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15
May 2024
Now council changes 'Avenue' to 'Ave' on Harrogate road sign
First North Yorkshire Council eliminated apostrophes from road signs; now it has started abbreviating them.
Local cyclist Kim Pearson contacted the Stray Ferret after noticing a sign on Harlow Avenue had been replaced by one sating Harlow Ave.
To make matters worse, an older sign opposite it still says Harlow Avenue, which means the two nearby signs for the same street have different lettering.
(L) the newly abbreviated sign and an existing sign just opposite (R).
Ms Pearson said:
Ms Pearson also cited Eddy Grant's 1982 number one hit Electric Avenue to reinforce her case:
The move comes after the Stray Ferret revealed last month the council had decided to abolish apostrophes from road signs.
Our story upset the grammar police and was picked up by national media including the BBC and the Guardian but also the New York Times. It even featured on Have I got News For You last Friday night.
One grammar guerrilla even took matters into their own hands by taping an apostrophe onto the sign.
Ms Pearson told the Stray Ferret that abbreviating signs was “even worse”.
The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Council if the new format was introduced to save money and whether it will be adopted on other signs.
Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director of environment, said:
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