New Yorkers outraged as bureaucrats order city to change lettering on every single street sign

[Harry 1,088]

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.

 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/09/30/2010-09-30_bureaucrats_order_city_to_change_every_street_sign_leading_ny_to_say__it_is_just.html#ixzz110zLJPyM

[The Real 2,914]

I've already seen this font popping up all over the Bronx. I thought I was seeing things!

[Urbanfortitude 123]

I'm kinda neutral....long as i can actually see the sign i'm ok. But some of those cross signs be all hidden from plain view some only exist on one side of the street. That's kind of annoying. But in this day and age where everything is Digital/GPS, it shouldnt be a major issue. Hell it may even separate the tourists from the new yorkers if enough doesn't do it already.

[Dan05979 1,028]

Thats why I got lost everytime I went somewhere in Manhattan. Because all the letters were capital. Whats next, One way instead of ONE WAY?

[INDman 414]

If the Feds don't like it, let them pay for it. Their spending or mone for no reason.

[Infamous85 13]

They are easier to read, the all capital ones aren't hard to read but they can look monotonous and close together so it can take a second or two longer to read it and those seconds count. Plus the new font looks better IMO. But let them pay for it.

[Dan05979 1,028]

Doesn't even look like New York City, now those signs look like streets in Florida.

[Messino 1]

yeah lets spend money we dont have..unbelievable...This country is pretty dumb..Now I know why the rest of the world makes fun of us.. Its because of idiotic things like this..It makes no difference if the letters are all in caps or not..

[Eric B 1,073]

And the thing that is most disgustting is that this is the kind of pet whim much money (on the state/local and federal level) is wasted on, yet people who complaining about "government spending" and taxes (Tea Parties, etc) focus on "social programs", like that is where all the money is going.

(Let's not forget that that font is owned by someone, who will probably be getting a lot of money for it).

 

The problem of visibility was already addressed, with the new, larger signs that hang from the traffic lights, which are in lowercase, and which many other places have already long had.

[SoSpectacular 771]

Heh, I guess this explains the new lettering on some of the signs I've seen around Queens... "Hillside Av". Lololololol can someone explain how THAT is going to help others? Everyone should damn well know their English, this is New York City damn it. The overhead signs were good enough!

[LRG 217]

Absolute waste of money if you ask me...there's absolutely nothing wrong with the old font. That $27 million dollars could have been invested into something more meaningful and/or purposeful.

[Fresh Pond 5,371]

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I just seen it on News 12 Brooklyn. Complete waste of money in my books. Haven't heard no complaints on the old font and that been up for longer than I been born.

[B35 via Church 10,303]

this is what I call the suburban font...

 

when I see street signs like that, that's how I can tell when I'm in Westchester, vs in the bronx... in Nassau, vs in Queens...

 

 

 

anyway, I agree w/ everyone that says this is a waste of money.

[Princelex 281]

I've seen these signs in different parts of the Bronx this week wondering if this was a citywide thing. All this is is more money down the drain. The whole thing about visibility is a joke IMO. If you can't see the signs up currently, what makes you think you'll see these new signs any better? This is so stupid to me.

[Queens Surface 434]

With the new lettering it will actually be harder for drivers to see street signs over the current ones.

[MTARegional Bus 247]

The worse waste of Tax money ever, the old signs were fine, why change it?

[SubwayGuy 2,321]

Doesn't even look like New York City, now those signs look like streets in Florida.

 

Wonderful. Now we're copying what they do down there so the geezers that shouldn't have been driving the last 2 decades can see. What's next, LED street signs with clear font and gigantic highway advisory sized letters??

[INDman 414]

This would not be so bad if the signs were being contracted out to compaines around the city. At least then it would help local businesses, but a am sure that all the signs will be made by the DOT's sign shop.

[Eric 1]

I absolutely hate this. The city's getting so revamped recently.

The subway map redesign I can understand because it coincided with a service change.

But this? It looks awful. :tdown:

[Cait Sith 9,299]

Leave the signs the way they are, idiots.

[The Real 2,914]

With the new lettering it will actually be harder for drivers to see street signs over the current ones.

 

As a driver, I have to say I disagree. The new signs catch my attention everytime and I can actually see the letters better under the new font because they letters are spaced a little more than the capital lettered ones and it doesn't look as mashed up as the older signs.

 

The signs I REALLY like are the ones they've put attached to the street lights that are almost dead center to the road. Now those WORK!

[INDman 414]

As a driver, I have to say I disagree. The new signs catch my attention everytime and I can actually see the letters better under the new font because they letters are spaced a little more than the capital lettered ones and it doesn't look as mashed up as the older signs.

 

 

I think there eye catching because there new, give it another 20 years and the Feds will mandate new street signs.

[Art Vandelay 783]

Lets remember- This is being done as signs come up for replacement

We would be spending this money anyway.

[Dan05979 1,028]

If they wanted to get fancy, they should have put up led lit street signs, at least it would look cool.

[metsfan 2]

In the uk, they have had much success with the upper/lower case, and their streets are far more confusing than the mostly grid of nyc.

 

- A