Drivers fire up at sign
$24,000 road sign in ‘crazy’ position
THE “crazy” positioning of a large road sign on the Captain Cook Highway at Aeroglen has triggered an outpouring of criticism from keyboard warriors.
The Cairns Regional Council sign, erected late Wednesday, details northern beaches destinations from Machans Beach to Ellis Beach and stylises the northern track of National Highway 1 in snakeshaped form.
Far northern beaches (Division 9) councillor Brett Olds agreed with motorists, saying the positioning of the sign was “ridiculous” but had been “dictated to us by DTMR (Department of Transport and Main Roads)”.
“We were unaware of the crazy positioning they had enforced on council officers until after the poles were in,” he said.
The council said the 6m by 5.4m sign cost $24,000 and was funded from “councillors’ discretionary funds”.
Many motorists considered the positioning of the sign relative to the road made it difficult to read.
The transport department told the Cairns Post it had been approached by the council for permission to erect the sign on a state-controlled road.
A council spokeswoman said the sign was not designed to be viewed by motorists on the move.
She said that drivers were expected to “pull off the road to familiarise themselves with the region”.
“The location was dictated by DTMR to ensure it wasn’t a distraction for drivers in the 80km/h zone,” she said.