This tree and this parking sign aren’t getting along. The sign is using the tree as a pole, and the tree is fighting back by eating the sign. They’re the original odd couple!

Remarks: Andrew Bourgeois with HRM Transportation and Public Works clears things up: “Attaching to telephone poles and to metal poles is the new practice—attaching signs to trees is an old practice that started…I would say 20 years or so ago.” Some old tree signage still exists, says Bourgeois, particularly in Halifax’s south end (the pictured example can be found on Monastery Lane), but the city is gradually replacing any lingering tree-bound signs. “We just did a bunch last year near Jubilee Road,” he says.

Who’s Responsible?: An outdated (and now defunct) sign placement policy.

This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.