CALTRANS HIRES HAIKU POET IN BID TO MAKE HIGHWAY SIGNS MORE INTERESTING

In an effort to make the message more interesting, Caltrans announced today that it has inked an agreement with Haiku poet Tadeo Shimizu to reword dozens of California highway signs.  "We received proposals from hundreds of Haiku poets, but Tadeo's poetry really stood out.  It's really quite magnificent and we think motorists will love the change," said Caltrans spokesperson Minnie Gaspar.  The sample poem that Tadeo originally sent to Caltrans with his proposal will eventually replace the "One car each green" sign at metered ramps.  It reads:

In each lane
One car shall go
When lamp, the color of a leaf becomes

The amount the state is paying Tadeo has not yet been disclosed, but he will participate in Furlough Fridays, said Gaspar.