Cars whizzed by and pedestrians slowly ambled by on the sidewalk. Nearby, two horse-mounted police officers were having a conversation as they meandered down Polk Street. For everyone, it was business as usual on a quiet local road in Houston.
Except for one glaring mistake: A posted sign in the 2100 block of Polk, between St. Emanuel and Hutchins streets, appeared to raise the speed limit to 60 mph.
Across the street, another speed limit sign shows the actual limit: 30 mph.
The 60 mph sign first was noticed by a Reddit user who posted a picture of the erroneous speed limit down the street from 8th Wonder Brewery to the r/houston subreddit Monday morning.
A Houston Landing reporter who visited the block found the sign was made of plastic, not metal, indicating it was a fake.
No drivers appeared to be taking advantage of the official-looking sign on the stretch of road Monday afternoon. In fact, most drivers didn’t even seem to notice the seemingly increased speed limit.
It remains unclear where the phony sign came from. But it is clear where it went: A city Public Works crew replaced the sign with one showing the actual speed limit Monday afternoon.
Erin Jones, Houston Public Works’ acting communications director, said the Texas Department of Transportation is responsible for posting speed limits on state highways and major thoroughfares. In the case of neighborhood surface streets the responsibility falls to Public Works.
Sometimes, if contracted work is being performed in an area, warning signs may be placed by the contractor.
Other signs on Polk indicate the area is a work zone, including a sign on the other side of the street that denoted Polk as a 30 mph zone. Jones said a contractor was performing work in the area, and lowered the limit from its usual 35 mph.
A contractor, however, would not have put up an incorrect speed limit sign. Or a plastic one. The culprit will remain a mystery, as Jones indicated that Public Works has no way of knowing who had actually put up the 60 mph sign.
“I wouldn’t be able to tell you who put it there,” Jones said. “I can’t tell you if it was like a prank or if it was something else.”
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