Here at The New Leaf Journal, I have covered a fallen stop sign in Vinegar Hill, two fallen stop signs in Brooklyn Heights, and a rarer fallen truck route sign in DUMBO. Today, I bring you two photographs of a fallen dead end sign on Coles Street in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.
It appears that this once proud dead end sign suffered a mortal wound at its base. While I was not entirely sure what fell the fallen stop sign in Vinegar Hill in May 2020, I am confident that the fallen dead end sign in Cobble Hill met its end after a vehicle that did not heed its message snapped it in two.
Does a downed dead end sign change a dead end into a continuing path?
I can report not, at least for vehicles. Although the dead end sign now lies horizontal instead of standing vertical, the dead end it warned about remains. The street does indeed end at the foot of the Hamilton Avenue Footbridge, which allows pedestrians to cross from Carroll Gardens to Red Hook. While I have not covered the footbridge here on site yet (update: I later wrote about the Hamlton Avenue Footbridge), I have written about Hamilton Avenue.
The dead end sign of Coles Street fell, but the dead end remained. Drivers may not see the downed dead end sign, but let us hope they see the actual dead end. (See the dead end below.)
While I think it is an obvious dead end, at least one driver who had the benefit of a majestic dead end sign disagreed.
