believe you are who you say you are. However, in the coming months I'm clearing my desk of all my other cases and will be making extensive notes about your posts. If you should make one non-sequitor post? I'll be there. For now? You're free to go. Good day and happy holidays to you and yours, sir.

BrianSchoeneman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not photoshop at all. That's a photo from my
> iPhone from Sunday, December 4th around noonish.
>
> The sign was replaced as part of the spot
> improvements. Google Street View is a little out
> of date.

The sign had to be replaced because of the road widening. Previously I-66 westbound was two lanes there and exiting traffic used a short deceleration lane on the right. With the widening, the onramp from Fairfax Drive now forms a third lane that continues to Exit 69 (Sycamore or Syacmore Street, take your pick) and becomes an exit-only lane at that exit (i.e., traffic in that lane must exit). The old sign didn't say "Exit Only" and so federal regulations required that it be replaced. The use of the Clearview font on the new sign is pursuant to VDOT regulations requiring that font on new Big Green Signs.

­



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2013 02:33PM by chuckhoffmann.

Come on! What do expect from a bunch of West Virginia hillbillies with 8th grade educations? They're doing the best they can.

Contrary to popular belief, most VA State jobs are SHIT. Lousy pay and bennies, very low morale and high turnover. They're just a notch above fast food/retail.

Did you know that GMU provides university-owned vans and fuel to entice guys from the Shenandoah Valley and beyond to carpool in to unstop the toilets and do other maintenance work? Believe me, they don't provide those vans because they want to---they HAVE to---to fill those lousy. low paid jobs. I'm sure it still beats hell out of paying a local plumbers' rates.

But State workers may remember these as the "good old days". Fuhrer McDonnell's GOP Senate hasn't even been sworn in yet and they are working on a plan to screw State workers out of their accrued sick leave. And that's just the beginning. I foresee the continued looting of VRS, but hell, if you'll need to be 95 years old to collect one of their paltry pensions, VRS won't need much money.

A misspelled sign is nothing---you get what you pay for.

Every time I left a job I got screwed out of sick leave. A lot private firms don't even distinguish between sick and vacation leave. Its all in one giant bucket of leave that doesn't get to be cashed out when leaving that company.

Hay Zeus Wrote:
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> A lot private firms don't even distinguish
> between sick and vacation leave. Its all in one
> giant bucket of leave that doesn't get to be
> cashed out when leaving that company.


I don't believe that's correct - your company should be required to pay you the balance of PTO accrued when you leave. This is why it is an expense (liability) on their books and some require you to take mandatory PTO (e.g. between Christmas and New Years) to keep the unpaid balances lower.

snowdenscold Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hay Zeus Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > A lot private firms don't even distinguish
> > between sick and vacation leave. Its all in one
> > giant bucket of leave that doesn't get to be
> > cashed out when leaving that company.
>
>
> I don't believe that's correct - your company
> should be required to pay you the balance of PTO
> accrued when you leave. This is why it is an
> expense (liability) on their books and some
> require you to take mandatory PTO (e.g. between
> Christmas and New Years) to keep the unpaid
> balances lower.

I do not think it is required to pay out. The company can do whatever it wants in terms of benefit packages (unless you are under some CBA).

-----------------------------------------------

"...your suffering will be legendary even in Hell!"

BrianSchoeneman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> They're going to have to fix that sign, if they
> haven't already done so, and they just blew a
> couple thousand dollars, in both the cost of the
> sign and the labor to install it, on a misspelled
> sign - an oversight that should have been caught
> way before that sign ever ended up getting placed
> on the highway.

At VDOT, they never have the time and money to do it right the first time, but they've always got the time and money to do it over.

Pinhead the Cenobite Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> snowdenscold Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Hay Zeus Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > A lot private firms don't even distinguish
> > > between sick and vacation leave. Its all in
> one
> > > giant bucket of leave that doesn't get to be
> > > cashed out when leaving that company.
> >
> >
> > I don't believe that's correct - your company
> > should be required to pay you the balance of
> PTO
> > accrued when you leave. This is why it is an
> > expense (liability) on their books and some
> > require you to take mandatory PTO (e.g. between
> > Christmas and New Years) to keep the unpaid
> > balances lower.
>
> I do not think it is required to pay out. The
> company can do whatever it wants in terms of
> benefit packages (unless you are under some CBA).

I guess it's dependent on the state - from what I can find, Tennessee, Illinois, Oregon, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Maine, Louisiana, and California require accrued PTO to be paid out, for the rest (e.g. Virginia) it's up to company policy - so whatever you signed up for.

Indiana and North Carolina will make you pay unless there is a policy explicitly stating they won't.

Well, Brian, did you report it to VDOT? While I personally have enjoyed the humor of the moment....they can actually fix the issue. Not that there's any guarantee they will, but they can. But first, send a copy to Leno at the Tonight Show, with the correct spelling clarified, he might put it on the Tonight Show!

VDOT is aware of it.

That sign was put up because they had to adhere to anti-discrimination laws protecting those with dyslexia.

BrianSchoeneman Wrote:
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> VDOT is aware of it.

As is the nation:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-state-of-nova/post/vdot-mangles-spelling-of-sycamore-street-on-i-66/2011/12/08/gIQAHZxReO_blog.html?wprss=the-state-of-nova

I would assume (without ANY knowledge about how VDOT works), that production of these signs is contracted out, thus probably "covered" by some sort of quality clause (unless, of course, "acceptance" nullifies a clause like that).

BrianSchoeneman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't think VDOT has any more serious concerns
> than making sure that tax dollars are being spent
> wisely.
>
> They're going to have to fix that sign, if they
> haven't already done so, and they just blew a
> couple thousand dollars, in both the cost of the
> sign and the labor to install it, on a misspelled
> sign - an oversight that should have been caught
> way before that sign ever ended up getting placed
> on the highway.

It is precisely this reason why you will never get my vote sir. When my elected officials take a backseat to this sort of moronic display of our educational system. Why sir does the county hire these morons? All they do is cause problems and waste my tax dollars.

Hey Brian,

A little more working, and a little less web surfing ok?
You might want to start cutting out the greasy food too. The double chin looks bad.

@zit - your tax dollars? Why would you think it would cost you more? Error is obviously on the part of the signmaker so wouldnt VDOT get the sign replaced for free? I know if I ordered that sign, I wouldnt have had to pay for it's replacement, that's for sure.

@496 - um, yr gonna rank on a guy for being real? Menawhile, I wonder what yr up to? LoLz

pic unrelated
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