‘Alight?’ How about just ‘Exit?’

[FSogol]

By Dana Hedgpeth

"Kathryn Catania of Northwest Washington looked up at a Metrobus sign at Seventh Street and Constitution Avenue NW outside the National Gallery of Art and didn’t get it.

The brand-new sign read “Alight Only.”

She wrote to us saying she was “dumbfounded” by the phrasing and thought other riders might be as well. "

Whole article at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/post/alight-how-about-just-exit/2012/01/30/gIQA58iXwQ_blog.html

[Spider Jerusalem]

1. because they don't mean the same thing?

Alight has the meaning of "come down from". As in "to alight from a bus", "the bird alighted on a tree branch". "No pickup at this stop" would be better, but less succinct.

[FSogol]

2. Part of me wants to say, people need to English up and understand the language, but

on the other hand, I suppose it is elitist to expect everyone to understand a pretty (these days) obscure term. Bus signs should understood by the general public.

'Disembark' is closer to 'alight' than 'exit.' Since you can 'detrain' and 'deplane,' how about 'debus?'

[DCKit]

3. 'Delight' sounds so much more positive. nt

[HopeHoops]

4. There is no exit. Hell is other people.

[varelse]

5. Plain Language: It's the law

From the link in the article: http://www.plainlanguage.gov/plLaw/index.cfm

President Obama signed the Plain Writing Act of 2010 on October 13, 2010. The law requires that federal agencies use "clear Government communication that the public can understand and use." On January 18, 2011, he issued a new Executive Order, "E.O. 13563 - Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review." It states that "[our regulatory system] must ensure that regulations are accessible, consistent, written in plain language, and easy to understand."

Like the author of the article, I wonder if "Alight Only" truly qualifies as 'plain language' to the average citizen.

[FSogol]

8. Probably not. An informal poll of my office this morning found that only

2 people (out of about 20) knew the definition. No one under age 30 knew it and one thought "alight only" mean you could only get on the bus at that stop.

I didn't know that Obama signed that act. Good move, imo. He joins lets Teddy Roosevelt as Presidents who promoted simplifying English.

[TwilightGardener]

6. I consider myself to have a pretty good command of the language, and I would think

"'Alight'--WTF???" Not sure there's a snappy one-word alternative, though. Unloading Only? Exit Only? Drop Offs Only?

[Iggo]

7. This way to the Egress. (n/t)

[Orsino]

9. If the sign wasn't lit up, it's incorrect! n/t

[Arkansas Granny]

10. I can see why it might be confusing. At first glance I thought it said "alright".