A town council’s refusal to act on a potential road danger has forced a father-of-five to take matters into his own hands even if it meant risking a criminal damage fine.
The frustrated 39-year-old said that Percy Street in Wallasey, Merseyside, is supposed to be a 30 mph zone. However, he’s witnessed several motorbikes zooming past at speeds as much as 100 mph. He raised the issue with the town council but they said the location was not a priority area for the installation of speed bumps.
Watch to find out more of what the graffiti artist did to solve the problem.
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Video credit: Rumble
That’s when the graffiti artist decided to take matters into his own hands by painting four huge 20 mph speed limit signs onto the road in an effort to deter speeding drivers. He says incurring a criminal damage fine is better than sitting by and letting a tragedy happen.
The man doesn’t want to reveal his real name and goes by the alias The JOB. He said: “It’s a fatality waiting to happen.
“I painted the signs on the road because there are motorbikes coming up and down at 100mph – and cars at just short of that.
“I’d rather get caught for criminal damage than pay for a funeral.”
Even before the man had acted, residents at nearby Palatine Road also acted on their own by setting up a lit-up CD rack in the center of the road to combat dangerous driving.
The man is now considering installing a CCTV.
A person can be jailed for three months for criminal damages that cost less than £5,000 ($6,000). However, damages in excess of that amount can lead to jail time of up to 10 years.
One of the residents named Sarah supports the signs and said: “I think what he has done is really good – we do not let the kids play out at the front because of the cars speeding down.
“We moved here in February and it has been a problem ever since then.
“We want our kids to be able to play outside – I think they are missing out.”
A Wirral Council spokesman said: “Speeding traffic and its effect is a key concern of the council.
“Taking into account the road safety records for the area over the last five years, which show this and nearby roads have a good safety history, this area has not been considered a priority for additional speed reduction measures at this time.”
Replaced!