I was out this afternoon in West Harris County and saw a county vehicle with a trailer half full of signs coming up the street. The driver stopped near the corner and a couple of men jumped out and picked the intersection clean. They got back in the van and the driver was off to the next corner.

I pulled up beside the van and motioned for the driver to roll down his window, which he did. I gave him a big thumbs up and said, "Thanks for the job you're doing. I really appreciate it." He smiled and waved back.

There's an old saying that a pat on the back is just inches from a kick in the seat of the pants but it's miles ahead in affect. If you get the chance, take a minute and let these folks know their work is noticed and appreciated. They're certainly making my life easier.

Nice work. When authorities remove signs, it deserves a pat on the back. In a decade of sign removal, I have never witnessed authorities removing signs, except in the case when I called them and arranged to meet with them.

Newbie (not)

I saw them, too! They were going down Franz, and taking everything, even garage sale signs for that day, which I usually don't take. I rolled down the window and gave the guy a "Woo Hoo", and he looked at me like he thought I was drunk.

I got 46 signs last week just off Franz Road from Elrod to Fry. I'm really wishing I didn't have gas logs in my fireplace!

Susan

>I'm really wishing I didn't have gas logs in my
>fireplace!

That can be fixed real easy, but most likely you'd have to put the logs back in sooner or later.

The sign sharking business is really began to pickup in your area. Once the spammers figure out just how much their signs loses cost, they'll likely leave and find another area where they "think" the signs will last somewhat longer.

Once Ft. Bend County picks up how much revenue they can make to offset the cost of sign removal, you'll likely see the spammers move on for certain.

GW

Here in the Cypress area we are down to 10-15 regular spams each week and down to 75 or so builder signs, just depending how far you go away from the town of Cypress. The old number was 200 builder or so and they have been been removed at that rate for nearly 6 years.

Now that Fry road is open from 290 to 529, I could get another 500 or so but you can just do so much and hope others will pick up the torch and get them. But if you go west on 529 from Barker-Cypress, you could get 3,000 signs easily with no effort. From the builders' signs that continue to be placed each week, there are only 3 major spammers still in the Cypress area and the worst one is for Ryland homes and another couple of jake leg builders that he spams for that go up week and week and continue to disappear week after week.

CypressShark

>Once Ft. Bend County picks up how much revenue they can make
>to offset the cost of sign removal, you'll likely see the
>spammers move on for certain.

Regretably Fort Bend County has no, nada, nyet, enforcement effort regarding street spam, either the roadside variety on a stick or the larger 4x8 board signs. Some readily chalk this up to politics but it goes beyond that to a county government where the issue simply doesn't register with county officials. Perhaps that's because it doesn't register with voter either.

I've confirmed that the county does nothing to control or regulate the placement of this type of signage. Not surprisingly regarding an issue of the same color, the county does nothing to discourage littering along county roads nor is there any active program directed at litter prevention or pick up.

>I've confirmed that the county does nothing to control or
>regulate the placement of this type of signage. Not
>surprisingly regarding an issue of the same color, the
>county does nothing to discourage littering along county
>roads nor is there any active program directed at litter
>prevention or pick up.

If you have proof positive that the situation you state is 100% correct, which I'm not questioning, then you and your group should ask for a meeting with the county judge and commissioners.

If this doesn't work, then send a letter to the Texas State Attorney General's office in Austin with a copy to the Regional Office in Houston. You may also want to send a copy to the Houston Chronicle and it's affiliate TV station, CH13?

One of the Houston TV stations has run numerous news articles about roadside litter and bandit signs in the Houston area.

There are numerous counties in Texas that have the maintenence crews from various precincts that make special trash cleanup runs at various stages. I've personally witnessed this activity.

Just remember, Everyone, regardless, answers to a higher power. Sending an email is one thing, putting it in writing in a first class letter is an entirely different matter.

GW

>If you have proof positive that the situation you state is
>100% correct...., then you and your group should ask for a meeting >with the county judge and
>commissioners.

Of course I'm positive, and I've already met with the precinct commissioner, the road and bridge commissioner, and have talked with a dozen or so county employees about the matter. I would encourage anyone living in this area to do so as well. Anyone wanting to contact me off line, we can discuss in detail.

If anyone out there knows of a Fort Bend County department or employee responsible for enforcement and prosecution AND a commitment to do so, please post contact details. I'll be first in line to contact them.

>If this doesn't work, then send a letter to the Texas State
>Attorney General's office in Austin with a copy to the
>Regional Office in Houston. You may also want to send a copy
>to the Houston Chronicle and it's affiliate TV station,
>CH13?

And say what exactly?

>One of the Houston TV stations has run numerous news
>articles about roadside litter and bandit signs in the
>Houston area.

Apparently the signal didn't reach out and touch Fort Bend County in a very lasting way.

>There are numerous counties in Texas that have the
>maintenence crews from various precincts that make special
>trash cleanup runs at various stages. I've personally
>witnessed this activity.

Of course there are and that't what is frustrating about Fort Bend. Read the post that started this string and the the one entitled, "..... - FORT BEND DOESN'T". It's the contrast of one county versus another.

>Sending an email is one thing, putting it in writing
>in a first class letter is an entirely different matter.

I never send important communication via email, so what is the point exactly?

>I never send important communication via email, so what is
>the point exactly?

This was answered by PM.

GW

Here's the way I see it.

Just picking up the commercial spam to clear the space for political signs for the up and coming November 8th elections.

Some County Commissioner doing a favor for some city councilman running for office.

AllAction

The only point here is to say thanks to the employee doing his job. I suspect it's by and large a thank less job. You could be right about the upcoming election spam, but I see these people out frequently, and the man driving around with several young prisoners deserves our thanks for saving you and me the trouble of picking up more street spam than one of our vehicles can carry in 10 trips.