This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. (help, get involved!) Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. This article has been tagged since December 2006.

A sticker on the back of this Illinois street sign is intended to deter theft.

Street sign theft occurs when street signs are stolen, often to be used as decorations. Although the theft often seems arbitrary, unusual or amusing signs tend to be stolen more frequently. Sometimes considered to be a prank by the perpetrators, the theft is often costly and inconveniencing for the municipality or agency who owns the sign. In the United States, each street sign generally costs taxpayers between $100 and $500 to replace.^[1][2] Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (939x600, 39 KB) Summary I took this photograph by myself. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (939x600, 39 KB) Summary I took this photograph by myself. ... Unused traffic signs in Austria Most countries post signage, known as traffic signs or road signs, at the side of roads to impart information to road users. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Popular culture can act as a catalyst to street sign theft. Popular bands The Beatles and Lynyrd Skynyrd have inadvertently perpetuated street sign theft as their songs and albums include real place names including Penny Lane, Blue Jay Way, Abbey Road, and Brickyard Road. Jeff Foxworthy has alluded to street sign theft being a family hobby as a "sign one might be a redneck". The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... Lynyrd Skynyrd (pronounced lÄ•h-nérd skin-nérd) (or IPA pronunciation: ) is a U.S. Southern rock band. ... Music sample Penny Lane ( file info) Problems? See media help. ... Blue Jay Way is a song written by George Harrison; it was first released by the Beatles on their Magical Mystery Tour album and EP. The track was recorded on September 6, 1967 with vocals overdubbed September 7. ... Back cover The back cover of the original 1969 UK LP. Note that Her Majesty is not listed, unlike later reissues and the compact disc version - originaly making it a hidden track. ... Comedian Jeff Foxworthy accepts a new jacket from 3rd Infantry Division Commander Army Maj. ... // Redneck, in modern usage, predominantly refers to a particular stereotype of people who may be found in many regions of the United States or Canada. ...

In law

In most jurisdictions, the theft of traffic signage is treated like any other theft with respect to prosecution and sentencing. If, however, the theft leads to an injury, then the thieves may be found criminally liable. In one notable United States case, Nissa Baillie, Thomas Miller, and Christopher Cole were found guilty of manslaughter for stealing a stop sign, and thereby causing a deadly collision.^[3][4][5] This was publicized in the novel Driver's Ed by Caroline B. Cooney. Stop sign used in English-speaking countries, as well as in the European Union Former British stop sign consisting of red Give Way triangle inside a circle. ... Caroline B. Cooney (born 1947) is an author of suspense, horror and mystery books for teenagers. ...

Specific and/or common examples

Popular culture examples

• Penny Lane and Abbey Road, caused by the Beatles (See above). In addition, Penny Lane in Liverpool is directly opposite halls of residence used by first years at the University of Liverpool; presumably due to constant theft, the road sign at one end is painted on, while at the other end it is positioned high up on the side of a house.
• Brickyard Road, Clay County, Florida (See above). Fans repeatedly stole the road sign because Lynyrd Skynyrd lead singer Ronnie Van Zant was living there before his death in 1977 and his brother, Johnny Van Zant, released an album and single called Brickyard Road in 1990.
  • The county eventually erected a concrete pillar with the street name painted on it, as opposed to a traditional road sign.
• Nirvana Avenue, Melbourne, Australia generally suffers the same fate because of the association with the band Nirvana.
• Beer Road, on the outskirts of Orange, Australia. Due to the street sign being constantly stolen, the local council has resorted to attaching name stickers to armco guard railings at the start of the road.
• The sign for Magnanville, Yvelines, France is often stolen by students of Ecole Polytechnique, because Polytechnique's slang for their cafeteria is magnan. Often stolen signs are prominently displayed over the doorway to the cafeteria.
• Another popular site for sign theft is the intersection signs of Haight Street and Ashbury Street in San Francisco because of the associations to the hippie counter-culture of the late 1960s. It has been reported that after numerous thefts, the city installed an alarm system to deter souvenir seekers.
• In West Los Angeles, signs for Stoner Ave are stolen so frequently that the city cannot use the same street name sign template that they use for other city signs, instead keeping a reserve of generic signs to replace the ones that are stolen.
• Leganés, Spain dedicated some streets to rock groups like AC/DC, Iron Maiden and Rosendo. The AC/DC sign was stolen days after inauguration. Leganés authorities now offer identical signs for sale^[6]. A fictional theft of the sign by fans appears in the film Isi Disi.
• The sign indicating Southpark Drive in Blacksburg, Virginia is frequently stolen, despite the town's repeated and escalating efforts to deter its theft. The street's signpost is several feet taller than normal, making it difficult to spot from a vehicle.
• Addresses popularized by television dramas, such as Coronation Street, Jump Street, Wisteria Lane, Melrose Place, and Ramsay Street make their coincidental real-world locations targets for sign theft. Of the aforementioned television streets, only Melrose Place is actually named after a real location.
• Corona Street signs in Denver, Colorado were stolen due to the reference to Corona beer. The thefts were highest in the area around the University of Denver.

