Signs are going up at selected off-ramps around Columbus reminding drivers that panhandling is prohibited on freeways. "It's a safety issue, for the panhandlers and the motorists," said Lt. Jack Harris, who supervises the Police Division's freeway patrol units.

Tom Holbrook didn�t see the sign at the bottom of the exit ramp until someone pointed it out on Wednesday. Panhandling Prohibited Citywide. It didn�t stop him from holding a well-worn cardboard sign asking for money.

The advisory isn�t meant for Holbrook anyway, Columbus police Lt. Jack Harris said. It�s directed at motorists stopping at the bottom of the ramp who might think about giving Holbrook a buck or two.

�It�s a safety issue, for the panhandlers and the motorists,� said Harris, who supervises the Police Division�s freeway-patrol units.

�The biggest problem is drivers are coming down the ramp at speed,� he said, and they�re not expecting to encounter someone stopped at a green light at the bottom to give a panhandler money.

The signs have been up for a few weeks at the Rt. 315 northbound exit at Spring Street, the I-670 exit at Dublin Road that leads to southbound Rt. 315, and at the E. 5th Avenue exit at James Road.

There have been no accidents or injuries attributed to panhandlers at exits ramps, and police want to make sure it stays that way. They have been asking for the signs for a while.

Someone covered one sign with duct tape, which Harris said he removed.

Although the signs say panhandling is prohibited citywide, the effort is aimed at freeway exit ramps, he said.

It�s not illegal to panhandle along city streets during daylight hours as long as the individual is not acting aggressively. However, it is a misdemeanor to stand on a freeway, and the exit ramps are part of the freeway, he said.

Each subsequent offense increases the penalty and could land panhandlers in jail, Harris said.

He said an accompanying problem with panhandlers at the Spring Street ramp is the litter they leave behind on the nearby bike path.

Holbrook, who said he�s 57 and from Plain City, was panhandling at the Spring Street ramp. He doesn�t fear the signs, or the possibility of a ticket.

�I get in quick and get out,� he said. �All I need is $3 for a beer and cigar.�

It takes him about a half-hour to raise that much, Holbrook said.

He said his sister-in-law dropped him off in Columbus five years ago. He said he sleeps in an abandoned house on Yale Avenue in Franklinton, not far from the ramp. On weekends, he tries to see his young son, who lives in Columbus with the boy�s aunt.

He relies on food stamps for groceries. He said he doesn�t work because he gets wobbly when he stands; he uses a cane. He stayed in a shelter once but was banned for returning at 5 a.m.

Holbrook said people usually panhandle to feed a habit. His is beer, he said.

Harris said he knows the signs alone won�t keep panhandlers from plying their trade, but it might persuade drivers to stop giving them money. Stop the handouts and the panhandlers might move from the potentially dangerous exit ramps, he said.

�It�s to educate the driver, more than anything,� he said.

erinehart@dispatch.com

@esrinehart