There are still a few signs on NYC streets (One Way, for instance, is still there, thank goodness). But other signs (such as those with a speed limit, or advisory about watching for pedestrians) are gone. I recently called the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) and spoke to someone in the Manhattan borough planning office. I was told that several years ago, DOT removed many road signs in the city. I was told that the NYPD had difficulty enforcing NO HONKING signs. Who knew which driver was leaning on a horn? So best to just remove those road signs. And not just NO HONKING, but many other road signs as well.

This is an interesting article that explores the communicative value of road signs, both directly and indirectly: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1287218.pdf

I could only think of the old saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,” meaning don’t throw any good stuff out with the bad.

As a senior citizen walking around NYC, I am constantly dealing with the fear of being hit by a bicyclist going the wrong way on a one-way street, or riding on the sidewalk, or not riding in a marked bike lane. I also worry about being hit by a speeding car, going over the 25 mph speed limit. Without those road signs informing bicyclists and drivers of the rules of the road, we’re all cooked.