A common sight on highways: brown and white signs pointing to places of interest. If the panels need to be replaced due to wear and tear, it will be costly.
From the “Barfußpark Lüneburger Heide” to the “Limesmuseum Aalen”, from the “Industrial Museum Ratingen” to the “Toy Village Seiffen”: more than 3,500 “tourist information boards” are spread along the German highways. But soon there could be fewer.
For example, there have been two signs on the A3 near Straubing in Lower Bavaria since 2001: They show a tropical toucan on a branch, next to a tiger baring its teeth. The city of Straubing would like to encourage drivers to visit the local zoo. But another animal is now likely to cause the signs to disappear: the “bureaucracy stallion”.
“There isn’t one here space mission”
The federal Autobahn GmbH has informed the city that the signs, which have been there for 23 years, must be removed – for reasons of “traffic safety obligations”. Specifically, the state-owned company complains about the stability of the signs’ foundations and the faded reflective strips.
Autobahn GmbH estimates up to 83,000 euros to replace the signs. A hefty sum for just under nine square meters of printed aluminum. The mayor of Straubing, Markus Pannermayr (CSU), simply says: “This isn’t a space mission that we’re doing. It’s about putting up two signs along a street. That should actually be possible for 15,000 to 20,000 euros.”
New Highway Company – New prices
In 2001, the two signs cost the equivalent of around 6,000 euros. Responsible at the time: the Southern Bavaria Motorway Directorate, which as an authority did not charge any costs for administration or traffic safety. Instead of the authority, Autobahn GmbH, which was created as part of the reorganization of federal-state financial relations in 2017, now looks after the highways. As a federal GmbH, it is no longer allowed to take on this service today, but “must pass on the costs actually incurred in full”.
The Straubing city council unanimously decided not to provide funds for replacing the zoo signs. However, Autobahn GmbH would also charge 10,000 to 12,000 euros for dismantling the signs.
The roses are not big enough
There is also trouble over a “tourist information board” in Sangerhausen in Saxony-Anhalt. She points out the largest rose collection in the world, the “Europa Rosarium”. This brown and white tourist guide definitely shows his many years of service. The white contours of the roses shown barely stand out from the background and the printed foil is crumbling. Actually – the thought goes – you could simply renew the font and graphics on the existing sign.
In reality, however, the founding of Autobahn GmbH in 2021 also brought with it new regulations for information signs. So far the signs, including the one in Sangerhausen, measure two by three meters. Autobahn GmbH requires signs according to the new standard, according to which they would now have to measure 2.40m by 3.60m. Last October, the city’s highway company said the “provisional cost” per sign was 181,000 euros.
This enormous sum prompted the mayor of Sangerhausen, Sven Strauss (SPD), to write a letter directly to Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP); a step that his counterpart from Straubing has now also taken.
Signs let tourists stop
The high cost of tourism signs raises the fundamental question of whether they serve their purpose and encourage drivers to make a stop at the respective attraction. The Harz University of Applied Sciences conducted a survey on this in 2019. Result: The white-brown panels work. “Apparently there are short, medium and long-term effects,” explains study author Sven Groß.
Two out of three people said they could remember specific signs and the sights, cities or landscapes depicted on them. One in six people have followed the sign’s instructions at least once. “Some people told us in additional guided interviews about lists that they make during or after the car journey,” continues Groß.
Regarding the number of around 3,500 signs in Germany, 50 percent said that the number should remain the same; 40 percent even wanted more signs. However, it is more than questionable whether cities and communities will continue to be able to afford the information about their sights given the immense costs.