AUCKLAND: A man has been drawing penises over potholes to force the government to fix the roads faster in the city of Auckland in North Island, New Zealand.
Geoff Upson, a road safety campaigner, said that police actually contacted him last week after a civilian had complained about his penis drawings, according to The New Zealand Herald on May 4.
He has since admitted to being the man behind the graphic drawings and was told that police would work with Auckland Transport (AT) on the matter.
Upson said that he has so far made around 100 drawings over problem areas since as early as 2018, when he made his first penis drawings on a road near his home in Waitoki.
He said he had complained 20 times to AT, which is responsible for Auckland’s transport services, to have the roads fixed back then, but was ignored, according to the report.
Now, he still draws penises around potholes to get government attention, but assures that he does these things safely, adding that he wears high-visibility safety vests when doing so.
AT spokesman Natalie Polley, meanwhile, said that Upson was not only putting himself at risk but also potentially distracting drivers.
Upson is also expected to pay the expenses for the removal of the penis graffiti and traffic management, which would be around NZ$2,500 each (RM7,419), according to the report.
This is not the first time such tactics were used, however, as a man in England had also drawn penises over potholes two years ago.
The UK protest was successful as the roads were fixed within the week, according to the BBC on April 26, 2019. – Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network
