23 February 2017

Is this the capital’s silliest sign?

| Charlotte
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Canberra sign at Kingston railway. Photo: Charlotte Harper

Welcome to ‘C’, the nation’s capital!

Canberra sign at Kingston railway. Photo: Charlotte Harper

This Canberra sign at Kingston Railway has got to be on the shortlist for silliest sign in the city.

Not that there’s anything silly about the sign itself, it’s more the positioning of it in front of two well-established bushes that is the issue here.

Canberra sign at Kingston railway. Photo: Charlotte Harper

In the installation team’s defence, the main purpose of this sign is to welcome visitors on the other side of the fence. It’s the sign that travellers arriving by train see as their carriages pull into Canberra station. But being double sided, the end result is a sign that works well for its primary function, but is a complete shocker when viewed from the carpark or taxi rank at the station.

Canberra sign at Kingston railway. Photo: Charlotte Harper

The orange sign is part of the NSW State Rail network’s signage system rather than anything to do with the ACT Government.

The signs were rolled out to benches and poles at stations within the Sydney and state rail networks from late 2014/early 2015.

Here’s a video about it from Sydney Trains Vlog:

To be fair, I can’t see a simple solution to this problem. The bushes obstructing the view are part of a row of plants that provide some attractive landscaping in contrast with the mostly bleak outlook for new arrivals to Canberra Station. To trim them or remove them would be a shame.

Canberra sign at Kingston railway. Photo: Charlotte Harper

Raising the sign is probably not on option given it needs to be a certain height to be viewed by seated train passengers on the other side.

I reckon this is one of those quirks that we’re stuck with.

Have you seen other silly sign scenarios around town? We’d love you to share them via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #signsofCBR

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I’d have thought that’s a very appropriate welcome to Canberra – that’s how signs are installed in this city (just look at how many road signs are installed behind trees, or even other signs).

So you’re worried that people arriving in the carpark might not know where they are?

It’s a platform sign. It has nothing to do with people arriving in the car park.

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