A quick reminder that today is Day #1 for the Cool Bloggers Walking Club: October Edition (you do not need to be a blogger to participate). There’s even a printable if you’re inclined to track your progress; fun stickers are enthusiastically supported. Happy trails everyone!
There are several digital speed signs in and around the town where we live. Some of them merely display the speed you’re going, others flash a red warning light if you’re approaching above the marked speed limit. But one speed sign displays your speed and – if you’re going above the speed limit – flashes a sad face emoji.
So far so good. Speeding is sad.
But here’s why I’m peeved – if I approach driving below the speed limit, it does not give me a happy face. This irks me more than it should, but every single time I drive through that speed zone and don’t get a happy face, I feel wronged. Where is my reward for being rule-abiding?
Also, I wonder if getting a happy face – equivalent to a gold star sticker? – might incentivize at least some drivers to slow down?
But we’ll never know because sad emojis are all we get.
Your turn. Do you have any speed sign pet peeves? Any other recent pet peeves you want to get off your chest?
Header photo by Jacqueline Munguía on Unsplash
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Sarah
OOOOOH a PRINTABLE! Happy walking month 🙂
Elisabeth
Thanks! I’ve done one walk and have earned one star! And yes, it did feel REALLY good to put a gold star onto my print-out 🙂
Jenny
Our digital speed signs don’t give us any emojis! They just flash the speed you’re going. I love the idea of the emojis, but I agree- they should DEFINITELY give you a smiley face if you’re going below the speed limit! Whether or not it encourages people to slow down, it would at least spread some good cheer. I think you should suggest it.
Elisabeth
I don’t even know who I’d talk to? It’s in between two towns.
I don’t mind the normal signs with just the speed, but if you’re going to go to the work of having emojis, let’s opt for positive reinforcement as well, right?
And you’re right about spreading good cheer which might make people drive more carefully/have less road rage in general? A ripple effect…from one digital smiley face.
Jan Coates
I wanted to post a sunrise lake picture – wonder how I do that…
Happy walking!
Elisabeth
I got the picture and I’ll post it on Friday with my roundup of other walking photos. What a stunning morning view <3
Kyria @ Travel Spot
I think some of them do have smiley faces, so I think you should lobby your town’s public works department and tell them to get on the ball! I always giggle when I am riding my bike and it registers, because it is so much slower than the speed limit. I used to run on a street that had them and it would flash up too, but I am not sure how accurate it was in that case, as it would often say 10 mph and I am pretty sure I was not running that fast!
Elisabeth
10 mph is a very fast running pace 😉
Lisa's Yarns
It is so on brand for a speed limit sign in Canada to give you a sad face if you are speeding! We have some signs here but it will flash your speed in red text if you are going above the speed limit! It is not such a gentle “I’m really disappointed in you” kind of warning. Ha.
I went for a run today and meant to take a picture on the path and then forgot! So I will have to do that another day. I’m looking forward to participating!
Elisabeth
Yay for participating. No worries about the pictures – I believe you without any photographic evidence 😉
Suzanne
I did a walk with a friend this morning! Didn’t get any photos today, though, but there’s still time. 🙂 Thanks for inspiring me (us!) to get outside and get moving!
We have some of those speed limit signs. They are definitely eye-catching, and I do find myself adjusting my speed to see how the sign will react. At least one I’ve driven past says “thank you” if you go the speed limit or under, and says “too fast!” if you are going over the limit. I 100% agree that you should AT LEAST get a smiley face if you go the appropriate speed.
Elisabeth
Yay for morning walks! I did it with a friend too. It feels surprisingly overwhelming for me – which is sooo odd because I usually walk so much, but it really fell off in September and so doing daily walks doesn’t feel quite as normal to me as it usually does. So this is VERY HELPFUL for me. One day down, 30 more to go!
I would take a thank you, or a good job or you’re doing awesome. But no. We get NOTHING.
