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Guerrilla Public Service 2011

Richard Ankrom1 HN recommender · recommended in 1 month, 2018-2025
YouTube
721K views · 15 years ago · documentary · evergreen

Richard Ankrom's account of his 2001 guerrilla project, in which he painted and installed a missing freeway exit sign on a Pasadena freeway. The sign matched official standards and stayed up for years before being discovered.

HN cites it as the best-known example of a citizen quietly fixing public infrastructure, often in threads on unsanctioned civic repairs.

Transit, cities & urban planningDocumentaries & storytellingVisual arts, photography & architecture#freewaysign#guerrillapublicservice#civichacking#pasadena#roadsignage

3 comments from Hacker News

@rezonant2025 · in “Engineer restores pay phones for free public use”

Guerilla Public Service. If you've not heard of Richard Ankrom who fixed an exit sign on the 110 freeway, check it out. He made a documentary about it (and there are countless other videos on YouTube covering the story). ▶ this video He did it so well, the modification stayed in place for years. If you can do it right, I say go for it.

RecommendsView on HN
@gen32022 · in “How to Paint a Crosswalk”

Reminds me of the story of Richard Ankroms, who installed his own Interstate 5 exit sign. It hung for 8 years. Video of the process: ▶ this video link

CitesView on HN
@drawkbox2018 · in “Portland Anarchist Road Care Fixes Potholes Anonymously (2017)”

Reminds me of the "Guerrilla Public Service" vigilante[1][2] from 2001, he added an I-5 sign notification where people commonly missed the exit. [1] link [2] ▶ this video

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