Janette Sadik-Khan, that’s who. The outgoing (as of November 2013) head of the Department of Transportation has decreed that all remaining “Curb Your Dog” signs will be taken down, reasoning that many of them are decades old, sun-faded, and showing the incorrect fine amount. Hard to argue with that logic, since everything costs millions these days and commissioning a new design and installing thousands of signs would likely be worth that much.
This is a city, though, in which hundreds of perfectly legible street signs in uppercase lettering are being replaced by ones with lowercase lettering — except, of course, the sun-faded signs that are now impossible to read, which will apparently stay in place till they fall off the pole they’re attached to.
It looks like I’ll have to photograph every remaining one before they hit the recycling bin — but here’s a few I already have. I won’t even pinpoint their locations — Janette will just have to find them herself. The title card is in the Bronx…
I found this aged specimen in northern Queens. The fine has increased quite a bit since it was placed.
This is likely an unofficial sign. I found it in southern Brooklyn.
This one was probably placed under an elevated — where you can find all sorts of strange stuff — in the Swinging Sixties.
Hopefully, more samples anon.
11/27/13