Vehicle: Road: Sign
Glow in the dark Street Names   (+15, -1)  [vote for, against]
the name says it all

Glow in the dark Street names to help you find your way in the dark, when looking for a friends house.
-- gizmo, Feb 23 2002

I like it. Or you could have a 10000000 watt friend's house.
-- notripe, Feb 23 2002


faceache, where are your commas? I can't count all those noughts. give gizmo a croissant you cockney loser you! Gizmo - one of your best ideas, mate!!!!
-- po, Feb 23 2002


Are you taking street signs? Around here a fair number of them are illuminated.
-- supercat, Feb 23 2002


we are talking UK. I have been in villages that have a complete black out after 10.30 p.m.
-- po, Feb 23 2002


Street names. We spent a good half an hour lost on Thursday driving round a nearby town looking for a particular street. I was supposed to be looking for the street name while mum was driving. Because it was dark it was very difficult to see the street we needed. I know street signs are illuminated, but not street names. Yes UK.

Thanks po.
-- gizmo, Feb 23 2002


gizmo, you can have another Golden Anniversary by deleting some of your weaker ideas. I've had billions and billions... All the U.S. States I've been in use reflective materials, even in the tiniest neighborhoods of the tiniest towns.
-- thumbwax, Feb 23 2002


In the UK they don't have glow in the dark Street names. I think this is a brilliant idea, and congratulations giz, well done. I look forward to your next 50 ideas.
-- arora, Feb 23 2002


thumb, just have a quick squint at his ideas. One of my favourite all time ideas was one of the few that got fishboned, and that was the James Bond sharp flowers thing that kept me amused for ages. This lad is going places and I want to be on "this is your life" as his 2nd mentor after his mum (who BTW is My Heroine)
-- po, Feb 23 2002


Can I be third please, just as an admirer? My fave is 'esco slide'
-- arora, Feb 23 2002


I was going to say 'ditto' po: where did it go?
-- arora, Feb 23 2002


ssshhh he is still here!
-- po, Feb 23 2002


I've got no qualms about keeping all of gizmo's goodies - just a perpetual anniversary suggestion, be it Golden, Diamond, Centennial...
I'm actually a bit shocked there aren't reflective street signs in U.K. - Perhaps some bakers might be part of a grassroots movement to change that. Might even be a worthwhile business proposition. Keep it under your collective hats for the time being and you just might be able to fill this niche and make a Mint.
-- thumbwax, Feb 23 2002


I was under the impression that we *do* have reflective street signs in the UK. Not in every area, admittedly, but there are some in west central Scotland.
-- calum, Feb 24 2002


In my part of Florida, they've been replacing the reflective signs on major streets with light-up signs for at least a year now. They're nice, but I'd prefer they illuminate the signs for streets I rarely use — after all, they're the ones I'd be looking for.
-- FakeGreenDress, Feb 24 2002


Give me the Queen's email addy - I'll tell her to make all the signs reflective.
-- thumbwax, Feb 24 2002


We do have reflective signs in the uk - even in some pretty remote places. I don't know how that rumour started.

There might be a problem with gizmo's glow in the dark signs though - in order for something to fluoresce light rather than just reflect it, enough energy from sunlight has to have been absorbed. So say you have (as we can have up north) around 17 hrs darkness a day in winter, you will need a lot of sunlight to 'power' the fluorescent signs. Otherwise they will glow for a few hours then go dark.
-- mcscotland, Feb 24 2002


Surely (or Shirley) the signs will capture some light from other sources (including passing cars). And it's a *lot* cheaper than lighting them all up! That's something I wouldn't want to pay for - and something I'd vote (in real life) against.

I'd also like to see a standard for the placement and configuration of street signs. Anyone else ever approach an intersection looking and looking but not seeing the street sign until you've passed it? Sometimes they're up high, sometimes down low, sometimes on the north corner, etc. 'Course this is worse when you're on a major thoroughfare and can't slow down to look around.
-- phoenix, Feb 24 2002


This service should be supplied by local councils for free. We pay extortionate prices for the streets to be lit, bins emptied and what else? A few blokes to come along with a brush and shovel and make a poor attempt at cleaning the cr*p out of the gutters - or not if your car is parked outside (along with everyone elses on the street)
-- vimto, Feb 24 2002


"This service should be supplied by local councils for free."

Yay.
-- phoenix, Feb 24 2002



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