10 January 2009

Drinking Fountain Street?

| nanzan
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A very odd observation from downtown Civic.

A new “street sign” has appeared at the intersection of Hobart Place and London Circuit in Civic. The sign – in a format completely identical to other street signs in Civic – simply, and enigmatically, reads: “Drinking Fountain”.

As it is identical to other street signs, including the one above it on the pole which reads “Hobart Place” (pointing in the wrong direction, albeit!), it seems to suggest that this street is now also called Drinking Fountain!

There is no actual drinking fountain in Hobart Place that I am aware of; and one wouldn’t have thought a drinking fountain was deserving of a street sign all to itself – there are, after all, probably quite a few drinking fountains around, and these sort of street signs are more tailored towards motorists, I would have thought, who are not so likely to jump out of their vehicles and grab a drink at a bubbler.

It is extremely puzzling.

Any thoughts/explanations/solutions? Can someone take a photo of it, perhaps, and upload it?

[photos to images@the-riotact.com, UPDATE: Thanks to Holden Caulfield for coming to the party.]

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To complete the story, since we’ve got a photo of the sign, can anyone score a photo of the legendary bubbler?

Wouldn’t the sign be better placed above the said bubbler/fountain so people know what it is?

There is a bubbler/fountain in Hobart Place – the thing that looks like a metal bollard on the left of the outdoor seating part of Red Belly Black is actually a bubbler.

Unfortunately not many people seem to know what it is, and there is quite often chewing gum or cigarette butts in the hole in the top of it.

Thanks. That seems to be working out for them then. =-/

But there is no drinking fountain. There is no spoon!

Um hello. Street signs don’t always mark out a street. They mark out other things like landmarks, buildings, tourist spots etc.

Try your luck in NSW. Have any of you been over the border?

poptop said :

What’s the little Woolmark-like symbol for?

The symbol is a hexagon, the sign is on London circuit, London circuit is a hexagon…
Coincidence? Probably not.
There was probably an departmental consultation meeting with the public about if and what logo to put on them, at taxpayer expense.

Looks to me like they had to use a narrower font to fit it on the sign.

What’s the little Woolmark-like symbol for?

Holden Caulfield3:53 pm 10 Jan 09

Yes, I agree. Most likely just an issue with the contractor who made the sign. And it’s only boneheads like me that are likely to care anyway. 😛

The font differences look more like someone lost the original template than a deliberate use of font to convey a different status.

Holden Caulfield3:09 pm 10 Jan 09

I took a couple of photos earlier today. Being the anal typeophile I am, the signs aren’t quite “identical”. Just to prove what an anal bastard I am, the Hobart Pl sign is in Frutiger Bold Condensed and the Drinking Fountain sign is in Interstate Bold Condensed, but for everyone else, yes, they are identical, haha.

Links to the pics are below (johnboy, please insert/add as you please). The only water feature I could find nearby was the familiar Sweet Justice one from about 2003.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh177/Holden-Caulfield/Hobart-Pl-01.jpg
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh177/Holden-Caulfield/Hobart-Pl-02.jpg
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh177/Holden-Caulfield/Hobart-Pl-03.jpg

At the entry to that car park from Marcus Clarke St there is only a sign for Hobart Place.

I assume there is actually a fountain somewhere that you can drink from. Much more in need of a sign then a lousy bubbler.

Or though, a bubbler that works these days would rate a sign…

This is most odd. Gungahlin Al should know what to do. He knows all about this kind of stuff.

Is “drinking fountain” american? I thought the Australian term was “bubbler”.

Street art? It balances a street sign near my place which has been missing for months.

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