New Federal Rules Will Change STREET SIGNS to Street Signs

Which is harder to read: THESE WORDS or These Words?

The federal government says the first are tougher to decipher, especially when they're on a street name sign -- and it is mandating that all new signs now use mixed cases.

With the failing eyesight of the aging baby boomer generation in mind, the new rules say that whenever a new street name sign is erected, it must be in both upper and lower case.

The new Federal Highway Administration regulations also say cities and states must improve the reflective abilities of words on road signs so they are clearer when headlights shine on them at night.

Strongsville Service Director Joe Walker said he is aware of the new standards, but he isn't thrilled with them.

"In this day and age, we have a hard enough time trying to keep the roads repaired," Walker said. "This is going to cost a ton of taxpayer money."

Walker said the city's in-house sign shop is using the new "retroreflectivity" standards on all new road signs, like stop, speed limit and pedestrian crossing signs, as they go up.

But the FHA is requiring that all the existing road signs be yanked out of the ground by 2015 and replaced with the more reflective ones.

"That (reflective) material is extremely expensive," Walker said.

Even more of a concern is having to replace every street name sign in town. While the federal rules don't set a deadline for switching to mixed-case lettering, saying cities can replace street name signs as they wear out, they do impose a 2018 deadline for making sure all signs -- including those bearing street names -- meet the new reflectivity standards.

That apparently means Strongsville will, in fact, have to replace every sign over the next seven years.

Walker said he does not know how many street name signs are posted in the 25-square-mile community, but said a recent count showed Strongsville has 385 cul-de-sacs alone.

"You start adding all that up, it's going to be a large amount of money," Walker said, adding that the cost could be in the hundreds of thousands.

The street name mandate follows studies that have shown mixed-case signs are easier to read, especially for older drivers.

Walker isn't convinced the benefit is worth the expense.

"I have never once received a complaint from someone saying they couldn't read a street name sign," he said. "And there have always been elderly drivers on the road."

The rules are part of the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which also tells local governments they should increase the size of letters on street signs from the current 4 inches to 6 inches on roads with speed limits over 25 mph.

A study of drivers aged 65-84 showed drivers were able to see and read signs more quickly if they were in a new font and mixed-case lettering.