Man Spends Three Years Spray-Painting Penises Around Potholes

A man in New Zealand has been highlighting dangerous local potholes by spray-painting the shape of a giant penis around them.

Geoff Upson, a handyman and road safety advocate, first started drawing the penises after becoming frustrated by the time it took to fix potholes near his home in Waitoki back in 2018.

Since then, he estimates he's scrawled more then 100 shapes onto the roads, and spends around NZ $400 (£208) on spray paint each year, according to the Metro.

Geoff Upson

Upson told New Zealand Autocar that he's made numerous attempts to contact Auckland Transport about the potholes, but that most of his complaints have gone unanswered.

While Auckland Transport has said it intends to pursue the 'culprit', Upson told the outlet he was more than happy to come forward and have his identity published as the man behind the penises.

Upson said he's always cautious and careful when working on his creations, explaining: "The only spray painting I have done has been directly on unsafe areas of road surface which were overdue for repairs and all spray paint has been removed along with the damaged road as part of the repair when the Road Controlling Authority finally repairs the road.

Geoff Upson

"In this instance on Old North Road the spray painting has not been removed or the road repaired yet.

"When I undertake drawing on the road I am cautious to minimise the risk both to myself and other road users."

Saying Auckland Transport should be 'ashamed' of the local roads, Upson continued: "Auckland Transport should stop worrying about prosecuting me for highlighting their failures and be ashamed of themselves for allowing our road network to be in such a state of disrepair.

"Waka Kotahi and Auckland Transport should also offer additional clarification regarding the reason the road surfaces have become so dangerous and how the public can change this in the next election."

Geoff Upson

An Auckland Transport spokesperson told NZ Autocar that the council-controlled organisation intended to pursue whoever was behind the penises for the cost of their removal, saying they have put themselves at risk while also creating a distraction for motorists.

The spokesperson said: "The graffiti will be reported to the police and all costs to remove will be charged to whoever the culprits are.

"The person responsible has placed themselves at risk, as well as potentially causing a safety risk and a distraction for other drivers."

They added that the potholes on Old North Road were on Auckland Transport's 'list of repaired' and were 'programmed to be done soon'.

Topics: New Zealand, World News, News

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

@Jess_Hardiman