Beefed up sign defies thieves

Muff Rd has its name again.

After years of the road signs being purloined by those looking for a sign with more than directional appeal, Timaru District Council's land transport manager Andrew Dixon is hopeful the new one is an anti-souveniring special.

The council had given up replacing the more traditional finger-pointing Muff Rd signs because as quickly as they went up, they vanished. The last one vanished around the same time as Canterbury University students' Undie 500 car rally passed through.

Local resident Roger Payne suggested a name change was the best way to overcome the issue, but the Temuka and Geraldine community boards disagreed, wanting to keep the Muff name as the road had been named after a family who farmed in the area.

With the help of contractors Fulton Hogan, the council has a sign it hopes will be around much longer than its predecessors.

The new signs, at both ends of the road, are large green highway signs. Rather than being bolted to a post in the normal manner, the signs slot into a special frame from above.

A hiab has to be used to lift them into place – not the type of equipment available to the average sign swiper. Special nuts have also been used in an attempt to dissuade vandals.

Mr Dixon is hopeful the new-look signs, complete with directional arrows and distances, will be less attractive to those inclined to steal them.

By the time the two new signs are installed the council will have a bill of close to $5000.

That is far more than any yellow finger sign would cost.

But Mr Dixon is hopeful the new signs will cut out the ongoing cost of contractors having to travel to the site and replace the signs, as well as the inconvenience to travellers caused when the signs go missing.

- © Fairfax NZ News