No joke zone: Washington has no sense of humor when it comes to electronic signs

TACOMA — Washington’s highways have no sense of humor. Don’t blame the state Department of Transportation. It’s the feds who have removed the funny bone from the state’s byways.

In new guidelines released in December by the Federal Highway Administration, those electronic message signs over Washington’s highways have to stick strictly to matters of the road. No funny business allowed. The agency has given jokey states until 2026 to comply.

In an emailed statement to The News Tribune, WSDOT spokesperson Stefanie Randolph said the agency hasn’t had a sense of humor for a long time. Well, maybe she implied that.

The state follows the FHWA’s guidelines when it comes to the 330 signs statewide which it calls variable message signs, Randolph said.

“We regularly communicate with the state FHWA administrator on any number of topics including VMS messages, but we haven’t had any particular concerns raised by FHWA about our usage,” Randolph said, humorlessly.

Other states seem to be employing wannabe comics to program their signs.

Massachusetts: “Use Yah Blinkah.”

Ohio: “Visiting in-laws? Slow down, get there late.”

Arizona: “Hands on the wheel, not your meal.”

Regulations

In Fed-speak, the signs are called changeable message signs. In addition to providing traffic alerts (road closures, construction zones), the USDOT allows plenty of exceptions: national emergencies, health emergencies, AMBER alerts are just a few.

Just not humor.

The FHWA acknowledges that signs can become invisible to drivers over time if they don’t vary their messages. But the manual goes on to say that the wrong kind of message can generate disrespect for a CMS. And, they can be misunderstood.

Messages, “…with popular culture references, unconventional sign legend syntax, or that are intended to be humorous, should not be used…” the manual reads.

Humor can be cultural specific or not relatable to all demographics. Signs with less than straightforward messaging can take time to for the mind to process and, the FHWA says, become a distraction.

Redemption

In Arizona, the state has held a contest for several years to gather gags for its electronic signs. One of the winners: “I’m just a sign asking drivers to use turn signals.”

In a subsequent phone call with The News Tribune, WSDOT’s Randolph insisted the agency does have a sense of humor and that it can be found on its numerous social media accounts.

“All it takes is for someone to look at our social media and blogs to know that we really engage the public to give them the information they need,” she said. “People seem to like what we share.”

In an afternoon tweet Jan. 18 on the X platform, WSDOT said, “As the great Annie Lennox once sang, ‘Here comes the (freezing) rain again.’ Especially east of the Cascades. Please continue to be super cautious. As we’ve seen this week freezing rain is no joke.”

But unless the feds change their minds, Washington will continue with its “Caution: No Joke Zone Ahead” policy for electronic signs. (Note to readers: That was a joke.)