diff --git a/modules/svg/labels.js b/modules/svg/labels.js
index 88adf4906..84b8026a7 100644
--- a/modules/svg/labels.js
+++ b/modules/svg/labels.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import * as d3 from 'd3';
 import _ from 'lodash';
 import rbush from 'rbush';
+
 import {
     geoExtent,
     geoEuclideanDistance,
@@ -8,9 +9,15 @@ import {
     geoPolygonIntersectsPolygon,
     geoPathLength
 } from '../geo/index';
+
 import { osmEntity } from '../osm/index';
 import { utilDetect } from '../util/detect';
-import { utilDisplayName, utilEntitySelector } from '../util/index';
+
+import {
+    utilDisplayName,
+    utilDisplayNameForPath,
+    utilEntitySelector
+} from '../util/index';
 
 
 export function svgLabels(projection, context) {
@@ -134,7 +141,7 @@ export function svgLabels(projection, context) {
             .data(entities, osmEntity.key)
             .attr('startOffset', '50%')
             .attr('xlink:href', function(d) { return '#labelpath-' + d.id; })
-            .text(utilDisplayName);
+            .text(utilDisplayNameForPath);
     }
 
 
@@ -313,9 +320,11 @@ export function svgLabels(projection, context) {
                 entity = labelable[k][i];
                 geometry = entity.geometry(graph);
 
-                var name = utilDisplayName(entity),
+                var getName = (geometry === 'line') ? utilDisplayNameForPath : utilDisplayName,
+                    name = getName(entity),
                     width = name && textWidth(name, fontSize),
                     p;
+
                 if (geometry === 'point') {
                     p = getPointLabel(entity, width, fontSize, geometry);
                 } else if (geometry === 'vertex' && !lowZoom) {
diff --git a/modules/util/index.js b/modules/util/index.js
index e84dc86db..66847ad5f 100644
--- a/modules/util/index.js
+++ b/modules/util/index.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ export { utilEntitySelector } from './util';
 export { utilEntityOrMemberSelector } from './util';
 export { utilGetAllNodes } from './util';
 export { utilDisplayName } from './util';
+export { utilDisplayNameForPath } from './util';
 export { utilDisplayType } from './util';
 export { utilStringQs } from './util';
 export { utilQsString } from './util';
diff --git a/modules/util/svg_paths_arabic_fix.js b/modules/util/svg_paths_arabic_fix.js
index 7f78a08d7..f55878402 100644
--- a/modules/util/svg_paths_arabic_fix.js
+++ b/modules/util/svg_paths_arabic_fix.js
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+// see https://github.com/openstreetmap/iD/pull/3707
+// https://gist.github.com/mapmeld/556b09ddec07a2044c76e1ef45f01c60
+
 var chars = {
     // madda above alef
     1570: { initial: 'آ‎', isolated: 'ﺁ', medial: 'ﺁ', final: 'ﺂ' },
diff --git a/modules/util/util.js b/modules/util/util.js
index cd48a924d..229d0d14b 100644
--- a/modules/util/util.js
+++ b/modules/util/util.js
@@ -69,9 +69,16 @@ export function utilDisplayName(entity) {
         }
     }
 
+    return name;
+}
+
+
+export function utilDisplayNameForPath(entity) {
+    var name = utilDisplayName(entity);
     var isFirefox = utilDetect().browser.toLowerCase().indexOf('firefox') > -1;
     var arabicRegex = /[\u0600-\u06FF]/g;
-    if (!isFirefox && name && (entity.tags.highway || entity.tags.railway) && arabicRegex.test(name)) {
+
+    if (!isFirefox && name && arabicRegex.test(name)) {
         name = fixArabicScriptTextForSvg(name);
     }