Cheap signs scattered on lawns and along the corners of busy intersections are hard to city officials,the signs are costly litter that requires city workers to pick them up.
那些散落在草地上和繁忙路口的廉价小广告让人很难错过。对于城市官员来说,这些小广告都是“价值不菲”的垃圾,因为需要清洁工去把它们捡起来。
Putting them up is deemed a crime as well,albeit a relatively minor offense that carries a fine of up to $250 in Hollywood,Fla.
在美国佛罗里达州的好莱坞市,贴小广告是犯法的,虽然罪行较轻,但罚款可达250美元。
While stopping for a red light a few months ago, Hollywood Mayor Peter Bober studied the ghastly signs and came to a realization that would help him stop them from spreading:The criminals had left their calling cards in the form of business phone numbers.
几个月前,该市的市长彼得·鲍勃在一次等红灯时,看到这些难看的小广告,突然想出一招防止它们扩散的方法,因为他看到罪犯们把电话号码留在小广告上。
"These people want us to call them, so let's call them so often util it makes their heads spin,"said Bober, who bought a $300 software program in March that robocalls the number of the calls has gone up as high as 20 calls per program, made to 90 businesses per day.
鲍勃说:“这些人想让我们给他们打电话,那我们就使劲打,打到他们头昏眼花。”他今年3月花了300美元买了一套软件,给这些人自动拨打电话。这套软件可以每天给90多个发帖者每人拨打20次电话。
In 2009, Bober held a citywide contest, offering $500 in non-public funds to whoever collected the most signs disappeared overnight, with the winning resident collecting nearly 500 of over time,the city was again plagued by signs cluttering the sights.
在2009年,鲍勃举行了一次全市范围的竞赛,收捡小广告最多者奖励500美元。一夜之间,街上的小广告全不见了,获奖的市民收捡了大约500副小广告。但不久之后,小广告又遍布全城。
"For two whole years,I was asking myself what to do,"the mayor said. The robocalls,which leave pre-recorded messages,have been so successful that city officials say certain areas have seen a 90 percent reduction in signs .
“过去两年我一直在考虑到底该怎么做,”鲍勃说。这些播放预录信息的机器拨号非常成功,一些地方小广告减少率达90%。