Gigi
Oh, that would irritate me too! If they can figure out how to add a sad face emoji surely they can easily add a smiley face! Can’t think of any sign pet peeves of the top of my head; but I’m sure I’ve got them.
Elisabeth
Right? The technology exists for something other than just digital numbers. Maybe they need to get psychologists involved with designing road signs! (Or me…haha.)
Maria
Virtue is its own reward… but it’s nice to be thanked! That lack of a smily is 100% something that I’d be bothered by too.
Elisabeth
Perfect sentiment. I slow down because it’s the right thing to do, but a little happy reinforcement would be nice!
ccr in MA
I walked! For 10 minutes and no longer, because I was dripping with sweat, but I’m going to try to keep up with it. I did feel the irony of the “cool” bloggers walking group on such a hot walk.
Elisabeth
That is ironic; feels like 100 degrees is not ideal walking weather. So a sheet of gold stars for persevering despite the crummy conditions.
Michelle G.
Yes, to smile emojis! We only get flashing red numbers. I think a smile/frown would be effective!
I went for my first walk today and even wrote a blog post about it. It was a lovely walk!
Elisabeth
Loved the post and the picture!
Sophie
I forgot it had started but luckily I walked anyway! Yay for CBWC for October 🙂 we have those signs in Australia, and they do give us a green smiley for getting it right. But on a busier road I can never work out which is my speed and emoji compared to the other cars! The technology definitely still needs work.
Elisabeth
I have the same issue with not knowing whose speed is being displayed if there are a lot of cars passing close together. But you can send some of those green smileys my way!
Birchie
My biggest speed sign peeve is that I’ve never been able to get one to register me when I’ve been running by it. Also I’d like a little wiggle room – there is a difference if I’m driving 36 mph or 50 mph in a 35 mph speed zone – but the sign gives me the same red number either way.
Elisabeth
Yes it’s very “all or nothing” with the speed warnings.
J
I don’t think I’ve seen an emoji speed sign, I’m going to keep my eyes open. They just give us the speed you’re going, and if it’s above the limit, they blink. I would love a smiley face telling me that I’m doing well.
Thanks for the walking challenge. When I have a dog to walk, I am out there 7 days a week, because they need their walk. Without a dog, I’m struggling to keep it up. At first I did really well, but now if something comes up it doesn’t seem like a big deal to me, so I’m USUALLY getting 5 or 6 days a week, but not always. I am doing yoga every day, but I notice that even with yoga, if I don’t get my walk in, I have more aches and pains. So again, thank you. I’ll be walking every day this month. My pictures this morning were very suburban strip mall kind of walking, I’m envious of those who have more beautiful nature within a quick walk from home.
Elisabeth
Well, I’ve been struggling to walk regularly lately (for various reasons, but mostly…laziness?). So I am excited and a bit intimidated by my own challenge. It feels like years ago since I walked outside every day and it got to the point I never had to think about it – it was such an integral part of my life. Hopefully this October will jumpstart more walking again! I’m headed off shortly with a friend, so at the very least I’ll be 2/2!
San
I am 100% for happy face speed signs and I do believe it could be an incentive for people to slow down. I believe many people – consciously or subconsciously – like the reward/gold sticker, however small.
Why would they make a speed sign with sad face for speeding but not a happy face for driving slowly? Makes no sense to me.
I don’t have a speed sign pet peeve, but a traffic-related one: I wonder if people here have not learned that they’re supposed to stop at a pedestrian crossing because rarely people do and it drives me mad.
Elisabeth
Who wouldn’t like some form of positive reinforcement?? It definitely works for me.
I think our town does a pretty good job of this, but it’s tough since we live in a university town and so people just dart out when they shouldn’t as well. A few years ago someone did get hit, but thankfully that seems VERY rare.
Sabine
We also have the speeding sign with smileys and different colored numbers. But I agree with Kyria – it also is not correct for people on bikes (usually not biking at 20km/h…).
Yes, I made the first day of the CBWC (without being a blogger), but I am not sure whether I can fit it in today (too many places to be – at least I do it by bike, not by car).
