I think it's time to revolt against the federal government

[CoolBreeze]

In an effort to accommodate the baby boomer generation's fading eyesight, the federal government is doing away with street name signs that use all capital letters.

Under Federal Highway Administration regulations, communities around the country have until 2015 to change street name signs from all capital letter to a combination of upper and lower case.

Confused? The government claims this type style makes them easier to see at night, especially for older drivers. Jerry Crabtree is legally blind and he says this isn't so.

"I don't agree. I think the bold lettering, all upper-case is easier for me to read," he said.

He says it's easy to mistake one lower-case letter for another.

"Determining what's a 'y' or whats a 'g' -- It's just easier if it's all upper-case, in my opinion," Crabtree said.

Because most street signs in Huntington will have to be changed, it will be an expensive project.

"Right now our budget is extremely tight as it is. To go in and change every sign in the city, we would need to spend thousands of dollars," said Steve Williams, Finance Committee Chairman.

The federal government isn't chipping in.

"They are just continually placing things on the city government. What we're going to have to find, and we're in the midst of doing this now, sources of revenue that we can use to be able to pay for all of these signs, " said Williams.

Cash-starved cities like Huntington will have to dig deep to find the funds. For a change, Crabtree says doesn't make sense.

http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/Maki ... 49763.html

[Scott Reppert]

My first thought was: who owns the largest street sign making companies in the U.S. and see what kind of government connections they have.

My actual first thought was: all caps are easier to read. I also thought it idiotic that the first report I heard of this actually had "younger than boomers" saying that they felt that the "street signs were yelling at them".

I have actually had street signs yell at me. It was 1981 and I would list Captain Beefheart as my favorite recording artist. That ought to tell you something...

[Bob Campbell]

Strangely enough, all caps are NOT easier to read. Even though our business has for ages used all caps on liner cards and then on computer screens. The eye actually picks up the contrast between lower and upper cases better than the unrelenting conformity of all caps.
We still have a "well experienced" newsman here who writes all his stories in all caps. And we give him tons of grief about it.

Try it yourself. Have someone hand you two pieces of copy, one all caps, one mixed. Cold read and see which one you read better.

[David Paleg]

Does this mean SESAME STREET will have to change their logo?

[CoolBreeze]

The point of this is that the federal government has mandated this stupid idea, along with hundreds of others that cost billions of dollars, and leaves the states (you and me) to pay for it all.

This country is looking into the very mouth of bankruptcy and THIS is what the feds do at the worst possible time? It's time to clean the rats nest out.

[AmpedNow]

It's because Republicans hate old people.

[Ace Purple]

Wow, what a horrible mandate. What is the penalty for cities that don't comply by the deadline?

[Bob Campbell]

Wow, what a horrible mandate. What is the penalty for cities that don't comply by the deadline?

But so much cheaper than "No Child Left Behind", the largest unfunded mandate in US history. Of course, most of the kids in Huntington probably won't be able to read the signs, all caps or not.