Posted on 09/30/2010 8:00:45 AM PDT by Qbert
The city will change the lettering on every single street sign - at an estimated cost of about $27.5 million - because the feds don't like the font.
Street names will change from all capital letters to a combination of upper and lower case on roads across the country thanks to the pricey federal regulation, officials said Wednesday.
By 2018, MADISON AVE. will become Madison Ave. and will be printed in a font called Clearview, the city Department of Transportation says.
The Federal Highway Administration says the switch will improve safety because drivers identify the words more quickly when they're displayed that way - and can sooner return their eyes to the road.
Still, several city residents were OUTRAGED.
"That's ridiculous," said James Sullivan, 34, a bike messenger from Queens. "They might as well just burn the damn money."
[Snip]
The city has about 250,000 signs, and it costs about $110 to replace one, the DOT says. Officials said the new signs will have improved reflectivity and clarity for nighttime drivers.
(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
“Yes, I’m a typography nut”
Right, that’s the kind of nut you are. :-\.
Seriously though, the difference in word recognition times between all caps and mixed is probably less than a quarter second. It doesnt make a significant difference in the real world.
Obama jobs program?
This is a perfect issue for Paladino. Tell Bloomberg he will lose the $27m in state aid if he capitulates to the Feds.
Good find. It looks like make-work for city unions. Another dip into taxpayers pockets for politicians to buy union support.
But think of all the JOBS this change is creating!!!! Cities across the country will have to hire tons of new employees just to change out the signs.
Don’t laugh. This actually IS how govt. creates jobs.
It definitely is, and at 35mph a quarter of a second is almost a car length when you're trying to find the street you're looking for. It would be advantageous for the signs to be more easily readable, the problem is that the difference isn't enough to justify millions to replace serviceable signs. This is an improvement a smart government saves for when the signs need replacing anyway.
This is the fed’s business why? Are these federal highways?
“This is a perfect issue for Paladino.”
Yep. And Joe DioGuardi, too.
>>Sounds like the sign makers and construction union to replace them have made their proper payment to government election campaigns.<<
Yep. When something seems to make no sense, it means we have just not identified the reason it is being done. Now it makes sense. ;)
Unfortunately, the 2011 act will probably cost more than the aforementioned 2010 act.
Good grief. What a waste of money.
If they really wanted to improve readability, they’d order a dark font on a light background. Any vision expert will tell you that.
Ours got either vandalized or corrected, depending on perspective...somebody crossed out the “to work” with what looks like electrical tape. That doesn’t make much sense; perhaps they were planning to change the “putting” to something else (I can think of several options) and were interrupted.
Maybe the city didn’t like all those signs yelling on the streetcorners.
Would that be the fed funding to make the change? Sounds like a wash.
At one time, we were all going to have to get new license plates here in NYS....made by prisoners....
Folks went nuts and they said...okay...people win...you don't all have to get new plates.
So, is this legislation that they really wanted in the first place. They're feeding someone with this contract.
And since when does the Fed have the authority to tell a city or state how to manage it’s internal roadways?
Oh, nevermind. I must be thinking of some other country ...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.