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 ...
“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.”
That might be true at interstate or highway speeds but on city streets - come on.
Looking into my crystal ball.....
I see all the signs are changed to the new font.
I see the mayor writing a check for $27 million.
I see.... I see...
A bureaucrat deciding he doesn’t like the color green.
Is this going to mandated nation wide? Let me guess: our stimulus dollars at work?
that is the FIRST thing I thought of too!
It is NO coincidence that Warren Buffet was one of Obama’s advisers when the Democrats pushed through the healthcare bill which requires everyone to buy insurance like the kind Buffet sells through his Geico insurance unit.
This is just another case of the government ordering us to buy the products of those that donate to their elections.
It is 100% certain there will be a follow up to this story about all the newly repainted signs with spelling errors, incorrect street/avenue names, signs mounted upside down or mounted on the wrong street.
Wait until they have to change them all to Arabic.
Look at the areas where you have the highest population of liberals. You also have the highest number of laws and regulations, highest tax rates, highest costs, highest debt, and highest crime rates. This is the result of a Liberal utopian society.
*shakes head*
“It is 100% certain there will be a follow up to this story about all the newly repainted signs with spelling errors, incorrect street/avenue names, signs mounted upside down or mounted on the wrong street.”
;-)
Maybe a little bit of a delusional theory.
Maybe a republican mole in the DOT trying to get everyone mad at the democratic fools in charge.
This hillarious because in our city the EPA has told the city that it can no longer dump limbs and brush on a piece of land it owns.. it has to be taken to the dump or recycled!
Being familiar with construction, I know if will cost far more than $110 per sign. It would require several men to travel, set up ladders/platforms at thousands of locations and work at heights. The signs would also have to be placed at the proper locations and orientations.
When all the mistakes, accidents, union fighting and regulations are done with, I’d be surprised if it only costs $100 million. Then add a few giant city lawsuits from people or ambulances getting lost due to sign mistakes.
Every day, I feel more like I shouldn’t have left the USSR. Rather depressing…
When you read all caps you have to read the letters. When you read mixed case your brain can get a snapshot of the shape of the whole word, which helps you recognize it faster. Take the word "SHAPE" which is just a rectangle and "shape" which has the ascender of the "h" and the descender of the "p" to help faster recognition. You may not notice it since it happens pretty much subconsciously, but this is scientifically established for those raised in Western languages.
THIS IS WHY PEOPLE DO NOT LIKE IT WHEN YOU TYPE IN ALL CAPS.
We prefer things in mixed case since it's more readable.
This is why typing the occasional word in all CAPS helps emphasize. It's not just because it's bigger, it breaks the normal mixed case flow and instinctively makes you read the letters more carefully.
Yes, I'm a typography nut.
Wonder who’s uncle owns a sign making company?.
“The $27 million figure is BS.
Being familiar with construction, I know if will cost far more than $110 per sign. It would require several men to travel, set up ladders/platforms at thousands of locations and work at heights. The signs would also have to be placed at the proper locations and orientations.
When all the mistakes, accidents, union fighting and regulations are done with, I’d be surprised if it only costs $100 million. Then add a few giant city lawsuits from people or ambulances getting lost due to sign mistakes.”
—Great point!
Welcome to the world of the graphic designer. Just be glad they didn't put the "O" logo on each one.
[ Not just NYC. Its the front page story here in Topeka, KS today. Its a federal rule change...our local county has asked ‘what if we don’t change the signs?’. Nobody knows the answer yet...probably some sort of fed funding will be withheld. ]
Federal Funding = Federal Control
ahh yes, obama frosting to cover stale bread.
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