Road sign revolution coming
Photo: Netivei Ayalon
Road sign revolution coming
Overhaul in Israel's intercity road signs will see Latin letters, road numbers replace trilingual 'chaos'
Israel may not yet be entering the European Union or receiving the 51st star on the U.S. flag, and many citizens don't know how to read English at all – but there is a chance that future intercity road signs could be spelled out using Latin letters alone.
The International Road Sign Company (IRC), a new public works authority which has been legally assigned to take responsibility of road signs across the country, will in the coming weeks recommend a road sign revolution to the Transport Ministry banning trilingual signs in Hebrew, Arabic, and English, to be replaced by Latin signs alone along with road numbers.
At the same time, a map will be handed out to drivers enabling them to get used to recognizing the new signs through numbers alone.
A new customer service center will be trained in two months to provide maps and guidance to drivers, in addition to 24-hour service on how to get from A to B using the numbered roads.
The new service will be provided to Israeli drivers free of charge through SMS mobile phone text messages, and will include traffic warnings and advised routes.
"You simply decide on your starting point and destination, for example from Tel Aviv to Metula, and the service center will give you all the details you need, said an employee of the IRC.
One of the main reasons for the change is the linguistic chaos in today's signs.
The words "railway station," for example, appears on English signs alone, as the multiplicity of languages leaves no room for exact translations.
Israeli cities are the most difficult problem in English: The coastal city of Caesarea, for example, appears also as Saesarea, while Tiberius also appears as Tveria.
Not to mention the spelling mistakes (Petah Tikva, or Tiqva, appears in a variety of forms along a number of kilometers).
Only in Israel
"I tried getting from Jerusalem to Caesarea," said Ivan Johnson, of South Africa, who landed in Israel a week ago, "and the maps didn't help. The signs were terrible. Words were not identifiable in English. It took me half a day. It was a nightmare," he said.
The State Comptroller also recently ruled that signs were inaccurate, hidden, and misleading. The sign for Highway 6, for example, is positioned 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the entrance to the road.
In the past year, the IRC has become responsible for intercity signage, and it is determined to change direction in Israel.
"No where else in the world do you have signs in three languages like in Israel, said the company's Director General Alex Vaijnitzer.
"This has caused an unacceptable increase in size of signs and letters, which can cause dangerous distractions for the drivers. I also feel bad for the tourist who doesn't understand a thing from these signs. Therefore the Latin signs are the only acceptable solution," he said.
"In order to make it easier on them, we'll provide maps with road numbers. All Israelis will have to get used to the new system, which is used around the world," asserted Vaijnitzer.
