Looking after the zillion or so signs on our stretch of the highway is a full time job for one man.
They are continually being knocked over, shot at, spray bombed, even set on fire. They need regular washing, especially those that are permanently in the shade, which grow moss & lichen and slowly go green. They have to be checked for correct alignment, height, and distance from the roadside. Most are High Visibility, and rely on gazillions of tiny glass beads to reflect light. They are not cheap.
Prowling the roads checking them with our sign man is an education. He has a Google Map vision of the road, and knows every sign personally. Constantly having to fill in various sign sheets has also given him an encyclopedic knowledge of the reference points on the road. (If you have been paying attention, you will know that reference points, or RP's, are the kilometre pegs which tell us where officially we are..)
Over on the always fascinating PLEP there is a link to a delightful story of a sign lover. "He is legendary in the neighborhood, a mysterious figure trapped and enchanted by a love of road signs and little metal markers...."

We would give Johnny Signmaker a job, anytime.