Speed bump misspelled as 'bmup' on California road

STOCKTON, Calif. (FOX 13) - It's supposed to be a warning for drivers to slow down, alerting them to a speed bump up ahead. But instead, drivers were warned to watch for the "bmup" in Stockton, California.

The stenciled letters on the pavement caught the attention of residents in the neighborhood.

"I double checked. I said, 'Wait a minute.' I stood on one side of it and made sure and said, 'Wait a minute, you don't spell it like that, you know?'" said neighbor David Roots. "And went back and on the other side and that's when I came to the conclusion, 'Man, they spelled it wrong.'"

The city of Stockton told FOX 40 the street had actually been painted last year, but contractors stenciled this one sign incorrectly.

City officials said the misspelling was not caught on final inspection because crews aren't checking for spelling mistakes.

Roots said he doesn't mind the road's markings being spelled wrong.

"It makes our street unique, like the people that live here," he said. "That's how I look at it."

But others in the neighborhood disagree, saying it shows carelessness on the city's part.

"'I don't give a damn,' you know what I mean? They might as well just say that," neighbor Sante Gayle said. "They should've at least spelled it right."

Hours after the city was contacted about the mistake, workers fixed the spelling on the road.

FOX 13 reported on this story from Tampa.