September 10, 2019
Real time.
Canadians love pictures on their road signs. Here are more examples of signs I saw while visiting Canada earlier this year. I either took these photos or saw similar signs during my journey. Sometimes it wasn’t safe or practical to stop and get the actual photo.
This was the sign I mentioned having seen the day I drove through Chandler, QC on my way to Gaspé:
I presume it means “This is where the Canadian mob buries the bodies”. I didn’t go back to take a photo of the actual sign I saw but found this online in one of the provincial Driver’s License manuals (which is why it is so tiny).
Next up:
“Motel ahead. You’ll sleep like an egg.”
I saw that one several places as part of a collection of signs at a highway exit indicating which services could be found after taking the exit. And along the same vein:
“How about grabbing your driver another beer…”.
I also saw this sign several times during my trip, but usually in places where I couldn’t stop to take a photo:
“No drag racing” (It actually means No Passing and was generally found in construction zones).
I saw this sign shortly after getting off the ferry as I drove northeast past Tadoussac, QC.
One place I DIDN’T see it was the previous day on the opposite side of the St. Lawrence River as a logging truck pulled out onto the highway well ahead of me and when I caught up to it was showered for several miles with bark, chips and wood dust and debris. I bet that truck weighted 100 pound less when it arrived at it’s destination than it did when it started out earlier in the day.
I saw a sign like this a few hours later as I drove back south towards Tadoussac and was descending a hill after having passed a small ski area:
The image-grab contains the description of what the sign above depicts. For safe measure this sign also accompanied it:
“Don’t pretend you’re driving a truck”.
As I was literally driving on to the westbound ferry in Tadoussac I saw this sign off near the ferry-boarding ramp:
Again, the image-grab explains the obvious meaning. This wasn’t the actual sign I saw and believe me, I have scoured the internet trying to find the exact image. The sign I saw looked like a drawing of a small cherub, like the “peeing child” sculpture in Belgium but with the classic red circle and slash indicating NO. Since making that ferry crossing I have examined all future crossing sites or logical places for it’s use but with no luck.
Along the same lines…
This one means “Go pee over there”. Full disclosure – the sign above is incomplete and would normally contain letters and numbers in the white space above the arrow indicating what days and times you are allowed to park in the area indicated by the direction of the arrow.
And while on the subject of ferries:
“This ferry is for cars only. If you’re driving a truck, sorry pal, go find your own ferry”. Actually every ferry I rode during my trip cheerfully accepted cars, trucks, motorcycles and pedestrians (as long as they weren’t peeing).
I saw this sign late in my trip, on a travel day as I was dreadfully close to putting myself “on the clock,” hence the reason I didn’t go back to get a photo of the actual sign:
“Surprise! This covered bridge has no floor. Hope you’re wearing a life jacket”
And speaking of surprises, I saw this as I was approaching Québec City:
Don’t believe what you read. This means “The guy in the car ahead of you just farted”.
I saw this sign near a bus stop in Toronto:
“If there’s water on the roadway, speed up and try skipping over it like a stone”
And finally, I saw three of these signs the last morning I was in Canada. I had seen the orange one while walking around in Toronto.
“You’re about to get hit by a large truck”
And out on a country road a few days later:
“Now you’re in real danger. You’ve stumbled into a Canadian Demolition Derby and you’re about to get hit by trucks coming at you from all directions”
We’ve probably all seen “No Outlet” signs on dead-end streets or cul-de-sacs. This one is more positive:
“For you savvy electric car owners – Electrical Outlet Ahead”
And one slightly more cryptic sign:
I’m thinking… “You’ve stumbled into a black-paint-balloon dodgeball course”. I’m not sure but it is perhaps another “Fog Ahead” warning
And one humorous sign I saw (though not this particular one) in, always one to be a rebel, Québec province. This one has no pictures and nothing but words but deserves honorable mention:
Ever-proper, Québec can’t even bring itself to use the American slang term “Jake Brake” (when a large truck uses it’s engine to slow itself down by having the driver downshift, often resulting in an obnoxious sound which many small towns prohibit within their jurisdictions). Evidently in Québec it’s a “Jacob” Brake, thank you very much.
johnboystravelblog 