Vandalism of BGSs

[golden eagle]

We just had an incident of vandalism here in Jackson where vandals spray painted messages on BGSs on I-55. This is the first time I can recall this happening here. Pretty bold to climb up the poles to get to the signs. Does this happen a lot in other areas?

[mapman]

It is common within urban areas within California, especially within the SF Bay Area, L.A., and San Diego.  In some cases, Caltrans has added barbed wire around BGSs on overpasses, or adds discs around the posts supporting the BGSs to deter people from climbing up onto the signs.

The paint colors used by Caltrans to paint over vandalism is usually a different shade of green than the sign, so previously vandalized signs tend to look splotchy.

[myosh_tino]

The paint colors used by Caltrans to paint over vandalism is usually a different shade of green than the sign, so previously vandalized signs tend to look splotchy.

On some of the newer button copy and almost all of the reflective signs, they applied a coating to the sign so if it's spray painted, all Caltrans needs to do is hit it with a water gun to wash the paint off.  For some reason, when a reflective sign is "washed", it loses some of it's reflective properties.

[agentsteel53]

some signs in CA have "sign condoms", which are a layer of thin transparent film that can be torn off and replaced.

[NE2]

This one guy in Socal vandalized a sign so well that Caltrans decided to keep it

[roadfro]

Tagging of freeway signs happens in the Las Vegas area and in Reno as well.  Tagging of this old porcelain sign on I-80 EB in downtown Reno a couple months ago resulted in the sign's removal (it has not been replaced as of this writing).

NDOT has placed metal frames around many BGSs in the Las Vegas area attached to overpasses, such as this one on US 95 SB, which make it harder to get down and reach the signs. NDOT has more recently began using metal collars around sign bridge support columns to deter would-be vandals, such as the one seen on the right side of this NB US 95 sign bridge, which has also helped quite a bit.

It seems NDOT has been testing some new reflective material on overhead BGSs which eliminates the need to light these signs separately. For these installations, they've removed the lighting/catwalks that had been present just below/in front of these signs--this has had the added effect of eliminating the platform on which would-be taggers could stand while tagging the signs. This can be seen in the I-80 picture linked above.

[Quillz]

One of the more famous cases of vandalism was Malibu's "Pink Lady," a rather large anatomically correct portrait of a woman above one of the tunnels on Malibu Canyon Road (County Route N1). It was there for about four years before it was removed, but only after a lot of debate. (Some felt it was art that should have remained.)

Has nothing to do with the topic at hand, but I just thought I'd mention it.

[Roadgeek Adam]

I'll let Steve post a link if he wants, but the NJ 18 Northbound BGS on US 1 North used to have the vandalism word of "Goze" graffiti in the top right corner on the sign. It was finally removed over a year ago. Guess what happens yesterday, some idiot readded it back to the same sign

[Brandon]

It's not that common around Chicago, or even the Midwest for that matter.  The taggers prefer to hit rail cars instead.

[mukade]

It's not that common around Chicago, or even the Midwest for that matter.  The taggers prefer to hit rail cars instead.

It may be uncommon, but I saw an overhead sign on the Kennedy Expy. absolutely covered over with graffiti. It was amazing.

[CL]

Twice on the same sign assembly in Salt Lake - below you have a photo of the signs in 2007 or around that time (uploaded by a user called "killcops"...), tagged by punk "artists" whose main concern was getting on the ten o'clock news (they achieved their goal).


The signs were cleaned up and later replaced, only to be tagged again.


Needless to say, the signs were cleaned up again.

Such graffiti isn't common in Salt Lake, since signs have been mounted on tube-style gantries since the '80s. Although one can sometimes see graffiti on flyover ramps, UDOT cleans it up pretty quickly. It's not a big problem at all.

[Scott5114]

See, stuff like those Salt Lake City signs pisses me off the most. When your stupid shit ends up making the sign completely unreadable, rendering it 100% useless, they should know it's not going to be left up there very long. So the only real purpose is a brief "look at me" and a waste of tax money.

I can't tell what half that shit up there even says, so they fail at that account too.

[xcellntbuy]

Unfortunately, graffiti exists on signage throughout south Florida, on the ground and overhead.  It used to be particularly bad on the Palmetto Expressway in Miami-Dade County and along Interstate 95 in Palm Beach County prior to the highway widening project from 6 to 10 lanes in 1998-2005.  We also have highway signage to report graffiti in a speed-limit-style, "graffiti" being in red.  The low-lifes in Miami-Dade County even tag palm tree trunks.  Its disgusting. 

