All signs point to frustration - particularly if the signs are obscure and ineffective.

Coquitlam council expressed its dissatisfaction with the province's policies around signage at key entry and exit points to the city Monday.

Council was particularly miffed at signs that only point to highway and off-ramp numbers, but neglect to provide the specific names behind those routes.

"There isn't a single person I can find that calls it Highway 7B - we call it Mary Hill Bypass," Mayor Richard Stewart said during Monday's council in committee meeting. "It used to say Mary Hill Bypass on the signage. It now says Highway 7B. It's incredibly frustrating."

Coun. Terry O'Neill noted that few, if any, signs in the area of the Port Mann/Highway 1 Improvement project actually point motorists in the direction of Coquitlam.

"It's not great signage but the thing that really bothers me is [there's] no mention of Coquitlam," he said.

Maurice Gravelle, Coquitlam's general manager of strategic initiatives, said city staff have been asking representatives of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to have those signage policies re-visited for the last 18 months.

"We were able to make a few inroads on that, but they do have policies and procedure in terms of names," he said. "They look at destinations, so when you're coming in from the east, they're showing Vancouver or they're showing Whistler. They're not showing interim communities."

According to Gravelle, the province did allow for the city's name to be posted on some signage in communities east of the Port Mann Bridge.

"The provincial agency has said that's all they're prepared to give us," he added.

Bill Susak, Coquitlam's manager of engineering and public works, said city staffers are further researching the province's signage policies, while also looking into how other communities deal with the issue Coquitlam is facing.

"We have heard it from more than one corridor that provincial highway signage is problematic," he said. "It's difficult to figure out where you're going in Coquitlam, for example, or where the landmarks are. It does not seem to be a very flexible policy. [The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure] seems to be applying a one size fits all [system]."

Representatives from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure did not respond to an interview request before NOW deadline.

jkurucz@thenownews.com