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Resident urges county action on 'sign clutter' along Coddington Road
Summary
A longtime Ithaca resident told the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee that residential and directional signs are proliferating along county roads, calling for review of town and state sign rules and more consistent removal of obsolete signs.
Diana Cole, a native Ithacan and Coddington Road resident, told the Tompkins County Facilities and Infrastructure Committee on May 15 that an increasing number of roadside signs is degrading the county’s rural character and blocking scenic views.
Cole said she has communicated with county highway staff — including Joe Slater and Jeff Smith — about what she described as unnecessary driveway and directional signs along long stretches of Coddington Road, and near Burns Road, Mead Meyer Court, Oak Brook on Route 366 and Judd Falls Road. "For probably 6 to 9 miles, there are driveways all along Coddington Road," she said, and described large yellow signs placed on both directions of some short, dead-end roads.
The committee’s highway representative, Jeff Smith, said some signage on state roads is regulated by the state and noted that towns typically regulate permitted signage within their borders. Smith told the committee he and other county staff had provided Cole with state guidance and that he removed two improperly placed Amish-direction signs on her road after an earlier complaint.
Committee members asked staff to follow up with the affected towns and the state on obsolete or redundant signs. Committee member Randy said he has begun informally tracking examples where older signs were not removed after newer signs were posted and asked staff to explore an official process to notify the state about obsolete signs on state routes.
Cole offered to share photographs with staff to help identify problem signs.
The committee did not take a formal vote on the matter; members directed highway staff to follow up with town officials and state agencies and to keep the committee informed.
Cole closed by saying she loves the area and hoped the committee could be helpful in reducing what she called visual clutter along county roads.