[agentsteel53]

really?  Utah?  I think of Utah as being about the farthest, culturally, from the Bronx as any place in the US can be.

[allniter89]

  Wasn't a tagger killed or injured somewhere recently?

[xcellntbuy]

Wasn't a tagger killed or injured somewhere recently?

We had one fall from the Palmetto Expressway about 1-1/2 years ago, while in the process of defacing an overhead BGS.  He was runover by a truck.

[The Premier]

BEGIN RANT.

Tagging of freeway signs IMHO is despicable and disgusting. If they are that starving of attention that damn bad, they should consider doing something useful and conductive in their lives rather than tagging graffiti at things, let alone freeway signs and railroad signs.

Such actions on a freeway sign is also IMO a serious hazard not just for taggers, as xcellntbuy and allniter89 pointed out, but for motorists also because what if someone is lost and need to know where they are going. Those BGS's are there to help out motorists get where they are going and for directions in the event of an emergency. And if those signs are tagged by these despicable punks who are so desperate for attention, it makes the signs all but useless. And IIRC, those signs do NOT come cheap.

Those kind of people that do this needs to not only go to jail for this, but should also need to pay to get the sign replaced. Community service is also required for anyone engaging in such dangerous and illegal behavior. I also believe IMO that our freeway image needs to be kept up, and everyone, not just the DOT, needs to play their part to ensure any of this type of behavior NEVER happens on our freeways.

END RANT.

[mightyace]

"Tagging" is also a problem in the Railroad business.

And, unfortunately, many RRs take their time at cleaning up the tagged equipment.

But, whatever the medium, RR rolling stock, buildings or BGSs, the toughest part is catching the SOBs in the act.  This is where the average citizen can help.  Nothing special, just call the authorities if you see it happening.

[BigMattFromTexas]

A lot of tagging are gang related, so maybe their wanting the attention from rival gangs, saying "watch out fool" for somethin'. Not sayin' it's cool or nothin, but I just go to school with some gang bangers.. So yeah..
BigMatt

[Scott5114]

A lot of tagging are gang related, so maybe their wanting the attention from rival gangs, saying "watch out fool" for somethin'. Not sayin' it's cool or nothin, but I just go to school with some gang bangers.. So yeah..
BigMatt

If they want to get the other gangs' attention, just mail them letters or something. Costs a lot less for all involved.

[US71]

This one guy in Socal vandalized a sign so well that Caltrans decided to keep it

At least HE was doing a public service. These other guys are simply hooligans.

[thenetwork]

Twice on the same sign assembly in Salt Lake - below you have a photo of the signs in 2007 or around that time (uploaded by a user called "killcops"...), tagged by punk "artists" whose main concern was getting on the ten o'clock news (they achieved their goal).


The signs were cleaned up and later replaced, only to be tagged again.


Needless to say, the signs were cleaned up again.

Such graffiti isn't common in Salt Lake, since signs have been mounted on tube-style gantries since the '80s. Although one can sometimes see graffiti on flyover ramps, UDOT cleans it up pretty quickly. It's not a big problem at all.

What is really the puzzler here is how could this scum get onto the gantry, do their "work" on all 3 BGS, and get down and away and *not* get caught? From what was said, it sounds like that is exactly what has happened. If that's the case, then that's one hell of a slow police force in Utah.

[Duke87]

Or one hell of an empty highway at 3 AM and the few people who saw didn't bother to report.

[golden eagle]

Out of curiosity, are BGS's heavy objects. I can't imagine them being too heavy but I did see one being hauled on the back of a truck not too long ago.

[Laura]

I love this article in particular about the I-55 signs: http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20101212/NEWS/12120336/I-55-graffiti-perplexing-expensive

Personally, I really like the sayings he put on the signs. At least they are meaningful, unlike the Salt Lake City gang graffiti. I'm just surprised that none of the officials there seem to get it:

"Barrett-Simon also says she disagrees with descriptions she's heard of the graffiti.

"Some people have said he sounds like a literary sort," she said. "I think it looks like a guy who's kind of whacked out. I don't know what it means. The person who wrote it probably doesn't know what it means either.""

"This is the path we take" on the I-55 sign - pretty simple, obvious that the road we've chosen to drive on (the path we're taking) is this one.

"Live for the moment" on the exit sign - the idea of getting off of the highway, taking a risk, delineating from the routine of the freeway and going somewhere new. Live for the moment before it is too late.

I know that I'm a poet (and probably crazy) but this actually seems quite clever and thought-provoking to me. The only criticism that I have is the hasty, haphazard way he wrote "Live for the moment" that makes it seem like it is running off the sign...