Ann & Fourth Ave.

Both people pictured (Vicki Honeyman and Rich Sheridan) said they had not affixed the “Wrong” note.

Someone with a wrench just needs to rotate it 180.

Matt – But then it wouldn’t be perpendicular to the street. Purpose defeated.

Rotated 180 degrees, it would still be perpendicular to Fourth Ave., but would be on the wrong side of the street to help drivers.

Fantastic and hilarious… up to the point that I start thinking how much it cost and how much it will cost to fix… then it wasn’t hilarious anymore.

That’s sweet of you to worry about the costs to the vendor for correcting their mistake, Fred. :-)

It’s on the wrong corner. It needs to be on the southwest corner. Then everything will be pointing the right way. Is there a sign on the southwest corner? Does it point the wrong way, too? :-)

I’m assuming the vendor probably did it to specs and the city will pay… will be neat to know.

Here’s another one that’s wrong, over on South U: Photo (via @britain)

Does anyone have the specs for these signs? Would be fun to read.

That South U one is a puzzle. Is there anywhere it *could* be correct? (Or is there a post office on South U now?)

There’s a post office on South U, in the Galleria building. However, it’s on a list of about two dozen post offices in Michigan that USPS might close to deal with its budget deficit.

I had to stop in there earlier today to refresh myself on exactly where it was. The outlet doesn’t show up on a Google Maps search. Alas, it doesn’t have one of those automated postage printers, either, so my trip was wasted.

There’s also an interesting two-faced sign outside the Exhibit Museum, suggesting (to westbound traffic on North U, headed toward State) that the South University area is to the right (north), and suggesting (to eastbound traffic, North U headed toward Washtenaw) that Hill Auditorium and the State Street Area will be on the left (toward U-M hospital).

West-bound on Liberty, by the alley past Yoshi’s, a sign indicates the Main Street area is to the right (north); there is no sign at Washington and Fourth giving further direction, so I guess you keep heading north until you hit Kingsley. Grab a sandwich at Zingerman’s; forget about Main. By the alley past Cafe Japon, a sign points west for visitor information and the bus station, but there’s no sign at Ashley pointing you north; I guess you keep going down Liberty until you feel sufficiently informed! I saw the back of a sign down Glen, north of Huron, that said “Downtown,” which seems a bit of a stretch.

I think the problem is that simple arrows are insufficient for wayfinding in Ann Arbor. I propose squiggles, pretzels, and even exclamation points. (An exclamation point came to mind recently when I was walking down Washtenaw toward Trader Joe’s; a car stopped me and asked for directions to the VA Hospital. !)

This all might be the beginnings of a clever new campaign that might be called: “Get Lost in Ann Arbor! Don’t fight it, enjoy it!”

OK, this is starting to feel ridiculous. Who’s behind this, the DDA? Is there any way to get a comment on this from someone in charge?

Perhaps I can provide some insight:

* The signs are not all installed to date, so some confusion will occur as one is directed West without the corresponding arrow to turn you North at the appropriate time. The wayfinding is designed as a system, but it is not possible to install all the signs on a single day.

* The sign at 4th and Ann that started this thread is a 2 sided sign that appears to have the signs mounted on the wrong sides. I am sure that the final checks to the fabricators and installers will not be released unil there is a comprehensive review and correction process.

* The wayfinding project history and much more can be located at: link

Hope this helps.