[/floatr]Mainichi: Saitama toughens up sign posts in battle against moisture, dog urine
Saitama Prefectural Police have introduced new traffic signs reinforced with a tough new material to combat corrosion from moisture and dog urine. Police discovered that nearly 10 percent of some 56,000 traffic signs in the prefecture were in danger of collapsing since they started assessing the strength of the posts last year. In addition to the road signs hit by moisture, those exposed to dog urine can decay faster, according to officials. In order to combat the corrosion, police have started replacing the damaged pillars with new ones wrapped in aramid fiber -- the high-strength material commonly used in bulletproof vests and aircraft. It is the first time that aramid fiber has been used to reinforce traffic signs in the nation. While protecting the pillars from damage, police said that the new material's durability will contribute to cutting costs. "They are not only resistant to dog urine but also to financial woes," said one official.
