A sign infestation has broken out around an upgrade project on Queenstown Bay’s Marine Parade.
By Mountain Scene’s count yesterday, there are a phenomenal 27 signs, mostly directional, indicating a detour for walkers and cyclists.
Many are placed just metres apart from each other.
The larger signs quote passages from J.R.R. Tolkien’s trilogy, The Lord of the Rings — films based on his books were partly shot in our region.
Long-time local Louise Kiely says ‘‘commercial ratepayers are not allowed to put signs out on the footpath without a lot of grief, and here we’ve got this littering of the foreshore’’.
‘‘I think it’s disgusting.
‘‘People would have to be idiots if they weren’t able to follow the path, I just think it’s a total waste of money.
‘‘All of this woke signage is not appreciated by downtown ratepayers — they could have just had a little sign with an arrow.’’
Council spokesperson Sam White says council funded the directional signs and information boards about the project, all of which are reusable — ‘‘the total cost was around $300’’.
‘‘The contractor [John Filmore Contracting] has funded signs with The Lord of the Rings theme, all of which are reusable as well.’’
White believes ‘‘the temporary signage is doing a great job informing people about the work and directing them around it’’.
“We have worked closely with contractors before and during the project, observing any points where people hesitated and fixed it to make the way through clearer.
“Members of our parks team are onsite most days, and report positive feedback from walkers, bikers and business owners.”
‘‘Nobody is getting lost.’’
White says additional wayfinding work includes solar-powered lighting indicating the detour path through the night.
