SACRAMENTO — The message of the proposed freeway signs doesn't seem controversial, memorializing individuals killed in traffic accidents and urging California motorists to drive safely.
But a proposal to allow families to pay the California Department of Transportation to put up dozens of such signs along state highways has been caught up in a revolt by environmentalists against what they see as the growing clutter of signs and billboards along California roadways.
The latest flare-up involves plans to expand a program that allows families to pay $1,000 to cover the cost of signs that read, "Please Don't Drink and Drive -- In Memory of . . ." and then give the victim's name.
The Caltrans program, which started in 2002, has so far put up 46 memorial signs for victims of drunk-driving accidents on California freeways and highways. Assemblywoman Jean Fuller (R-Bakersfield) was the author of a bill to expand it to those killed in accidents not involving drugs or alcohol. Fuller was moved by a series of fatal accidents on a road near Taft, southwest of Bakersfield, that killed several people.
Backers of the plan, which has been approved by the Assembly and awaits action by the Senate, say it would reduce the risk to grieving families who brave traffic to create and visit unofficial roadside memorials of flowers, photos and candles.
The unsanctioned memorials, they say, also create risks for Caltrans workers who have to repeatedly remove them. The proposed signs would address that problem, Fuller said.
"It gives grieving families comfort, and the message of driving safety is always important," she said.
Anti-billboard activists, however, warn that the signs could distract drivers, potentially causing more accidents.
"Our highways are not intended to be repositories for memorials," said Mary Tracy, president of Scenic America, a group that advocates against unnecessary signage. "A clutter of signs is the last thing we need along our roadways."
Critics of the bill also note that California already has dozens of signs that name freeway interchanges and bridges in honor of CHP officers and state engineers who have died. The state also has posted hundreds of "Adopt-A-Freeway" signs advertising that an individual or company is sponsoring cleanup of a stretch of freeway.
And the latest proposal comes as Caltrans is considering a plan to allow commercial advertisements on hundreds of electronic message boards along freeways that are normally used for Amber Alerts and warnings of road hazards.
