Published: July 30, 2008 02:08 am            

WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM: Garage sale season brings pesky signs

They pop up in the middle of the week: Signs announcing garage sales, car washes and other weekend events, stapled or taped to telephone poles or street signs throughout the city.

Most get taken down by the weekend’s end. Others remain well past the dates displayed on them, only to end up shredded by the wind and rain or covered over by new signs.

Alderman Patrick Schrader said people may not realize those signs are actually not allowed.

“You shouldn’t put them up to start with, because it’s private property. It’s the utility company’s pole,” Schrader said. “They don’t take the signs down, so they’re endangering the people that have to climb those utility poles, with staples, nails and everything else.”

Last weekend, he said, he saw a pole at Willow and Locust with half a dozen signs on it. Across the street was a pole with another half-dozen signs.

Schrader said the signs are also a distraction for drivers, who slow down to read them.

He said he’s seen signs on the south end of the city for garage sales in the north end.

Garage sale season can be a headache for many reasons, he said. People often park on both sides of the street, causing traffic to be reduced to one lane.

“I’m not against people making a couple bucks, but let’s do it safely,” he said. “Let’s do it sensibly and properly.”

Contact reporter April Amadon at 439-9222, ext. 6251.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.