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Road Sign Theft "Victims"

Started by theroadwayone, November 14, 2017, 08:46:45 PM

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theroadwayone

I've read about street sign theft mostly off Wikipedia; I know that some street names and numbers (mostly 69, 420, and 666) are victims, but do you know of any that I don't? Also, which signs in your area are frequently stolen, and why?


1995hoo

Back in the early 1980s, Electric Avenue over near Tysons Corner essentially had no street signs for a year or two due to sign theft.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

oscar

#2
Not literally a road sign, but the sign for the Howard Stern rest area on I-295 in New Jersey (he was a big fan of then-governor Christine Todd Whitman, and vice-versa) was posted, was quickly stolen before I could get up there to steal it myself, and was never replaced.

The segment of Alaska state route 10 in Cordova, Alaska used to have route markers, but those signs kept disappearing, and eventually the DOT gave up on erecting replacements. That segment of route 10 is connected to the rest of the state highway system only by ferry. Many in Cordova strongly opposed a proposed land connection of its highway segment to the rest of route 10, and apparently viewed the route 10 signs as part of a scheme to build that connecting highway. You still see lots of "NO ROAD" bumper stickers there (I even saw one in Alexandria VA), even though the proposed road has long been as dead as a doornail.

Ragged Ass Road in Yellowknife NT once had a sign theft problem, until one street blade was permabonded to a large hard-to-steal boulder, and others were welded to their signposts. Replica signs are sold locally (including at the airport), for tourists who forgot to pack their own metal saws.

Iqaluit NU's famous "Road to Nowhere" also has a sign theft problem. Its sign was missing when I visited Iqaluit in 2014, but I've seen at least one photo of the sign when it could be found in the wild.
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
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Big John

Mullet Place in Green Bay.  They hand the sign up high now.

1995hoo

Quote from: Big John on November 14, 2017, 09:51:11 PM
Mullet Place in Green Bay.  They hand the sign up high now.

In a similar vein, for many years the "signs" for Penny Lane in Liverpool weren't signs anymore–they were painted on building walls. They now use a different style of actual sign that's supposedly hard to steal.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

TheHighwayMan3561

There's Colorado with Mileposts 419.99 and 68.99 to deter sign thieves.

Locally many rural municipalities with high street grids began signing their "420th"  roads as "42X"  on sign blades to prevent sign theft.
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

Max Rockatansky

Pretty much any California spade is a popular theft item. M-22 comes to mind out in Michigan due to the scenic value of the highway.


kkt

Haight and Ashbury in San Francisco.

MNHighwayMan

#8
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on November 14, 2017, 10:43:08 PM
There's Colorado with Mileposts 419.99 and 68.99 to deter sign thieves.

Locally many rural municipalities with high street grids began signing their "420th"  roads as "42X"  on sign blades to prevent sign theft.

Meanwhile, Chisago County has taken to mounting their 420th St signs really high up on (sometimes former) utility poles to deter theft. There's another one to the west of that one that's even higher up.

Edit: also, all these attempts by DOTs to make their signs unworthy of theft just make me more interested in them. Mile 419.99? That's a unique item right there.

txstateends

I've heard over the years that the sign for Bug Tussle (community in NE TX) got stolen so often that TxDOT gave up on re-signing it.  Supposedly the culprits were college kids.
\/ \/ click for a bigger image \/ \/

roadman

The town line signs for Florida, MA were a popular target of U-Mass (Amherst) students for years.
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

bmorrill

Here in San Angelo, the city finally renamed Gay Street to Grace Lane because the sign was stolen so often. Fucking, Austria has the same problem.

inkyatari

I think I related this on a different thread, but a street not far from me was named Pig Ln., bu they changed it to Darin Rd., because the street signs kept getting stolen.
I'm never wrong, just wildly inaccurate.

CNGL-Leudimin

Ragged Ass Rd, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
Quote from: bmorrill on November 15, 2017, 01:57:55 PM
Here in San Angelo, the city finally renamed Gay Street to Grace Lane because the sign was stolen so often. Fucking, Austria has the same problem.

So had Shitterton, England, until they purchased a stone block and placed it where the sign used to be.
Supporter of the construction of several running gags, including I-366 with a speed limit of 85 mph (137 km/h) and the Hypotenuse.