Music sample Penny Lane ( file info) Problems? See media help. ... Abbey Road street sign from Westminster, London Abbey Road is a throroughfare located in the borough of Camden and the City Of Westminster in London. ... Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. ... Ronald Wayne Ronnie Van Zant (January 15, 1948 – October 20, 1977) was the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Johnny Van Zant Johnny Van Zant (born February 27, 1959 in Jacksonville, Florida) is an American Southern rock vocalist. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Concrete being poured, raked and vibrated into place in residential construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... Nirvana was an American rock band that formed in Aberdeen, Washington. ... Orange is a provincial city about 250 kilometres west of Sydney, the State capital of New South Wales, Australia. ... For other Écoles Polytechniques, see École Polytechnique de Montréal and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. ... The corner of Haight and Ashbury in 2001 The Haight-Ashbury is a district of San Francisco, California, named after the intersection of Haight Street and Ashbury Street, commonly known as The Haight or, in recent years, The Upper Haight. ... West Los Angeles (West L.A. in the short form) or the Westside is generally considered to be the portion of Los Angeles, California and its suburbs that lies east of the Pacific Ocean, west of La Cienega Boulevard (or, occasionally, Fairfax or even La Brea Avenue), south of the... Leganés streets Leganés is a town in central Spain. ... AC/DC are a hard rock band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see South Park (disambiguation). ... Blacksburgs location within Virgina Virginias location within the United States Coordinates: Country United States State Virginia County Montgomery Founded 1798 Government  - Mayor Ron Rordam Area  - Town  19. ... Coronation Street is an award winning British soap opera. ... 21 Jump Street was an hour long police drama television series, developed by Fox Television Network. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Melrose Place is an American television series that ran between 1992 and 1999, created by Darren Star for the FOX network. ... View of Pin Oak Court, Vermont South. ... Nickname: Location of Denver in Colorado Location of Colorado in the United States Coordinates: , Country United States State Colorado City-County Denver (coextensive) Founded [1] November 22, 1858 Incorporated November 7, 1861 Government  - Type Strong Mayor/Weak Council  - Mayor John Hickenlooper (D) Area [1]  - City & County  154. ... A bottle of Corona Grupo Modelo is a large brewery in Mexico. ... The University of Denver (DU) is an independent, coeducational, four-year university in Denver, Colorado. ...

Other culture and language

• Any highway or road numbered 420 is a prime target for theft because of its cannabis connotations.

• Similarly, the Bong Recreation Area in Wisconsin has had signs stolen.

• Another number prone to theft is 666. U.S. Highway 666 was renamed to 491 in 2003 due to pressure by New Mexico governor Bill Richardson over "infamy brought by the inopportune naming of the road [as the 6th branch of Highway 66]." An enthusiast cites Department of Transportation officials which pointed to sign theft. Skeptics, including National Geographic, believe that the religious right was the driving force behind the change. Ironically, it has been remarked by some that the highway now has a higher casualty rate with the new designation than it had with its previous one.

• Shades Of Death Road in Liberty Township, New Jersey, is desirable for a number of tales about the road and the name itself. Local vigilantes took matters into their own hands and put various lubricants on the pole holding the sign to make it impossible to climb. The other street signs along the road, in two other townships, are metal poles with the names of both intersecting streets in vertical type, harder to read but less attractive to thieves.

• Fucking, Austria is also a popular target for street sign thieves.

• Because of the sexual connotation of its name, the town of Intercourse, Pennsylvania is a frequent victim of sign theft.

• The same applies for the French town of Condom.

• And also to Dildo, Newfoundland and Labrador.