I will try to send a picture (no tulips this time of year, only windy and rainy).
Elisabeth
Different coloured numbers (like red vs. green?) would also be nice!
Glad you were able to walk on Day#1. There is zero pressure to make it all 31 days; join in when you can.
Elinoora
That is so weird – I’ve never seen a speeding sign that has only one kind of emoji. It would annoy the heck out of me too!
They recently put up a new one in our area, which I noticed cause I cycled past and got a happy face. I’m definitely not cycling faster than 30km/h 😆 not that many cars pass that way – I wonder if it was put up due to electrical bikes and the smaller motorcycles people use?
Elisabeth
So the happy face option exists! Glad you get one and now I need to figure out who to call to get one working on our local speed sign.
Cattis
This is excellent timing because we have an excercise challenge at work at the moment. 30 minutes of moving your body in some way and you’re done for the day. Today I went walking in the forest and as a bonus I found a lid to one of our food storage containers that someone (a fox I think) had carried out there. Yesterday was tuesday which is the best day of the week because it’s stable day. I get to ride a really cute haflingers named Noomi and yesterday we galopped over the fields together 😊
Elisabeth
Wow! I don’t think anyone else I know is out riding horses very often so that’s VERY COOL.
So glad you can join the walking club.
That’s great that you found the missing lid!
Suz
I’ve not seen a sad face or a smiley face, so our town is in Meh Mode.
I suppose this goes along the lines of if you follow the rules, you just get to live and not get into trouble. If you do bad, you will be called out for it? Maybe? At least I know you’re not going to jail if you get the sad face. 🤣
Elisabeth
I suppose that is how life generally works, but wouldn’t it be more cheerful if we rewarded good behaviour as much as we punished bad behaviour. At this stage though, perhaps, I should just get over it and drive the speed limit because it’s the right thing to do.
What am I saying – this is going to be a long-term pet peeve for me!
NGS
Pet peeve: A new bar has opened in our town where the old florist used to be. It’s on the corner of a busy intersection. There’s a front door and a side door. The side door is closer to parking, so people use it, but it’s like fifteen steps from the side door to the intersection, so people just cross the street without going to the intersection and someday I am going to hit a pedestrian who does this because I can’t see them when they cross there!! It’s not well lit AND it’s not in the crosswalk. I’m honestly considering changing my way home to a less direct route to avoid that intersection. Phew. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.
Elisabeth
Well, that is extremely peevish behaviour so I can see why you are frustrated. Running in to another human does NOT sound like fun, but it would be a pain to change your driving route. Harumph. I hope things suddenly clear up (maybe police will fine people for jaywalking?).
A very well-deserved pet peeve as this sucks.
Mary Ellen Knauff
Ooh this is perfect. Finding this on 10/2, but I did a quick lap yesterday while I waited for the furnace tech to show up at my house. I have so many old Happy Planner fall stickers to use up on this bad boy. Thank you!
Elisabeth
I love a good sticker! (And extra gold stars for using fall-themed stickers. How fun and festive.)
Joy
Do you know that my husband is responsible for installing that very sign? 😆 I pointed out the same thing – POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT, Tim! So here’s a smiley for you 😁
Elisabeth
What? That was TIM! Now I know who to blame. I feel betrayed (by him) and vindicated (by you). Thanks for the smiley. I’m glad it irks you too. Petition time? There’s a mayoral race happening – maybe we should make this a pivotal election issue.
Sabine
Indeed the coloured number as well as the different smileys come in traffic light colours although I am not sure what the thresholds are (absolute value, in percent…?).
[Side comment: Sorry for the new comment, but I did not manage to reply to your reply. I guess it is possible, but so probably it is a problem on my side.]
Elisabeth
Argh. It’s not your fault…my reply function has never worked on the “new” blog. I can’t figure out how to fix it and it’s so annoying and I’m sorry! I can reply within the dashboard, but nested replying doesn’t work even though ALL THE SETTINGS are turned on that should allow this…:(