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New Yorkers outraged as bureaucrats order city to change lettering on every single street sign
NY Daily News ^ | 9/30/2010 | ANDREW PHILLIPS & PETE DONOHUE

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 ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; US: New York
KEYWORDS: democrats; newyork; ny; wastefulspending
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To: Qbert

what does the federal government have to do with municipal street signs?


41 posted on 09/30/2010 8:17:07 AM PDT by elpadre (AfganistaMr Obama said the goal was to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaeda" and its allies.)
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To: Qbert

The 864 page Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways will tell you all about the new federal regulations for signs. You can download the 27.18MB version from the Federal Highway Administration. Our government does things that would embarass the most hard-core communist bureaucrat.


42 posted on 09/30/2010 8:17:14 AM PDT by hometoroost (Somewhere a community is missing its cruise director)
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To: Pecos
is NYC the only area affected? If so, why?

I don't think so. The new highway signs in Illinois also use the clearview typeface. The most noticeable change is the lower case letter l ("el") which has a slight curve to it.
43 posted on 09/30/2010 8:18:10 AM PDT by Dr. Sivana (There is no salvation in politics)
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To: Paine in the Neck

BINDO!!!

also,

how many will be renamed? see Victory Mosque Way.


44 posted on 09/30/2010 8:18:19 AM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: Qbert

These are goofy things that I doubt could ever stand up to a cost/benefit analysis. Though a mix of upper and lower case letters is generally considered to be more readable, it is unlikely that there are a substantial amount of accident reports that cite “inattentiveness due to signage lettering case confusion” as contributing factors. NYC doesn’t have the money. And even if it did, this would be a ridiculous thing on which to waste it.


45 posted on 09/30/2010 8:19:26 AM PDT by BWDog
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To: Qbert

Font and capitalization does greatly impact readability, especially something that needs to be read quickly as you’re driving by. In general, all-caps sucks. However, why is this such a priority in a time of budget constraints?


46 posted on 09/30/2010 8:19:38 AM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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To: Qbert

What did the old sign say? I couldn’t read it.


47 posted on 09/30/2010 8:20:11 AM PDT by Hacklehead (Note to Leftists- We Will Bury You (politically)
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To: Qbert

Love to know who’s brother-in-law...or SEIU connected business nailed that contract!!!


48 posted on 09/30/2010 8:20:25 AM PDT by mo
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To: brktxpyr
Yeh, those big capital letters are always harder to read than the small ones...???

Yes.

49 posted on 09/30/2010 8:20:29 AM PDT by antiRepublicrat
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To: Paine in the Neck

Found this article:
http://180daysinnyc.blogspot.com/2008/02/day-208-signs-signs-everywhere-theres.html


50 posted on 09/30/2010 8:21:04 AM PDT by libertarian27 (Ingsoc: Department of Life, Department of Liberty, Department of Happiness)
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To: dfwgator

“I guess they had to find jobs for all of those Census workers.”

I wouldn’t doubt that there is a connection between this and the so-called ‘dip in unemployment claims’ recently...


51 posted on 09/30/2010 8:21:40 AM PDT by Qbert
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To: Qbert

An order coming to a city near you?


52 posted on 09/30/2010 8:21:52 AM PDT by DManA
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To: Qbert

And the drumbeat of the coming revolution grows stronger...


53 posted on 09/30/2010 8:21:57 AM PDT by EnigmaticAnomaly ("Mantra of the left: 'It's only okay when WE do it.'")
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To: marlon

Government creates more problems than it ever fixes.

Our city has been told BY THE EPA that by Oct. 15th. we can no longer use the landfill to dump shrubs, leaves, grass clippings and limbs. The only problem is there is NO WHERE ELSE to dump them. We can dump garbage there but no yard debrea. How dumb is that?! It’s all garbage!


54 posted on 09/30/2010 8:23:00 AM PDT by kcvl
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To: Qbert
Someone should do a study "proving" that people can understand Roman numerals more easily than Arabic numerals (maybe do a survey of Latin teachers at a classics conference). Then they can spend money changing street signs to have Roman numerals.

For example, that would be E CCI St.

55 posted on 09/30/2010 8:23:47 AM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: Sacajaweau

Its everywhere by federal fiat.


56 posted on 09/30/2010 8:24:42 AM PDT by John W (Chuck Todd Is An Ass)
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To: Qbert

Most of the cabbies in NY can’t read English anyway...


57 posted on 09/30/2010 8:24:51 AM PDT by Kozak (USA 7/4/1776 to 1/20/2009 Reqiescat in Pace)
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Comment #58 Removed by Moderator

To: Qbert
I suppose a Texas-to-the-EPA style "FU" is beyond the grasp of NY?

Yeah, not gonna happen.

59 posted on 09/30/2010 8:25:35 AM PDT by AngryJawa (Obama's Success is America's Failure)
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To: Dick Vomer

“which company is going to make the new signs? Always follow the money...”

Acorn and La Raza.


60 posted on 09/30/2010 8:26:07 AM PDT by flaglady47 (When the gov't fears the people, liberty; When the people fear the gov't, tyranny.)
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