It’s a familiar rite of travel: becoming lost or disoriented when visiting new places. A hodgepodge of signs, or a total lack of them, can contribute to this unpleasant experience and GPS alone doesn’t always solve the problem.

New London city officials are striving to minimize these problems for future visitors. An ambitious signage project being planned in and around the city’s downtown cultural district will help to better brand the area and more effectively and precisely point visitors to the attractions they seek and the services, such as parking and restaurants, that they need to make their time in New London more efficient and enjoyable.

“We want to ensure visitors to the city have the best opportunity to find parking when they visit the (National Coast Guard) museum and our other attractions, whether they’re coming in from the ferry, the train or driving in,” the city’s Economic Development Coordinator Elizabeth Nocera said late last month while helping escort on a downtown walking tour representatives of three firms hoping to provide the signage for New London by May 2024. “We also want to be able to direct people to places like the Lyman Allyn Museum or the Old Town Mill, places outside the downtown area.”

The project, which will be paid for with American Rescue Plan Act funds, is a smart one for the city to undertake. The timing also is especially important given that the signs should be in place in time for the influx of visitors expected once the Coast Guard museum opens. An adequate number of signs of a consistent and attractive design also will be a boost to existing businesses and could help lure new businesses to the city. The easier it is for visitors to find their way around the city and locate convenient parking, the more likely they will stay longer, take advantage of more attractions and events and enjoy cocktails or meals at the myriad of local restaurants.

Even as this project, the cost of which has not yet been publicly disclosed, is an important one for the city, officials should remember it will take more than signs alone to attract and retain visitors. Attention must also be given to ensuring that sidewalks and streets always are free from trash, that median strips and roadsides are consistently devoid of weeds and planted attractively, and that an adequate number of security or police officers on foot patrols are in place to provide a sense of safety for visitors. Additional parking spaces to accommodate the handicapped should also be added closer to downtown attractions. Finally, landlords need to be encouraged to fill empty storefront so these new visitors have more places to shop and eat.

The City Center District is to be applauded for its long-standing efforts to make Parade Plaza and the waterfront district attractive. Planters full of colorful flowers and decorative plants enhance Bank Street and help welcome those traveling by ferry or train during the warm weather months. These efforts should be expanded, however, including providing aesthetically attractive enclosures for the many smelly garbage cans that now line South Water Street.

New London already has plenty to offer visitors. It has a long history as the cultural, economic and historical center of the region. Its Black Heritage Trail, the Custom House Maritime Museum, Garde Arts Center, Thames River Heritage Park water taxi, Lyman Allyn Art Museum and many other cultural and historic attractions, along with great dining, music and summertime street festivals provide enjoyable diversions for many. The addition of the National Coast Guard Museum will soon serve as a prime attraction, waterfront focal point and main driver of tourism in the city.

The sign project no doubt will help enhance and smooth visitors’ experiences and boost business in the city. What the city does beyond erecting signs, however, will help determine how long visitors stay and whether they keep returning.

The Day editorial board meets with political, business and community leaders to formulate editorial viewpoints. It is composed of President and Publisher Timothy Dwyer, Executive Editor Izaskun E. Larraneta, Owen Poole, copy editor, and Lisa McGinley, retired deputy managing editor. The board operates independently from The Day newsroom.