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v ‘.«avv^v vw»____—Jean SorensenCoiustuble Ian Macdonald, Van TineRoad SignsPointingAt VandalsBy JEAN SORENSEN Colonist CorrospondontPORT HARDY — Vandal-Ism to road signs is costing taxpayers thousands of dollars a year, highways department official Doug Van Tine has disclosed.Records produced by Van Tine disclosed his 20-man crew since April has spent 177 hours working on vandalized road signs. He estimated the average wage was $4 per man an hour. 7Van Tine said the labor cost did not include the cost of replacing signs, nor the cost of machinery used to place new signs or repair damagedones. r- - o - . ..The road’s foreman came forward with the records which showed the staggering bill the public is forced to pay after vandals mutiliated and tore down 15 signs on a 17-mile stretch of road between Port McNeill and Beaver Cove.Van Tine toured the area along with RCMP. who took a wrenched sign to be fingerprinted. -A public, appeal has gone out to motorists from Van Tine to report any vandilism noted by persons or vehicles to road signs.Road sign placement and repairs receive priority over other highways department work, he said.It means taking our crews off other projects when we are pushed for time during the dry season, Van Tine said.StudentBodyBackedA majority of B.C. high school students appears to favor the creation of a province-wide organization of students. *Garfield Robinson of Vancouver, a spokesman for a seven-student committee — ai-Defacement of signs ranges from breaking wooden signs, scraping the fluorescent surfacing from metal signs, shooting holes in them and knocking down signs, to obliterating words and speed-limit numerals on sign faces.The hardest hit areas are the Beaver Cove-Port McNeill region and the Port Hardy-Coal Harbor section of road, Van Tine said.There are very few signs that are not hit once a year, he said. He said in the approximate 25-mile stretch from Port Hardy to Port McNeill alone there are 200 signs and linear posts.One location checked by Van Tine showed that vandals had ripped signs on a hill warning motorists they were approaching a logging truck intersection. The signs warning trucks to come to a full stop had been tampered with, but not removed.The situation was a potential hazard since logging trucks would be anticipating the on coming traffic down the hill to be aware of the truck crossing..Van Tine agreed that if an accident occurred at a site where a sign had been removed or tampered with, the person found responsible for tampering with signs could be charged with causing the accident.Signs that have to be replaced (department standards call for signs to be replaced even if they have only one bullet hole) often have to be ordered from Courtenay or Langfbrd and take as long as a month for large models.The large direction signs, Van Tine says, are expensive.I don’t know the exact cost, but it would shock you, he said. _______The recent vandalism streak is nothing new to highway crews.- Van Tine . said that when Coal Harbor road was paved and open to tfie public, within three days 50 per cent of the road signs was defaced with rifle or pistol holes. iVan Tine said that straightening and repairing signs knocked down in the Beaver Cove and Port McNeill area will take two men from his crew two days.
Newspaper Details
Victoria Daily Colonist
Victoria, British Columbia, CA
Wed, Aug 08, 1973
Page 73
Full Page
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USA 10 Feb 2021
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