MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - Highway signs along the pavement should tell people how to drive – not how to vote.

The state DOT has issued its traditional reminder not to put campaign signs on the public rights of way.

Allan Johnson of the DOT’s highway maintenance bureau says it’s not a matter of politics – it’s a matter of public safety. He says any signs that create safety hazards will be removed. Political signs are not the only ones banned from shoulders and terraces.

Any non-traffic signs – including garage and thrift sale signs – are also banned from the rights of way.

The law carries fines of up to $500. It applies on Interstate, federal, and state highways – along with county and town roads, municipal streets and alleys, and bike and pedestrian paths.