As the Legislature looks for ways to cut spending, may I suggest one? Slash the cash for really stupid road signs.
My personal detestation is the ubiquitous “Fish Crossing” sign. What action — or inaction — am I supposed to take when I see a “Fish Crossing” sign? Desist from throwing trash in a stream? (Sometimes there’s no water in sight.) Stop for fish pedestrians? (An oxymoron.) Hum an ode to the Greatness of Salmon? Modestly, I admit that I hold an M.A. in Communications. If I don’t “get” these signs, who does?
Here’s more: How about the gargantuan signs thanking WSDOT and a contractor (e.g., “Scarsella Bros., Inc.”) for their work? I’m all for gratitude, but this looks like hugely wasteful, state-funded advertising and PR to me.
How about the signs that brag about government spending — e.g., “$73 million” (fill in the blank, in millions) — for this or that project?
How much do silly signs cost taxpayers? According to “Ask.com,” an average street sign costs about $100; highway signs are much more. Multiply that by thousands of signs across our state and you get a chunk of change. I’m not talking about necessary signs here, just useless ones.
Perhaps The Herald, or another media outlet, should investigate the cost of ridiculous road signs. Or, sponsor a “Stupid Sign” contest: Give a prize — or subscription — to the reader who reports the funniest, most outrageous sign and its location. Another idea: A “Waste Not, Want Not” campaign in which ordinary citizens expose some asinine misuse of tax money.
One last sign for the road: “Buckle Your Seatbelt” — this one observed while exiting a Duvall parking lot. My Ford already beeps buckle-up reminders to me. Do I need tax-funded nagging as well?
Let’s not propose raising taxes, or cutting vital services, until we look at stupid signage and other ways we squander existing revenues.
Elaine Haft
Snohomish
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