QEW
The QEW signs are different from the standard King’s Highway signs. In 1939, a special crown shield design was introduced for the QEW. The signs bore the lettering “ER”, a Latin abbreviation for “Elizabeth Regina” (meaning Queen Elizabeth). The signs were yellow in colour, with blue lettering. In 1955, new signs were installed on the QEW, removing the old “ER” letter combination. The new signs had the acronym “QEW” in blue lettering on a fluorescent yellow background. Around 1997, the MTO began replacing the fluorescent yellow QEW signs with new signs which had a deep yellow-orange background colour. The font of the lettering was redesigned and the blue colour was made slightly lighter. The dimensions of modern (post-1955) QEW signs are 64 cm by 45 cm (25 5/8” by 18”, at the widest point). The exact dimensions of the pre-1955 QEW signs are not known at this time. The following photos depict a QEW sign from 1940, a QEW sign from the 1970s, and a recent QEW sign:
McDonald Cartier
In addition to the shields along the MacDonald-Cartier Freeway, there were also large blue signs installed at various points along the highway. These signs were introduced in 1965, and were phased out in the early 1980s. This is a picture of a blue MacDonald-Cartier Freeway sign, taken near Toronto International Airport in 1978:
Stepping out in 1928
(Source: historicaltoronto)
