Lately I, and others, have noticed new directional signs located at points along the Anacostia Tributary Trails. There's one on the Paint Branch Trail just as you come up from under Route 1 in College Park on the east side of Route 1 (pictured), and another on the south side of Riverdale Road that I know of (though I'm sure there are more).
This is great. I believe similar signs are planned for the Anacostia Riverwalk and Met Branch. They're really enhance the trails utility and sense of place. If you ever go biking on a trail with a newbie they will inevitably ask you "Where ARE we?" because the the wayfinding tools there used to on the roads just don't exist. This appears to be part of the Anacostia Trails Heritage Management Plan which had one goal to
Develop and implement the Anacostia Trails Heritage Area graphic identity and design the signage system, including wayfinding (directional) signs, visitor reception kiosks and outdoor interpretive signs. Guidelines should relate trail amenities and streetscape elements to the overall look of the Heritage Area.
(Thanks to Mike Plakus for the heads up and the photo)
Speaking of signage, I went on a drive in Virginia a few weeks ago. All along the highways there were historical markers for this town or this county; but they were placed at points where one couldn't read them and at places where stopping to read them would actually be dangerous. I can't figure out what they were thinking. I bet that historical/cultural markers along trails (like those along the W&OD) get many more reads per day than those along highways, despite the higher traffic.
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