• Norwegian, Finnish and Swedish Moose warning signs are often stolen by German tourists fascinated by the animal (See Moose article section for more information).

• The Santa sign in Drøbak, Norway is often stolen. Drøbak is one of the numerous cities around the world that claim to be home to Santa Claus, and have put up an official sign warning of Santa Claus crossing the road.

• Quincy, Massachusetts is another location of increasing street sign theft. Signs have been spotted being uprooted from the ground then stolen. There is no known motive, however, for the thefts of signs in Quincy apart from the TV series of the same name—whose original broadcast run ended in 1983.

• Lost, Scotland Following publicity in tourist guidebooks, due to its unusual name, Lost has suffered from regular theft of street signs bearing its name.

• Another example involves the small town of Luckenbach, Texas after being made famous by the popular song written and sung by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, where signs were stolen almost as fast as they could be replaced; eventually the signs were simply not replaced at all.

• Interstate 69 signs are frequently stolen from the stretch of road leading in and out of Indianapolis, Indiana, as are U.S. Route 69 signs through the central U.S. New Jersey and Utah both suffered a similar problem: New Jersey changed its Route 69 to Route 31 in 1967 and Utah changed its Route 69 to Route 38 in 1993. North Dakota changed its Route 69 to North Dakota State Highway 4 in 1997. The sexual connotations of the number 69 are generally conceded to be the motive for the thefts.

• Signs pointing the direction to Shag Point in New Zealand are also frequently stolen because of the connotations of sexual behaviour.

• Å, Norway and Å, Sweden are subject to periodic theft of road signs.

• Leet Dr. in Oakland, California has been a target of roadsign theft due to its connotation of "elite" in leetspeak. The theft was probably prompted by a site on YTMND which pointed out the street (located near the Oakland International Airport).

• A sign near Ham and Sandwich, Kent had to be replaced several times. New signs now show Sandwich before Ham.

• The sign of the Dutch village Sexbierum is also regularly stolen because the name of the village is a contraction of the three words Sex, Bier (beer) and Rum

• A horticultural research facility at the University of Florida is often the target of vandalism due to its sign, Weed Science.

• A street sign for Chicken Dinner Road near Caldwell, Idaho is often stolen due to its food related name.

• A city in Michigan in between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek known as Climax, Michigan is often stolen due to its meaning of sex.

