"Stopping" For Art
Public alterations of street signs is nothing new but do you find them to be quirky displays of art or annoying and dangerous distractions?
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A fan of Bart Simpson did a little redesign of this stop sign near the Egdewood/Candler Park MARTA station. Do you think such displays are funny or stupid?
Anna Varela
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Photos
The ubiquitous stop sign.
Nearly universal, the eight-sided red sign serves as a cue for motorists to, well, stop.
But many motorists blow right through them while others give their breaks a quick tap to fulfill the requirement to stop.
Perhaps its because they've become too much of a backdrop in the many signs that dot the roadway landscape.
That's why this particular stop sign near the Edgewood/Candler Park MARTA station caught our attention.
Lots of jurisdictions have laws against defacing public signs or otherwise altering them in some way.
The city of San Diego recently ordered the removal of knitted yarn and wires made to resemble a flower stem and petals that were placed on about 100 stop signs because it conflicted with California code.
The artist behind the yarn bombings said he just wanted motorists and residents to think about flowers and do something to beautify his neighborhood.
Do you think these types of public displays, which are all over intown Atlanta, are funny or stupid or just plain annoying?
Space Ship
12:16 pm on Friday, May 11, 2012
Signs should be left alone - and folks who tamper with them should be prosecuted. Signs are there for your safety and to advise as to the rules of the road. The sign above, while posted on the opposite side of an existing stop sign, may cause confusion if the road is, say, a one way street but in the opposing direction. Having this sign up would indicate that it's ok to drive both directions of the street which may lead to an accident. This is just one example of how a sign could be misinterpreted, but there are countless examples. Public art has its place but not when it conflicts with signs that are designed to communicate the rules of the road and are part of a national design standard.