Driving in and around Toronto, you're bound to come across some pretty strange things on the road, from wildlife sightings to tense road rage incidents, and even some motorists driving straight into oncoming traffic.

The latest head-scratching incident in Toronto involves a few street signs that were installed completely backwards and in one case, backwards and upside down. 

And it's not the first time that botched signs have been spotted in the city in the past month.

A researcher and heritage advocate told blogTO that he recently came across the baffling street signs at the corner of Church Street and Dundas Street East, noting that they appear to be "relatively new." 

The individual recently shared his perplexing find on a community Facebook page, called Weird Toronto, where the pictures immediately picked up hundreds of reactions and dozens of comments. 

While many quickly blamed the City for incorrectly installing the street signs, others suspected that the signs will likely be fixed when new traffic lights are installed at Mutual Street and Dundas Street East later in 2024. 

"Likely on purpose. The signs were delivered before the actual changes are to take place. They'll flip them at the right time. Still looks funny though," one comment reads. 

"I think it might have been done on purpose. Sometimes they'll install a sign backwards and when certain roadwork is complete, they'll go back up and flip them around," another person wrote. 

Despite this, many asserted that the "bizarre" practice could potentially lead to some confusion among motorists in the area. 

"The more that I think about it, the more that doesn't make sense. How is that easier than just doing it when it needs to be done. That requires sending two crews out at two different times, potentially obstructing/confusing traffic on two occasions," one response says. 

Others didn't see the backwards signs as much of an issue, and used the opportunity to make some witty traffic-related jokes instead. "Those are signs for when you are driving in reverse in your car," one comment reads. 

Back in December, the City of Toronto was similarly questioned when several newly installed bike path signs misspelled Lake Shore Trail. One sign spotted on Leslie Street read "Lake Shore Trial," while another sign along Eastern Avenue read "Lake Share Trail." 

City staff said they ensure prompt "correction when notified on an exceptional instance of a spelling mistake on City fabricated sign," and apologized for the oversight that was a result of "human error" in the proofreading process.

Regarding the backwards street signs, the City of Toronto told blogTO that "the signage in question pertains to the upcoming activation of a new traffic signal. Currently, the signage has been placed in reserve position since the signal is not yet activated. Once activated, the signs will be repositioned to alert road users about the newly activated traffic signal."