At Least The Sign Is Polite

Your Boulevardier recently came across this sign on a building on Castro Valley Boulevard.


It's a sensible request. The structure to which the sign is affixed is a residential building, and is close to several retail establishments, including a tobacco shop, that might attract people who are inclined to sit or walk. Chances are the sign was posted because persons sitting or walking on the wall below the sign were disturbing the residents therein.

While handmade, the sign is clear, practical, and direct. With the exception of a stray hyphen and some random capitalization, the sign is grammatically acceptable. (Your Boulevardier was an English major and tends to be a stickler about punctuation and capitalization, so perhaps this is his personal bugaboo.)

What's more, the sign is certainly polite. Not everyone uses what Mère de Boulevardier (and most every other mère, for that matter) called "the magic word." In total, there's much to admire about the sign's intention and implementation

But there is a problem. As can be seen in the photo below, the arrows on the sign point to a concrete curb, not a brick wall. If a person were to take the sign literally, he or she could sit or walk on the curb with impunity. But that would most certainly violate the spirit, if not the letter, of the sign.

Such are the quandaries when one walks about in Castro Valley, trying to obey the rules.