All my research to date on this sign has indicated that the D5-5a is a US sign and its posting a US phenomenon.
Check out the new items in the D5-5a store! You can get t-shirts, hoodies, a coffee mug, a coaster and some really nifty picnic bags.
Outfit your infant in a picnic onesie! They're really cute.
That's just too much snow.
Here's a unique example of the D5-5a sign—a wall hanging! Fairly accurate in detail, it even has the right colors.
Obviously for a room where a 24"x24" metal sign wouldn't be welcome.
Have you ever wanted your very own D5-5a sign to designate your favorite picnic spot? If you have (or even if you haven't), surf over to the folks at RoadSafe Traffic Systems and pick out a shiny new D5-5a.
They've got official 24"x24" signs in a variety of substrates with a variety of warranties and prices.
Tell them who sent you!
An alert reader sent in this backyard picnic spot. Looks more like a
picture of their kid's swing but there is a nice D5-5a in the background!
An alert reader from Ohio sent in this snapshot of an old D5-5a "Picnic Area" sign from a trip to Alabama in January 2009.
Send us your travel signs and we'll post them here!
In 1991, the Office of Safety and Traffic Operations of the Federal Highway Administration sponsored a project to evaluate "the effectiveness of symbol traffic signs for young, middle-aged and elderly drivers." This document, Symbol Signing Design for Older Drivers (FHWA-RD-94-069 in PDF) was published in July 1997.
One of findings (pg 63) was that the small detail of the "picnic table beside a leaning tree" made the sign slightly more difficult to understand. The report concluded that distance would only increase that difficulty.
So, while the 1988 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD 1988, pg 2D-26 in PDF) does indeed include the "picnic table beside a leaning tree", the MUTCD 2000 (PDF) does not. The 1997 report seems to have signaled the end for this icon.
