# Perpetual neighborhood signs **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 11, 2012, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495 "2012-03-11T21:59:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495/1 "2012-03-11T21:59:32Z")
Recently I was driving around my neighborhood that I grew up in. There was a sign that said something like “caution deaf child”. Now, that sign has been in the same place for at least 30 years. What kind of hoops do you need to go thru to get a sign like that in your suburb and once you get it, does anybody ever take it down once deaf child is no longer a child? ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495/2 "2012-03-11T22:02:02Z")
Some forms of deafness are hereditary. It’s possible the sign has applied to more than one generation of children. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495/3 "2012-03-11T22:04:32Z")
They are usually illegal and therefore unregulated. Local governments just seem to ignore them in some places. You could probably get it removed if you caused a stink. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495/4 "2012-03-11T22:10:37Z")
In 2009, in a town in Florida, there was a sign that said, “Beginning Sept XXXX, 1998. Right turn only from this lane.” I’m all for government frugality, but I think that the date could be removed. Sign seen last week at a local tavern printed on a dot matrix printer taped to the front door: “Effective July 1, 1986 you must be 21 years old to buy alcohol! ID Required!” I know that toner is expensive, but… ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495/5 "2012-03-11T22:17:15Z")
_ **Slow-children at play.** _ This one always cracked me up. I would always read it as, “slow children-at play” And those wheelchair-guy signs; I always liked those. When I was first paralyzed (I was young), I wanted to steal one of those signs and hang it in my bedroom. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495/6 "2012-03-11T22:41:29Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > _ **Slow-children at play.** _ > > This one always cracked me up. I would always read it as, “slow children-at play” Me too! Perhaps it’s not quite what the OP was looking for, but I’ll offer it anyway. When this town was laid out, many years ago, the streets had names. Then at some point after that (not sure how long, but not too long), they switched over to a street numbering system. The problem was twofold: the names stuck, and were handed down through the generations (“Junior, run down to the store on–oh, what number is it?–anyway, the store on London Road, and get me a newspaper”); and in some cases, the old names were still visible, as they were embedded in the sidewalk. Some still are visible today. I guess in the end, the city just gave up trying to enforce numbers only. So today, in the old part of town, it is not unusual to see a street sign with a number and a name; for example, “5th Street,” on top, and underneath it, “Round Street.” ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495/7 "2012-03-11T23:15:01Z")
I wonder the same thing when I see “End Construction” signs on the highway-yet there wasn’t a single worker, steamroller, rubber pylon, or Bob’s barricade in sight. I don’t understand why they take away all the other stuff once construction is complete, yet leave those particular signs. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495/8 "2012-03-12T01:06:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Sign seen last week at a local tavern printed on a dot matrix printer taped to the front door: “Effective July 1, 1986 you must be 21 years old to buy alcohol! ID Required!” I know that toner is expensive, but… I’m amazed it hasn’t faded to unreadability. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495/9 "2012-03-12T02:57:44Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I wonder the same thing when I see “End Construction” signs on the highway-yet there wasn’t a single worker, steamroller, rubber pylon, or Bob’s barricade in sight. I don’t understand why they take away all the other stuff once construction is complete, yet leave those particular signs. Well, if you didn’t see a worker, steamroller, rubber pylon, or Bob’s barricade, then any construction that may have been done has unquestionably ended. Hence the sign. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495/10 "2012-03-12T06:22:42Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > _ **Slow-children at play.** _ > > This one always cracked me up. I would always read it as, “slow children-at play” My thought on this one is “What parent would actually want to advertise the fact that their children are slow? Aren’t they embarrassed about it?” ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495/11 "2012-03-12T06:50:41Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I wonder the same thing when I see “End Construction” signs on the highway-yet there wasn’t a single worker, steamroller, rubber pylon, or Bob’s barricade in sight. I don’t understand why they take away all the other stuff once construction is complete, yet leave those particular signs. They want you to know they accomplished something. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495/12 "2012-03-12T11:49:45Z")
> [@diggerwam](#): > > Recently I was driving around my neighborhood that I grew up in. There was a sign that said something like “caution deaf child”. Now, that sign has been in the same place for at least 30 years. What kind of hoops do you need to go thru to get a sign like that in your suburb and once you get it, does anybody ever take it down once deaf child is no longer a child? I’m aware of a similarly long-lived sign in San Diego. I assume, given budget woes, that the once the first child is grown the city encourages another deaf family to move into the neighbourhood. Either that, or residents cherish the lie in the belief that it slows traffic through their streets. ---
**Author:** ![Corcaigh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Corcaigh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corcaigh)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495/13 "2012-03-12T13:54:20Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > _ **Slow-children at play.** _ > > This one always cracked me up. I would always read it as, “slow children-at play” As did I 🙂 > [@Dr.Drake](#): > > residents cherish the lie in the belief that it slows traffic through their streets. I’m thinking that’s the general idea, people will see the sign and slow down to look for the deaf child. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495/14 "2012-03-12T18:10:51Z")
We had a sign on a major highway that read something like this: “Old Exit 49 now use Exit 50”. Oh by the way, I should note that Exit 49 no longer exists. The damn sign was up for over 10 years. I wondered at what point the Department of Highways realized it shouldn’t coddle to drivers who lamented the loss of their old exit. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495/15 "2012-03-12T18:37:04Z")
There was a sign on I-95 in Rhode Island that read **No Exit 5**. My immediate thought was “Sequelmania strikes Jean-Paul Sartre” ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495/16 "2012-03-12T18:47:14Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > In 2009, in a town in Florida, there was a sign that said, “Beginning Sept XXXX, 1998. Right turn only from this lane.” I’m all for government frugality, but I think that the date could be removed. Up until pretty recently, there was a sign at the Canadian end of the Whirlpool Bridge that warned US drivers of the upcoming Canadian switch to metric speed limits. “Beginning September 1, 1977…” the sign started. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495/17 "2012-03-12T23:02:08Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > **No Exit 5**. Many of the early superhighways and turnpikes had sequential rather than mileage-based exit numbers, so this was actually a helpful sign to some people. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495/18 "2012-03-12T23:17:43Z")
Like the OP, there’s been a “CAUTION DEAF CHILD” sign since my family moved here in _ **1958** _!!! And I still see some cars slowing down there. That poor child is now more than 55 years old, and still hasn’t learned not to play in traffic. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495/19 "2012-03-12T23:24:32Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > _ **Slow-children at play.** _ > > This one always cracked me up. I would always read it as, “slow children-at play” And the stupid thing is that it’s the _fast_ kids who you have to watch out for. And I love the “NO TURN ON RED . . .” followed by a list of times. By the time I finish reading all the times, the light’s green again. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495/20 "2012-03-13T01:00:17Z")
A little bit (OK a lot) of a hijack. Growing up in the San Fernando Valley about 25 years ago, I was always facinated by a sign on De Soto labeling the 118 (a state highway) as a federal interstate. It was still there about 5 years ago. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perpetual-neighborhood-signs/615495.md?page=2)