The town of Oak Lawn, IL, has put a stop to its unique practice of posting humorous spoof stop signs below their actual stop signs. The messages on the spoof signs were intended to draw attention to the signs themselves, and included messages such as “Hammertime”, “Collaborate and listen”, and “In the naaaame of love” [sic].
The signs were removed because they failed to meet federal standards for traffic control devices.
To bring New York State code in line with federal highway design standards, the state has decided to move forward with requiring thousands of “stop ahead” signs at intersections that previously had none, even at intersections where you can see the stop sign ahead of you. But the change is actually required because federal standards now require a graphic “stop ahead” sign in lieu of signs with the equivalent text. Residents of Syracuse were adopting the new code, but grudgingly. Dave Cooper, with the Onondaga County Transportation Department says, “It’s definitely necessary for liability reasons, we have to conform to the codes.”
The city’s Traffic Operations Department had recommended a yield sign at the intersection, noting it failed to meet standards for a stop sign under the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. But many neighbors weren’t dissuaded. “Please put a stop sign there to save our kids,” said one resident. “I just hope we’re not creating a false sense of security here by putting in a stop sign,” said one Councilman.
