MI Sign Issue Revisited.

[whitedust]

I have put on about 2000 UP miles this year & can't say I have slowed down at all as far as trail speed. Yes some curves could be marked better & lack of bridge ahead signs has been a problem on Trail 2 seems we all arrive at hidden bridges at same time when we had bridge ahead signs oncoming traffic seemed more staggered. Drift areas have been aok but still an important sign too. All & all the signs removal has not been a problem for me but I'm not a newbie to these trails either. I wanted to give the MI sign removal project 2 years before I was ready to comment & now seems the time. Get bridge ahead & drift area signs back + mark a few curves better & I'm aok with the changes.....but it the sign removal was supposed to slow me down that would be a big fat NO. LOL

 

[buddah2]

You're the exception to the rule......in many cases it just seemed to speed 'em up.............unfortunately..........

 

[whitedust]

You're the exception to the rule......in many cases it just seemed to speed 'em up.............unfortunately..........

Yep to me you form a rhythm & just ride take in whatever signs along the way some curves were poorly marked but didn't change my speed.

 

[Polarice]

... mark a few curves better & I'm aok with the changes

I agree here.

It's as dumb as it gets removing some of those curve signs.

 

[Deleted member 10829]

Get bridge ahead & drift area signs back + mark a few curves better & I'm aok with the changes.....

You are admitting that they took too many signs down, and I agree. My biggest beef is the curves ahead signs, or lack thereof. I can't tell you how many times last week, on a 650 mile 3 day saddlebag trip, that I came upon corners marked at the corner that they turned right, when they actually went left, but 50 yards further down the trail it did go right but only had a small arrow right at the corner. So they are marking the right turn in advance even though there is a corner that goes left prior to that turn. Is that clear as mud? Kind of hard to explain, but I saw it dozens of times and I had to laugh every time! They need to do a much better job of marking curves IMO.

 

[Hoosier]

I think it's so dangerous out there everyone should boycott the UP from this Thursday through Tuesday. This will be the only time I'll be out this season, so I'll take a look around at the signs at report back.

Just kidding - I haven't been out yet this year and have no comment on the actual signs.

 

[whitedust]

You are admitting that they took too many signs down, and I agree. My biggest beef is the curves ahead signs, or lack thereof. I can't tell you how many times last week, on a 650 mile 3 day saddlebag trip, that I came upon corners marked at the corner that they turned right, when they actually went left, but 50 yards further down the trail it did go right but only had a small arrow right at the corner. So they are marking the right turn in advance even though there is a corner that goes left prior to that turn. Is that clear as mud? Kind of hard to explain, but I saw it dozens of times and I had to laugh every time! They need to do a much better job of marking curves IMO.

Yes Mark we both rode some of the same trails last week & some of the curve marking in the interior is well plain "goofy".lol

 

[Deleted member 10829]

You know what I'm talking about then? I was hoping others would notice. It is "goofy". They just need to mark curves better and known hazards, like the big dips on trail 3 just south of Mass City.

 

[Firecatguy]

That was my concern when this first came up!!corners and bridges(even big dips etc) needed to stay.......I wonder how the accident reports fair in conjunction to the signage?

(just asking so please keep the bashing to limit)

 

[whitedust]

You know what I'm talking about then? I was hoping others would notice. It is "goofy". They just need to mark curves better and known hazards, like the big dips on trail 3 just south of Mass City.

Yes I do know.... the UP interior trails are much more twisty much like NW Forest WI county trails without signage compared to WUPMI trail 8 & north trails in general. Northern WI trails are much better signed for curves & hazzards than UP but I still ride the same line of sight but good signage does help. The big dips on trail 3 just south of Mass City well I know they are there so not a problem for me but if a rider came hauling thru there not knowing it could be a problem but maybe going too fast or his sled is not set up to handle it. Me I enjoy those dips lots of fun for me.

 

[russholio]

I can't tell you how many times last week, on a 650 mile 3 day saddlebag trip, that I came upon corners marked at the corner that they turned right, when they actually went left, but 50 yards further down the trail it did go right but only had a small arrow right at the corner. So they are marking the right turn in advance even though there is a corner that goes left prior to that turn. Is that clear as mud? Kind of hard to explain, but I saw it dozens of times and I had to laugh every time! They need to do a much better job of marking curves IMO.

You're not alone.....I've run across this, too. Not as many times as you seem to have, but it's out there for sure. I still see occasional chevrons, too. I just wrote it all off as part of the learning curve and that it will take a couple or few years to get it tweaked. Still have to wonder why they didn't implement it in doses, but it is what it is and it's part of the game now.

Pat -- can't say how accidents in general correlate to the signage issue, but fatality numbers don't seem to be abnormal from any other year.

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/2013-2014_Michigan_Snowmobile_Fatality_Summary_443733_7.pdf

 

[gogebic_sledder]

I blew a turn pretty bad this season, nobodys fault but mine. Less signs didn't prevent me from being a ricky racer.

 

[raceinsnow]

I hate to say this but there was a death on 2-1 in my riding area and I beleave it was because of no signs for the corner. The people came up from out of state and most likely had no idea the signs were removed. There should be a corner sign after every long strait away.

 

[2TrakR]

I use my brakes more now, as without the corner signs I have less options informing me of upcoming conditions.

With the corner markers I had more opportunity to also prepare for possible oncoming traffic.

Many of the Clubs are still on the learning curve as to where signs should or should not be anymore. This compounds the issue as you travel between areas maintained by different organizations. Some ripped every sign down, some followed the book and put up what it says. Eventually this will even out.

Those items combine to provide a poorer experience overall.

I ride MI and WI (both substantially) and feel WI's signing system is quite a bit better now. Used to prefer MI's system.

 

[Polarice]

Those who are behind the poor mi sign changes also lost a chromosome.

 

[longtrack]

This will all be decided in some Meeting with a bunch of Accident stats in front of them.

It will end up being Alcohol and Speed, not Signs.

 

[renegade600]

Just my observation, the elimination of the signs would not be so much of an issue for the first or even 2nd rider in a group, but when you were the 6th rider (like i was this last weekend in the UP) the snowdust was hanging enough that i was bouncing off the pickers all weekend....

Some advance notice of bridges being one... the trail narrows at the bridge and with snowdust from other sleds you are on top of it before you know it..... if you drop back so far to let it clear, then you are no longer riding with your group.....
Tom

 

[uncle_ed]

I heard nascar was going to implement signage to minimize accidents this year.....

 

[ajscam]

but if the sign removal was supposed to slow me down that would be a big fat NO. LOL

This would seem to suggest that you weren't riding sign to sign to begin with (good on ya). I don't think you were the "target audience" for this change... I don't think the intent was to slow everybody down proportionately; only those riding above their skill level, or sign to sign.

 

[whitedust]

This would seem to suggest that you weren't riding sign to sign to begin with (good on ya). I don't think you were the "target audience" for this change... I don't think the intent was to slow everybody down proportionately; only those riding above their skill level, or sign to sign.

I don't get the "ride sign to sign thing".....sooner or later you do need to look at the trail no matter what the sign says. Your set up for a given curve may be different but you still need to see curve to ride thru it. My concern is the other guy coming at me does not have the sign info for proper set up & is over on my side. If I'm in a tight twsity & I get signal of 5+ sleds I'll stop & tuck in out of the way 1 of those guys will be riding **** bent to leather to keep up does not have same level of sled tech, skill or both. Signs might help him which will also help me survive him.