Santa Cruz 4/20 celebration at Porter Meadow on UCSC campus in 2007 On April 20th 2007, at 4:20pm PST more than 700 people gathered at City Hall in Victoria, BC to celebrate Victorias 10th annual 4/20 celebration. ... Cannabis (also known as marijuana[1] or ganja[2] in its herbal form and hashish in its resinous form[3]) is a psychoactive product of the plant Cannabis sativa L. subsp. ... Richard Bong State Recreation Area is a 4,515 acres (18 km²) unit of the Wisconsin state park system. ... 666 is the natural number following 665 and preceding 667. ... United States Highway 666 or Route 666 was a north-south United States highway. ... United States Highway 491 is a north-south United States highway. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 2003 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Area  Ranked 5th  - Total 121,665 sq mi (315,194 km²)  - Width 342 miles (550 km)  - Length 370 miles (595 km)  - % water 0. ... William Blaine Bill Richardson (born November 15, 1947) is an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party. ... The Number of the Beast is a concept from the Book of Revelation of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. ... U.S. Highway 66 or Route 66 was a highway in the U.S. Highway system. ... The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. ... The National Geographic Magazine, later shortened to National Geographic, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Liberty Township is a township located in Warren County, New Jersey. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... For other uses, see Vigilante (disambiguation). ... A lubricant (colloquially, lube, although this may also refer to personal lubricants) is a substance (usually a liquid) introduced between two moving surfaces to reduce the friction and wear between them. ... The frequently stolen traffic sign,[1] at the entrance to the village of Fucking. ... Many Amish and Mennonite communities reside in this area Intercourse, Pennsylvania is an unincorporated village in Leacock Township, Lancaster County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. ... Condom is a town and commune in the French département of Gers, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ... This way to Dildo, Newfoundland. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Moose range map The moose (so named in North America, derived from Eastern Abenaki moz)[1] or elk (in Anglophone Europe), Alces alces, is the largest extant member of the deer family Cervidae, distinguished from the others by the palmate antlers of its males. ... A traffic warning sign is a type of traffic sign that indicates a hazard ahead on the road. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Moose range map The moose (so named in North America, derived from Eastern Abenaki moz)[1] or elk (in Anglophone Europe), Alces alces, is the largest extant member of the deer family Cervidae, distinguished from the others by the palmate antlers of its males. ... Drøbak in Norway is the centre of the municipality of Frogn, in Akershus county. ... A typical depiction of Santa Claus. ... Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Norfolk County Settled 1625 Incorporated 1792 Government  - Type Mayor-council city  - Mayor William J. Phelan Area  - City  26. ... Quincy, M.E. (or simply Quincy) is the name of a United States television series that aired from October 3, 1976, to May 11, 1983, on NBC (and can be seen in the UK on ITV3 and intermittently on the ITV Network, as well as in syndication on MeTV in... // February 8 - Minipops premieres on Channel 4 in the UK. Though a ratings success, it is canceled after the first series due to heavy media criticism. ... Lost (Lòsda in Scottish Gaelic); population: less than two dozen; grid reference NJ349132 or on 1869 map) is a tiny hamlet in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. ... Luckenbach is thirteen miles from Fredericksburg, Texas in southeastern Gillespie County, part of the Texas Hill Country. ... Waylon Jennings in the 1960s. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Interstate 69 just outside Indianapolis near Pendleton, Indiana Interstate 69 (abbreviated I-69) is an interstate highway in the Southern and Midwestern United States. ... The Indianapolis skyline Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana. ... U.S. Route 69 is a north-south United States highway. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Route 30 (New Jersey) redirects here. ... New Jersey State Highway 31 is a state highway in New Jersey, United States. ... State Route 38 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Utah. ... Engraving by Félicien Rops for Le Diable au Corps, 1865 69 Sex Position The 69 position, also known by its French name soixante-neuf, is one of the most commonly known sexual positions. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... YTMND, an initialism for Youre The Man Now Dog, is an online community centered around the creation of hosted web pages (known within the community as YTMNDs) featuring a juxtaposition of a single image or a simple slideshow, which may be animated and/or tiled along with optional large... Oakland International Airport (IATA: OAK, ICAO: KOAK, FAA LID: OAK), also known as Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, is an airport located 4 miles (6 km) south of downtown Oakland in Alameda County, California. ... Image:Hamstreet - Kent dot. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Franekeradeel is a municipality in the northern Netherlands. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Leffe, a Belgian beer, served in branded glasses Schlenkerla Rauchbier straight from the cask Beer brewed from wheat. ... This article is about the beverage. ... The University of Florida (commonly referred to as Florida or UF) is a public land-grant, space-grant, research university located in Gainesville, Florida. ... Caldwell is a city located in Canyon County, Idaho. ... Climax is a village in Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. ...

Gallery of examples

Swedish moose warning sign, a popular tourist souvenir Image File history File links Moose-warning. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Moose range map The moose (so named in North America, derived from Eastern Abenaki moz)[1] or elk (in Anglophone Europe), Alces alces, is the largest extant member of the deer family Cervidae, distinguished from the others by the palmate antlers of its males. ... A traffic warning sign is a type of traffic sign that indicates a hazard ahead on the road. ...

The Fucking, Austria, street sign Image File history File links Download high resolution version (486x664, 91 KB) Reuploading Image:Fucking. ... The frequently stolen traffic sign,[1] at the entrance to the village of Fucking. ...

Shades of Death Road on a steel I-beam Image File history File links Download high resolution version (531x708, 134 KB)Photographed by Daniel Case on 2005-07-02. ... I-beams are beams with an I- or H-shaped cross-section. ...

Welcome to Intercourse, Pennsylvania, USA Image File history File links Intercourse_pa. ... Many Amish and Mennonite communities reside in this area Intercourse, Pennsylvania is an unincorporated village in Leacock Township, Lancaster County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. ...

See also

• Coning
• List of unusual place names
• Manhole cover theft
• Parking meter theft

Traffic cones are usually used to divert traffic. ... There are many unusual place names throughout the world. ... A missing, possibly stolen, manhole cover. ... Parking meter theft is theft of parking meters, often as a prank. ...

References

External links

• Road Sign Theft News
• Daily Nebraskan article
• Bill Breeden article in Owen County news
• Kansas State University Collegian article
• my crazy hobby - a crazy (but legal) street sign and traffic light collection