Marte Brings Bilingual Street Signs Bill to City Council

Look, up on that street sign: it’s English, it’s Chinese, it’s bilingual by golly! When did they do that?! As it turns out, New York City has had a bilingual street signs program since 1969, mostly in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Though it wasn’t necessary to say that then, today, when Brooklyn and Queens each boast multiple Chinatowns, it’s as important to get one’s geography as right as the local dialect.

Though the city’s record keeping has been a bit lax in the six decades since that storied year, when the Joe Namath-led Jets won the Super Bowl and the Amazin’ Mets won the World Series, it’s believed that, at its peak, there were around 155 bilingual, English and Chinese street signs across Manhattan’s greater—and until the 21st century— growing Chinatown.

The dwindling number of bilingual signs over the last two decades has become a concern of Council Member Christopher Marte, whose District 1 contains of all of Manhattan Chinatown, however its borders might be defined. In an effort to restore that number—which seems to have dwindled more from attrition than malice—and to expand it in a rational, accountable, city-wide manner, Marte has sponsored Intro. 310, a bill “Requiring the department of transportation to install bilingual street name signs” and handed it to the Council’s Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Marte is a Commimtte member, and UWS council member Shaun Abreu is its chair.

The bill, which was introduced on January 29 “would require the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish a program to ensure each sign in Chinatown has the street name in Chinese and English. As part of such program, DOT would conduct a study to determine the Chinatown borders and then add the Chinese name of the street to each English only sign within the borders, and repeat such study every 50 years to reassess the borders and signs.”

Mindful of the city’s numerous other Chinatowns, and its various ethnic enclaves, “This bill would also require DOT to replace any damaged bilingual street name sign in the City with a new bilingual sign, and enable a Council Member or the Public Advocate to request DOT add a street name in English and another language.”

As a matter of history, culture and, hopefully, tourism and population growth, Marte’s bill is inspired. While Manhattan has the United Nations, many bilingual or even trilingual ideas suggest themselves besides Chinese: Yiddish, Bangladeshi, Greek, Sri Lankan, Polish, Haitian Creole, Russian, Indian, Farsi, Tagalog—the list goes on, including of course Spanish, Greek, French, Italian, Hungarian, German, Uzbek, maybe even Irish Gaelic.

In addition Intro. 310 would also require DOT to create and maintain a web page on bilingual street name signs, including an online portal for Council Members and the Public Advocate to enter sign requests, a searchable map and a searchable database.

The Rise & Gradual Fall of Bilingual Street Signs

Marte isn’t the first person to take this issue to heart. The Mayoral administration of John V. Lindsay deserves credit for hearing the concerns of Chinatown, and acting upon them. A well-done interactive New York Times article from March 2022, headlined “Manhattan’s Chinese Street Signs are Disappearing” provides a fascinating overview of the program’s history, including the fact that to many Chinatown residents, Mulberry Street was known as Corpse Street, for its effigy and flower shops and funeral homes— the last of which are still there and its ceremonies, including uniformed funeral music bands, are familiar to denizens of Columbus Park across the street.

Picking up on the community concerns, that September, State Senator Brian Kavanagh wrote an op-ed for China Daily, the Communist Chinese government owned, English-language newspaper whose Manhattan office is at 1500 Broadway in Times Square.

Headlined “Chinatown Folk Work to Defend Signage,” Kanavagh noted that “Manhattan’s Chinatown has had bilingual street signs–with Chinese characters in addition to English–since 1969. Today, 101 out of about 155 of the signs remain across two dozen streets in the area. Many of the signs were written in characters reflecting the Cantonese dialect spoken by the first Chinese immigrants in New York. Tan Bingzhong, a local calligrapher, wrote the characters on the signs by hand.”

“It appears that many of the signs began to be replaced in 2021, according to an analysis by The New York Times. Among the bilingual street signs that have been taken down include one at Canal Street and Allen Street. Others, including those on Pell Street at the Bowery and Catherine Street at Chatham Square, also have been changed to all-English signs.”

“The Chinese Chamber of Commerce was the first to petition the New York City traffic commissioner to install more street signs in Chinese in Chinatown. The Chinese Benevolent Association, which represents 60 organizations, then urged the city to act by adding more street names.”

What Solons Say Today

A March 3 Transportation and Infrastructure Committee meeting included Intro. 310 on its agenda.

“At the end of the day, this is about making sure our city reflects the people who live here,” said Council Member Marte. “For decades, bilingual street signs in Chinatown have helped immigrants navigate their own neighborhood and feel like they belong. But when those signs come down and are replaced with English-only versions, we’re sending the wrong message. This bill would make sure we treat bilingual signage as permanent infrastructure, not a one-time project, and it would give immigrant communities across the city the same opportunity.”

“Every day, downtown Flushing draws visitors from across the five boroughs and beyond who come to shop at our unique markets and dine at our one-of-a-kind restaurants, along with a growing number of tourists from across the world,” said Deputy Leader of New York City Council Sandra Ung of Queens. “Allowing Councilmembers to request bilingual street signage will make it easier for residents and visitors alike to navigate our bustling streets and feel welcome in our neighborhoods.”

In my district, my team translates every flyer to the predominant languages spoken here: Chinese, Spanish, Russian, and English. This should be a common practice for every City agency, especially our street signs. I’m proud to be a sponsor on a bill that’s turning the tide on language access,” said Council Member Susan Zhuang of Brooklyn.

“Chinatown has been home to a vibrant bilingual community for over a century and its history and culture deserve to be recognized and honored,” said Assemblymember Grace Lee. “It is critical that we preserve and protect bilingual street signs in Chinatown that not only help community members navigate the street but also preserve the neighborhood’s identity.”