Just found this web site a few days ago. Have been doing this once in a while, but had no idea......
Just got one down the street in the edge of the neighborhood. Saw a few today while riding around with my family, may go for a ride a little later tonight! You guys are doing something right in Raleigh, I don't notice as many signs as I used to.
Thanks!

Just got back from a most satisfying late evening drive. Took in 17 signs in 75 minutes! Missed 5 of those annoying matress sale signs, traffic and other lame excuses. Where are you folks getting rid of the signs? I found a construction dumpster around the corner, but kind of felt bad about using it- but not too bad!
Suggestions?

>Just got back from a most
>satisfying late evening drive. Took
>in 17 signs in 75
>minutes! Missed 5 of those
>annoying matress sale signs, traffic
>and other lame excuses. Where
>are you folks getting rid
>of the signs? I found
>a construction dumpster around the
>corner, but kind of felt
>bad about using it- but
>not too bad!
>Suggestions?

You need to be careful using business, construction site, or other private dumpsters. In some locations, this is illegal.

Use of public dump site is a good option. Getting permission from a business to use their dumpster is an option. Putting them out in your residential trash for regular pickup is also an option. Another option is to call your city or county code enforcement people and ask for their help. They may help you dispose of signs or even offer to pick them up for evidence or disposal.

Newbie

Newbie (not)

>Just got back from a most
>satisfying late evening drive. Took
>in 17 signs in 75
>minutes! Missed 5 of those
>annoying matress sale signs, traffic
>and other lame excuses. Where
>are you folks getting rid
>of the signs? I found
>a construction dumpster around the
>corner, but kind of felt
>bad about using it- but
>not too bad!
>Suggestions?

where did you grab your signs? I want to see how our patrol areas compare. my favorite wooden sign that advertises extra income has showed up again, so theyre getting picked up. I take them home for firewood. The others I just fold up and place in the trash.

LAST EDITED ON 04-21-02 AT 01:24 PM (CDT)

>Just got one down the street in the edge of the
>neighborhood. Saw a few today while riding around with my
>family, may go for a ride a little later tonight!
>You guys are doing something right in Raleigh, I don't
>notice as many signs as I used to.

Yep, the amount of junk has *dramatically* decreased. Except for some sporatic hit-and-runs, the "Work at Home" crowd has practically been run out of town.

In that vacuum, however, lots of local businesses seem to be trying to take up the slack. You've probably noticed those ugly black-and-neon-green Mattress Warehouse signs that go up every weekend along with the real estate/developer signs. They had their dreadful signs up all over town during their several week-long "grand opening", now every weekend is the "blowout sale". Other companies- most of them mattress stores- are doing the same, although they ususally keep their signs in the immediate location of the store. Even restaurants are getting into the act- they're starting to put out "immediate seating available" coroplast signs, which stay out permanently (even at 3am when they're closed...)

And then there's the real estate junk. I'm going to try to find out from the Raleigh zoning department (they're the ones in charge of signs) about the rules on this- its something to be very careful about. Some municipalities have variances or other arrangements with the politically-powerful developers, and although I don't see anything in the municipal code that seems to allow these weekend signs, there's no telling what informal arrangments might exist.

As for the regular businesses, do try and go the zoning department route first- let them know whats going on, and see if they'll do anything about it. A "real" business with a real
storefront can be held accountable far more easily than some shady character hiding behind a long-distance 800-number. Supposedly, they have a truck that goes around Raleigh picking up the junk signs, but I suspect that they don't work on the weekends, when so much of the garbage goes out. But as for the "Work at Home", the "Finally!" insurance signs, and the obvious scams, they're fair game 24/7. Same goes for those "Collegeworks" painters signs- they're trying the trick of putting them out with the real estate signs.

What areas do you frequent?

I hit Six Forks, Millbrook between Six Forks and Glenwood, Up Creedmore to Lynn Road, and Glenwood all the way back to the Beltline. I got 5 or 6 "get rich quick/lose weight" signs, and the rest were Mattress Blowout signs. I emailed the City Inspections Dept to lodge a complaint against the Mattress Warehouse, will let you know how that goes. Thanks for the advice, I won't use the dumpsters again without permission.

>I hit Six Forks, Millbrook between Six Forks and Glenwood, Up
>Creedmore to Lynn Road, and Glenwood all the way back
>to the Beltline.

Great! I got about everything clockwise-around starting at Six Forks road. I was wondering why Six Forks was so clean, although it has had a rash of campaign signs recently.

I got
>5 or 6 "get rich
>quick/lose weight" signs,

One thing to watch out for is the small 12x18 signs on the metal frames - with "AchieveAndExcel.com" or "mytime2succed.com", or some with "successcanhappen.com" on them- I think the same people are responsible for all of these, and they usually blanket an entire area when they come through. One of their "favorite" routes is to start around the Beltline/Six Forks road interchange and go north on Six Forks on to Falls of the Neuse.

>Dept to lodge a complaint
>against the Mattress Warehouse, will
>let you know how that goes.

I think I'll do the same. They are located way out on Glenwood Avenue, just past where Millbrook joins it at the CVS Pharmacy, yet they put these signs all over town. I've seen them as far away as Durant Road/US1 North.

Thanks for the advice,
>I won't use the dumpsters
>again without permission.

Yep, some businesses get real upset about the dumpsters, and I can understand it, as some people out there will fill them full.
If you can cut them up, they can fit in regular trash cans ok.