Internet Roasts New York City for Misspelling Baseball Legend's Name on Road Sign
The sign was a swing and a miss.
The unveiling of Queens' Jackie Robinson Parkway sign was a swing and a miss.
New York City's Department of Transportation botched the sign, placed at Myrtle Avenue and Forest Park Drive, misspelling the Hall of Famer's name as "Jakie." The New York Post first reported the mishap, showing a picture of the mistake.
Queens councilman Robert Holden didn't hold back calling out the major typo. "Not only can't the central planners at NYC DOT move traffic smoothly and safely, but they can't even spell. The DOT needs a major overhaul. They're a mess," he wrote in a tweet.
When CBS News covered the gaffe, the comments on Facebook were brutal.
"All they needed was a level one proofreader," one user commented..
"That's worse than the subway sign that says 'Broadaway,'" added another.
Comments under ABC7NY's reporting were also damning.
"This is beyond embarrassing! Think about how many people needed to sign off on that design BEFORE it was printed! Nobody caught that?!?," a commenter wondered.
"So how many levels of bureaucracy did this go through....from the concept....to the final design...to the printer...to the people who erected it....that nobody noticed this? We are hiring pathetic people," a fourth quipped.
Thankfully, the mistake was quickly rectified after the backlash. DOT spokesperson Scott Gastel told Fox News the sign was replaced on Feb. 27.
The Jackie Robinson Parkway is a 5-mile parkway that connects Brooklyn and Queens. It was previously known as the Interboro Parkway until 1997, when it was renamed to honor Robinson, who broke racial barriers in baseball by becoming the first Black player in the MLB.
