It is Drenthe hot. Interest in Drenthe-language place name signs is growing in more and more municipalities in Drenthe. Central Drenthe is now also seeing this. The price tag: 150,000 euros over two years.
Midden-Drenthe will not tackle all the signs, as that would cost 260,000 euros. The mayor and aldermen propose to the municipal council to only replace the signs on the ‘main approach roads’. These are the roads that receive the most traffic. This involves a total of 95 place name signs.
Midden-Drenthe is therefore the seventh municipality that seems to be changing tack. Noordenveld already has a considerable number of Drenthe signs and in Tynaarlo the initiative was embraced halfway through last year.
In November, Emmen, Aa and Hunze and Coevorden successively came out with their wish for signs. In February, retiring councilor Peter Zwiers (PvdA) in Borger-Odoorn asked three written questions, in Drenthe, to the council in his municipality in the hope of realizing double place name signs.
As a result of new European regulations, all place name signs must be replaced. Every new sign must be provided with one skylineicon, a fictional picture of a village view.