You’ll really get lost on the way to this terminal
Posted on July 21st, 2009 – 9:40 AMBy Roadguy
It’s official: Highway signs around MSP will be changed to say Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 (story here). One of the things I was told during the debate was that the federal government has rules about how many words or characters can be on an official sign on a freeway. With that in mind, check out this sign I saw yesterday in Illinois, where there are apparently no limits on words, pseudo-italic fonts or parentheses:
My favorite sign, however, was the one below. If travelers find it confusing to have two terminals three miles apart (as MSP does), their heads must really spin when they drive past an airport that has “Chicago” in its name but is 80 miles from Chicago:
The major airlines stopped serving Rockford years ago — I recall that one offered connecting service from O’Hare by bus. So I feel bad that the place needs to drum up business. But putting “Chicago” in the name doesn’t change the fact that Rockford is closer to Madison than it is to the Windy City — or the fact that the airport code is RFD.
13 Responses to "You’ll really get lost on the way to this terminal"
I’ve lived in the Chicago-Milwaukee corridor for the past six years since leaving the Twin Cities and that Rockford “Points of Interest” sign always takes the cake in my book. And don’t forget about “Chicago’s Third Airport(s)” in Gary, IN and Milwaukee, WI.
On the way into Milwaukee on I94 in suburban Waukesha County there is a sign providing all the necessary exit numbers off I794 for Downtown Milwaukee attractions… A full 10-15 miles and two major interchanges before one even reaches I794.
But Lindbergh and Humphrey is confusing…
Is it possible that Rockford sign isn’t an official government/DOT road sign? It doesn’t have any directions or anything, and I’m pretty sure that Comic Sans is not an official DOT font in *any* state…
The secondary font on that sign definitely is not Comic Sans. The primary font on the sign is Clearview, which is a DOT-approved font, so that does lend some credibility to the sign.
I spent several hours on the tarmac in Rockford when Midway airport was temporarily shut down due to snow. Miserable conditions, screaming passengers, the usual stranded-on-the-tarmac story. I’d be happy if I never found my way to RFD again…
Both of these signs seem to be waiting for some kind of attention. In both pictures, you can see in the background that the landscape has been cut. But around the signs, the weeds seem to growing quite well.
Do they wait until they’re really tall before someone mows by the signs?
Maybe these signs are old and forgotten.
This whole airport signage thing is just another sad sign (no pun intended) of the dumbing-down of our society. Terminal 1? Terminal2? Oh yeah, THAT makes so much more sense. Here’s a thought, maybe people should be just a tad more responsible for themselves (ie - educating themselves on their daily activities) rather than relying on having things (information) handed to them in the form of the lowest common denominator. Because trust me, the lowest common denominator in our society is NOT the direction we want to go.
As George Carlin said ” If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?” Seems so final.
With all due respect to Roadguy (who keeps me coming here), Pete’s comment could be announced to the Strib in general. The last time I actually bought the paper, I was in the Lindber…. err… Terminal 1. I bought it so I could read it on the plane. Within about 30 minutes, I had pretty much read all of the stories (at least the ones on anything mildly important), completed the crossword, and was boarding the plane with the paper left behind.
The simplification of society has long left the station and I fear it is a one-way track. In defense of the Strib and MnDot, people concerned about broad audiences must play to the lowest denominator. Unfortunately, that fact is the fuel for this one-way train.
I have lived here since 1974 but I still cannot believe the arrogant Nice Minnesota people not understanding that the rest of the World ( yes, I have been to most) have clear directions on how to get to the airport and what Airlines operate from them. That is the issue — MSP does not even show what airlines operate out of the “Terminals” Thank heaven for intelligence of MAC in finally realizing the need for proper signage. Dumbing-down has nothing to do with it except for the “Nice Minnesota” people who don’t think this change is necessary. Dumb is having one airport with two terminals. The rest of the world and U.S. still show directions to the correct Terminal for the airline even if they are on the same roadway. You lost NWA to Atlanta and now have small planes so you could at least try to attract conventions etc with proper and clear directions to the one Airport with two Terminals across the field from each other. There is no need to continue this discussion.
Not from MSP - hey, the term is “Minnesota Nice”.
If you are going to bash us for not being nice, you could at least get the term right!
If it is so simple to arrive at the proper terminal with the current useless signs, then I propose getting rid of much of the unnecessary signage at the airport to prevent any further decline of modern civilization. Don’t you think it is stupid to have numbers at all the gates? What, have we become so lazy that we can’t count the gates? Or have some people not taken the time to learn to count to 27, the maximum gate number at concourse C? Perhaps those ignorant types should learn to fly out of concourse D and its 6 gates before wasting the Help Desk’s time teaching them to count on two hands.
And why bother with the signs for the different airlines at the dropoffs? If you dont have it memorized by now which door you are supposed to come in then go back to your homeland and quit whining to us ‘meruhkins!
While we are at it, get rid of the McDonald’s sign. If your nose cant follow the scent of that intense grease stench then you have no reason ingesting ANY food for your sustenance.
Rant over. I’m off to hear the latest End of The World update on AM radio.
Jim, living in Rockford I can shed a little light on this.
Passenger service does exist in Rockford. It resumed after 2005. I should know, the terminal used to be leased by a caterer and I had one of the last weddings there in September 2005.
As for the name, the airport officials renamed the airport around that time to tie it into Chicago. With the hubbub of building a third airport in Chicago’s south suburbs, this was Rockford’s way of saying “we’re here!” although Chicago folks aren’t happy about it. It has free parking and cheap airfares to their limited destinations if you’re willing to comply with their rules. Here’s another ironic item: the sign you saw may be the exit for the airport, but it’s another 8-10 miles away!
As for the guide signs, they’re only on the tollways and my guess is it was a tactic by our former Gov. Blago to implement some feel-good measures to neglected parts of Illinois. Also keep in mind the tollways are practically under the governor’s juristiction (this is probably why you see so much construction in so little time here compared to the rest of the state. Personally, the signs smack of desperation and almost border on free advertising.
This further illustrates that any power group does whatever it initially proposes. I call it the self fulfilling proposal. No way of knowing how many Minnesotan’s will now be confused as to which terminal is the Humphrey.
