The in basket: Tom Baker sent along a photograph of a stop sign at Anderson Hill and Old Clifton roads in South Kitsap to which someone had added the letters “SPEEDING” beneath the word stop. “Is this an allowed modification or have the county sign techs not noticed it?” Tom asked.
The out basket: Following Tom’s lead, I asked county public works about it, and got the following answer from Doug Bear, their spokesman.
“The stop sign at that location is maintained by the city of Port Orchard,” Doug said. “Our sign technicians called to let the know and they will remove the “speeding” legend.
“Altering traffic control devices (signs) is illegal,” he added.
“RCW 46.61.080 states ‘No person shall, without lawful authority,
attempt to or in fact alter, deface, injure, knock down or remove
any official traffic-control device or any railroad sign or signal
or any inscription, shield or insignia thereon, or any other part
thereof.’”
Boy Tom, I bet that word “speeding” on the stop sign was just bugging you. If its the sign I am thinking of, that word has been there for a long time. Of course its illegal, but it does make people stop and look at it. It is some words of advice don’t ya think. It looks a lot better than some of those Stop signs or even road signs that have either been painted on or has bullet holes in it. I assume this sign is on your road or near where you live and its just tearing you up. So now the city has to pay their workers to go out and remove those letters or contract someone to remove them and then charge a lot of money. If it bothered you that much then maybe you should have just taken a razor blade out and removed it. Just my opinion.