Editorial

Still no love for ‘I Love NY’ signs

Posted

It has been nearly three years since the bright blue eyesores began appearing on highways statewide. That’s three years of complaints from local officials and residents — and at least one year of federal officials threatening penalties — but still the state Department of Transportation apparently has no intention of removing the “I Love NY” signs that dot even the historic, commercially restricted Meadowbrook Parkway.

The signs are garish and unnecessary. They do not comply with federal road-signage regulations, and, according to Town of Hempstead Supervisor Anthony Santino, they “are pointless, provide no valuable information, distract drivers and constitute ‘visual pollution.’”

Last summer, responding to an outcry from citizens and elected officials, the state dispatched contractors to remove seven of the eight signs posted in Montauk, according to the East Hampton Star’s reporting.

So why the cold feet when it comes to the state’s remaining roadways? Perhaps state officials are seeing the fiscal fruits of the signs, which were intended as a boon to the tourism industry. If so, we would love to see figures that support this.

Otherwise, it would behoove the state to take the signs down. As Neil Gaffney, of the Federal Highway Administration, said in December, the non-compliant signs create a safety concern.

An official with the FHWA told us last week that state and federal officials have created a “working group” to devise a way to deal with the signs that “has only recently begun, so there is still much work ahead.”

The signs have clearly not been welcomed with open arms on any New York roadways. But as far as Nassau County is concerned, perhaps the DOT and the new working group would do well to simply recall the intended distinction between standard highways and our parkways, which were designed to be scenic, landscaped routes connecting residents and tourists to the state’s parks, free of commercial vehicles — and unnecessary signage.