Dog walkers call out ‘stupid’ sign erected by council at Bong Bong Common Park in Bowral: ‘Need a scratching head emoji’
A council has been criticized by locals after installing a confusing sign instructing visitors where they could take their dogs at a popular park in the area.
The sign was recently put up at Bong Bong Common Park in Bowral, in the Southern Highlands of NSW, with dog owners labeling the instructions as ‘stupid’.
A photo of the sign uploaded to Facebook shows that on the left side there is a green arrow pointing left to a grassy area of the park, along with the message “Dogs allowed.”
The other half of the sign that says “No Dogs” has a red arrow pointing to the adjacent parking lot.
A symbol of a dog circled in red with a line through it ensures that the instruction cannot be misunderstood.
A sign (pictured) posted at Bong Bong Common Park in Bowral, NSW Southern Highlands, has caused confusion among dog owners who have branded it ‘stupid’.
Dozens of locals who responded to the Facebook post said the sign was not only confusing, but they also failed to understand why it was necessary or practical.
Many wondered how people’s dogs would be transported between permitted and prohibited zones.
‘How stupid our world has become. God, what did they do back in the day without all these rules?’ one person commented.
“I need a crab emoji,” another person wrote.
“A waste of money,” declared one local.
A Wingecarribee Shire Council spokesperson explained to Daily Mail Australia why the sign was needed.
The sign has been placed on the boundary line to indicate land managed by the council on one side, and land managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) on the other.
“As that car park is on NPWS land, we had to install signage prohibiting pets from being on NPWS land,” the spokesperson said.
Many wondered how people’s dogs were supposed to be transported between the permitted and prohibited zones (stock image)
According to the NPWS park signage manual, boundary signs are used to “define the legal boundary on land or water.”
The symbols on the sign are intended to alert people that it is an offense under the National Parks and Wildlife Act to ignore the instructions on it.
“The signage speaks for itself,” the spokesperson said.
Dogs and other pets are not allowed in NSW National Parks and Reserves, with the rule in place to protect native plants and animals.
Some regional parks in NSW allow some visitors, such as people with disabilities, to enter with a trained service animal.
The sign was placed on the boundary line of the Bong Bong Common Park (pictured) to identify land managed by the council and land managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.