Highway signs
This is in response to “Toll signs take new direction; Experiment aims to boost safety” (Metro, April 23). Your article left me wondering where these tollway people have their minds.
It is one thing to try to improve signs so that they are more readable, but it is another thing to consider them with white letters on a green background, which makes them unreadable at a distance.
The State of Michigan had license plates with white letters on a blue background and this year changed to dark blue letters on a white background at the request of law enforcement as the older plates were too difficult to read.
I recommend that Illinois stay with the black letters on a white background.
If the other way is so good, why doesn’t the Tribune print its paper with white letters on green paper?
Emil L. Martinec, Chicago
Neighboring states
The Illinois I-PASS vs. Indiana I-Zoom (Editorial, April 23) tussle is one more indication that the two states need to grow up and play nice.
After all, one of the main reasons for offering transponder discounts is to encourage drivers to avoid paying cash so the respective highway authorities can save money on toll collectors.
But before Illinois residents (and newspapers) get too self-righteous about this particular incident, they might remember that back in 1997 Illinois unilaterally canceled its income tax reciprocity agreement with Indiana.
Instead of each state honoring tax returns filed in the other state, Illinois insisted that residents who live in one state but work in the other must go through the hassle and expense of withholding taxes and filing returns in both states.
This is a bureaucratic waste of time and money that many other states sharing borders have managed to avoid.
If Illinois really wants to be considered the friendly side of the state line, it can start by figuring out a way to implement an updated reciprocal income tax arrangement so that residents of both states can save some real time and money.
D.N. Aust, Porter, Ind.
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