Please note that I may mention "invalid" FM channels, i.e. ending in an even number or down to 87.5. These are valid in Europe.

fillup420

I know three different people who have stolen NC 12 signs. Highway 12 is the only north-south route running along the length of the Outer Banks in NC, so many folks hold the road dear to their hearts.

Max Rockatansky

One I completely forgot about is the US 1 END mile marker 0 in Key West.  I have photos of several different versions of that sign assembly because it is stolen generally every couple months.

LM117

There used to be this sign on I-40 at it's beginning in Wilmington, NC but it kept getting stolen so many times that NCDOT said "fuck it" and never replaced it again. It sucks that it's gone now.



There's a similar sign on I-40 in Barstow for Wilmington, but I don't know if it had the same theft problem or if it's even still there.

“I don’t know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch!” - Jim Cornette

epzik8

I have one out in the sticks where I live in Harford County, north of Baltimore, that for some reason is a multiple-time victim of theft or damage.

Back in 1976 or so, one of my dad's buddies plucked a street sign from their neighborhood in Lanham-Seabrook just outside of Washington, DC. Shortly afterward, he moved to Pinellas County, Florida. As of 2010 it was still in his backyard there.
From the land of red, white, yellow and black.
____________________________

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My clinched counties: http://mob-rule.com/user-gifs/USA/epzik8.gif

Rothman

Quote from: kkt on November 15, 2017, 01:32:55 AM
Haight and Ashbury in San Francisco.
Really?  When I lived there, the replica old signs at the intersection stayed put.

Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: LM117 on November 16, 2017, 09:12:25 AM
There used to be this sign on I-40 at it's beginning in Wilmington, NC but it kept getting stolen so many times that NCDOT said "fuck it" and never replaced it again. It sucks that it's gone now.



There's a similar sign on I-40 in Barstow for Wilmington, but I don't know if it had the same theft problem or if it's even still there.



Rumor is that it's been stolen a couple times but the size of the sign and major junction location at I-15 tends to deter a lot of would be thieves.

theroadwayone

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 16, 2017, 10:30:41 AM
Quote from: LM117 on November 16, 2017, 09:12:25 AM
There used to be this sign on I-40 at it's beginning in Wilmington, NC but it kept getting stolen so many times that NCDOT said "fuck it" and never replaced it again. It sucks that it's gone now.



There's a similar sign on I-40 in Barstow for Wilmington, but I don't know if it had the same theft problem or if it's even still there.



Rumor is that it's been stolen a couple times but the size of the sign and major junction location at I-15 tends to deter a lot of would be thieves.
Is there any reason people would want to steal that sign>

csw

I think there will be issues with I-69 in Bloomington, it being a college town with a college sense of humor. I believe I've heard a few stories of IU students taking I-69 shields from further south, along the finished portions.

triplemultiplex

Quote from: theroadwayone on November 16, 2017, 12:02:33 PM
Is there any reason people would want to steal that sign>

It would make a cool beer pong table.
"That's just like... your opinion, man."

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: triplemultiplex on November 16, 2017, 02:07:33 PM
Quote from: theroadwayone on November 16, 2017, 12:02:33 PM
Is there any reason people would want to steal that sign>

It would make a cool beer pong table.

You'll never see another like it and would look great in a garage bolted to the wall.  Personally I'm not a fan of collecting BGSs given how much real estate they tend to take up in my storage room.  But then again I buy all my signs and it's rare a BGS comes up for sale when it is easier just to scrap. 

JasonOfORoads

Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on November 14, 2017, 10:43:08 PM
There's Colorado with Mileposts 419.99 and 68.99 to deter sign thieves.

Oregon was poised to sign the Beltline Highway around Eugene as Oregon 69, to match its hidden highway number. However, before it could be signed in the field, concerns about theft were raised. It was originally proposed to be changed to Oregon 14, but was instead given Oregon 569 instead, making it Oregon's highest signed route number.

As far as mileposts go, I don't think there's a single highway whose mileposts go up to 420, but plenty make it to 69. Some, like on the Sunset Highway, are still there, but it's a bitch to get to. Others, like on I-5 at Sexton Summit (hehe) are attached to the pass sign itself. I'll have to do a rundown of all state highways on GSV and see which ones still exist.

I-5 in Washington used to have a blank milepost at MP 69, but now there are small "6" and "9" stickers placed in both directions. No clue about I-90.
Borderline addicted to roadgeeking since ~1989.



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