Council dogged by rogue signage

Rogue signs, legacy council signs and new rules are some of the reasons for inconsistencies in signs advertising the rules for walking dogs on Takapuna Beach.

Auckland Council has promoted conflicting information, with signs along the beach containing two sets of times for on and off-leash, and the council website telling a different story again.

But council’s manager of social policy and bylaws, Michael Sinclair, said there were reasons.

Existing signs that included outdated dog access rules can be difficult to replace in a costeffective way.

‘‘Sometimes dog access rules are only small piece of a larger sign.’’

Another reason given was ‘‘rogue signs’’ created by someone else which look identical to council signs but have different access rules.

Sinclair said some local access rules were finalised only recently and hadn’t yet been posted, and legacy council signs were still being replaced.

He said the introduction of new signage depended on a range of factors, including whether and when the local board had reviewed local dog access rules and whether this resulted in any changes to dog access.

‘‘The complexity of the access rule in a particular location is also a factor in the design.’’

ZIZI SPARKS/STUFF Along Takapuna Beach there are several different dog access rules signs, including one from North Shore City Council days.