New-York tribune., 1903-03-12
TET THOSE SIGNS ARE BAD.

corresDondent wants to know why we op
iect to the new bluey-purploy cut-on-the-nlhS
street signs which have recently been 1mpoSeu
upon Broadway and Fffthavc. We might re-
DIV by paraphrasing Wren's epitaph: Ii you
would know why We object to them, just iooA
at them. But OIL second thought we prefer hot
to make so direful and depressing a suggestion
to any one It is better for their nerves ana
senses and for their civic pride that people
avoid looking at those signs, unless, indeed. as
at a horrible example" But we unhesitat-
inely comply with our correspondents request
for statement of objections.
They are not readily visible. We are told
the triangular form was adopted so as to bring
the plane Of the sign at right angles to the line
of vision That is the case to people in the
roadway at a certain point. 1t is not the case
to the people on the sidewalk, who are at least
as much in need of the signs. On the contrary,
the plane of the sign is at an exaggeratedly
oblique angle to their line of vision. and the
nearer they get to sign tie worse 1t Is until
one gets near enough to read the sign. when
he has to step to the very curb into the
gutter to see it. The old rectangular signs
were on the average far more readily visible
than these.
They are not legible. At night, when illu-
mined from within, the lettering is plain
enough. BY day it is not. The coloring of the
glass is deep blue and that transmits blue
light through the transparent letters making
the latter appear also blue. The effect is that
OF pale blue lettering on a dark blue ground,
and the result is that one has to get close to a
sign before he can read it. The old style Of
sign with black or other opaque lettering on
white or transparent ground was legihle at a
ten times greater distance, and was far more
legibIe and agreeable at any distance.
They are not sufficiently comprehensive. TO
persons going along the avenue they indicate
the cross streets But they do not indicate
the avenue itself, is there any way in
which the traveller can ascertain what avenue
he is on save that Of leaving the roadway and
going around to the other side Of the sign. 1t
may be that one seldom needs to be Informed
what avenue he is on. The man who lives in
New York may never need 1t. But the stranger
here does need 1t, and that not infrequently.
The old fashioned square signs indicated every
time both what avenue one was and what
street he was crossing. No sign that does less
can be satisfactory.
They are not uniform, either in design or in
Mace. There are at least two distinct varieties
OF the three cornered signs. There are also at
least two different ways Of placing each.
Then there are other kinds of signs, and still
other ways of placing them. 1t is literally true
that one never knows where he will find sign
or what it will look like when he finds 1t. The
old system, Of signs all exactly alike and all
placed exactly alike on corner lampposts, was
incomparahly better than this variety show.
They are not artistic. They-but no! Let US
not discuss that phase Of the question. That
way madness lies. Rather let US contemplate
the aesthetic bitterness Of the elevated roads
or the too-too soulfulness of the Flatiron Build
ing.