“Boulder police are investigating the traffic signs as criminal tampering.”
“I appreciate the fact that it’s drawing attention to the fact that we’d like people to slow down and not be on their phones, but there’s probably, again, a few more appropriate ways about getting that message out.”
I’d love if they implemented whatever appropriate ways they have… then again they said appropriate, not effective.
There is probably some legality involved. Signs have more than informative meaning, where not pursuing this officially has broader ramifications.
Just the unauthorized visual distraction factor can be used as a means of argument in court until the matter has precedent in case law established.
See if that was actually a standard for driving, I’d understand.
But we have billboards, decorations, floppy men, people dancing on the side of the roads.
If all that is allowed, I can’t really be offended by a sign saying “don’t kill people” as a form of protest.
Legal counter point, I can put up literally any sign on my property. In most states I can put up nearly any sign on public property without permission. See: any flyer stapled to a phone pole or any political sign on a corner.
The actual case here is the fact they tampered with public property without permission by permanently affixing their sign to the pole. Which is at most a fine.
I expect if it were on it’s own post it would be fine.
Obviously, I am not a lawyer.
Not to mention billboards, whose only purpose is to distract drivers and take their eyes off the road.