Thursday, December 02, 2010

Dead End/No Outlet

Union City, Connecticut

Naugatuck, Connecticut

As far as I know the two signs have the same meaning, but I don't know why both signs are used. I grew up on a dead end street in New Jersey, and there weren't any "no outlet" signs there.

Pictures from New York City continue over at The WPII Blog.

2 comments:

Edd Fuller said...

Carl, actually I think there is a difference. A dead end street is a single street that ends in a cul-de-sac. "No Outlet" would be used where the street leads to a network of streets, none of which connect back to the main road. In either case you have to come out the same way that you came in. I am not sure that this usage is consistent, and in practical terms this distinction is probably meaningless, but making meaningless distinctions is one of the things I do best.

Carl Weese said...

Edd, that sounds plausible, but it's almost too logical. ;-)

I'm going to look into it though and check if that pattern, or some other, is consistent. I had just sort of assumed that 'no outlet' was Connecticut-speak for the 'dead end' usage in New Jersey, until I noticed both signs, from locations only a mile or so apart, in a recent walkabout. I've seen both signs many other places, but wasn't paying attention to whether they coexisted or were either/or.