Sign slip leads to street name 'red list'

NZPA/Smaps.co.nz

SEEING RED: Residents in the Wellington suburb of Highbury are angry that a sign for Old Bullock Rd has been mistakenly called Old Bollock Rd.

Relevant offers

A blooper that saw a misspelled Wellington street sign become a national laughing stock has resulted in city council staff drawing up a "red list" of possibly naughty street names.

Residents of the suburb of Highbury managed to see the funny side when a new footpath sign for Old Bullock Rd was erected, mistakenly calling it Old Bollock Rd.

Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean said the error was astounding, but feedback had indicated that "everyone had a right old laugh".

"Of course we'll change it ... Clearly our proof-reading and English standards have fallen here."

Mr MacLean said a couple of people, including residents of the wrongly named street, had wanted to buy the sign.

The council had opened the street directory and done an "informal check" of street names that could be easily altered by the misplacement of a a few letters. They included Dorking Rd, Volga St, Wanaka St and Virginia Grove.

The embarrassing blunder came less than a year after a sign for Prince of Wales Park in Mt Cook turned it into Prince of Whales Park.

A Highbury resident said locals were "all for better signage for footpaths", but the name should be spelled right.

"This is a real balls-up." 

- With NZPA

- © Fairfax NZ News