5 months Ago
The thefts were discovered after Rijkswaterstaat’s camera vehicle revealed the signs were gone after the event, which celebrated 750 years since the city of Amsterdam was founded. Festivalgoers were captured on social media dancing with road markers and posing with stolen signs.
“And it was just a year after mine was stolen, and so the tradition that it’s a popular tradition,” Hurst said.
“To take a sign, you have to show up with a plan. “You need resources,” said Jacques Goddijn, director of HR Groep Streetcar, which makes signs in the Netherlands.
He pointed out that stolen signs sometimes end up in bars or student houses. “I’ve been in student houses with 100 signs inside,” he said.
One hectometer post is more than €500 and this is largely due to the expensive retro-reflective film on both sides. Amsterdam, a city, that organized the highway festival, will be charged for the damages.
Replacement Will Take Weeks
No new signs will appear right away. “It’s going to be at least three weeks from the point of order to get them installed,” Goddijn said, adding that there are production and red-tape delays.
The thefts seemed to have peaked Saturday morning after the signs became popular souvenirs for festivalgoers. “They’re distinctive and ideal to indicate where you’ve been,” Goddijn said, pointing out that some of the overhead signs are huge, as much as 12 feet by 8 feet.
Rijkswaterstaat is still reviewing the footage and hasn’t discounted filing a police report. Interestingly, the agency had earlier handed official commemorative hectometer signs to 20 of the couples who wed at the celebration. A final damage settlement with the city is anticipated by mid-August.
