In an urban area, you learn to pay attention to traffic signs. In fact, the constantly cautious scan for some clue about driving conditions, because you never know when a one-way street will turn and become one-way going the opposite direction, or the Grand Eminent Statesman Highway will turn into Paisley Plaid Place.
But this traffic sign in Bethesda, Maryland, is genuinely baffling. The glaring orange is telling you to Pay Attention! This is important! The upper arrow appears to be suggesting you bend your car around a couple of corners and continue in the same direction. The lower one emphatically insists that you turn to the left, immediately.
The correct course of action was unclear: the road was entirely blocked.
