$27.5m Because The Feds Don't Like the Font.....
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."
HT: Steve Malanga
23 Comments:
Another decision by a person spending Other Peoples Money.
Digging holes, filling them in. Bulldoze Washington, DC.
We have politically correct, and now we have grammatically correct. Both seem to cost a lot of money.
Completely unbelievable! But not surprising given the current status in Washington...
Libby E. Liebig
Was that one of those 'shovel ready jobs' Obama was ranting on about awhile back?
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Suggested work-a-round for NYC to save $27.5m: Submit an experimentation request to the Federal Highway Administration. Simply use the old font for the experiment.
I'm thinking that calls for some nullification. What is the fed gonna do, write NY a ticket?
(NYDN): "The mixed upper- and lowercase rule was adopted in 2003, but municipalities were given until 2018 to comply completely, Hecox said....The additional cost to the city, if any, will be "marginal" because it receives a steady stream of state funding for routine sign repairs and replacement, DOT spokesman Seth Solomonow said. The life of a typical sign is about a decade, so most of the city's signs would be replaced in the next few years anyway, Solomonow said."(end NYDN)
"So this rule was adopted in 2003, cities have until 2018 to comply, it improves safety, and it won't actually cost much of anything at all."
Source: New York Daly News (ht:Kevin Drum)
Will the Obammunists count this as street sign makers jobs saved or created?
Of course the feds have no actual legal authority to issue such an edict. This (the lettering on street signs) is a purely local matter. States have the police power (NYC being a subsidiary of NY state) to regulate such things, not the federal government. This is basic Constitutional Law. New York City should therefore tell the feds in no uncertain terms to get lost. It is not a question of the efficacy of one type of lettering over another. It is instead a trampling of the rights of the State by the federal government.
Don't forget that it's probably a prevailing wage project. Good jobs at good wages!
How about
"$27.5 million because drivers identify the words more quickly that way"?
Doesn't sound so bizarre, does it?
Apparently the US government has a “Department of Font”. Which begs the question, is the Department of Font a division of Monte Python’s "Ministry of Silly Walks"?
Seems a bit nit-picky Dr. Perry. 27.5 mil is nothing for a public safety measure
"Of course the feds have no actual legal authority to issue such an edict. This (the lettering on street signs) is a purely local matter....
...This is basic Constitutional Law...
...It is instead a trampling of the rights of the State by the federal government."
Bill, If only this were the most serious constitutional overstep by the Federal Government we had to worry about...
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"$27.5 million because drivers identify the words more quickly that way"?
Doesn't sound so bizarre, does it?
"Seems a bit nit-picky Dr. Perry. 27.5 mil is nothing for a public safety measure"
Guys, is there any empirical evidence that safety is actually improved by using the new signs? I know, it seems to make sense, but does it really make a difference? I'd love to see some numbers on that.
Please don't say "If even one life is saved, it's worth it." We all know we don't really believe that.
"Apparently the US government has a “Department of Font”. Which begs the question, is the Department of Font a division of Monte Python’s "Ministry of Silly Walks"?
In New York that's handled by the "Ministry of Silly Woiks".
"the switch will improve safety because drivers identify the words more quickly"
Just WOW !
Ok you read it more quickly ... when you read it, which will be more difficult because most of the letters are smaller !!
Spending 30 millions without any hardproof on the benefits is just ... criminal.
Given the rapid takeup of GPS, will any driver need to read street signs in 2018? They'll probably be obsolete by then.
"Given the rapid takeup of GPS, will any driver need to read street signs in 2018? They'll probably be obsolete by then."
good point, B.O.B., hopefully our GPSs are using the approved 'Clearview' font so we can quickly return our gaze to the road.
Great!!!! Actually I find myself unable to get another word for them :)
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