Transportation
America's Sudden U-Turn on Highway Fonts
Clearview is out, Highway Gothic is (back) in. Critics want to know why.
In a notice posted in the Federal Register on Monday, the U.S. Federal Highway Administration announced a small change that has huge implications for the nation. The agency terminated an order it had issued back in 2004 approving the use of a new font in highway signs. Now those signs are going to change. Again.
By ending its “Interim Approval for Use of Clearview Font for Positive Contrast Legends on Guide Signs,” the FHWA reversed its position on Clearview, a font developed to improve highway-sign legibility on the roads. In 2004, the agency embraced Clearview, based on studies that appeared to demonstrate its superiority, especially in nighttime driving tests.