By PAOLO MOSSETTI

 It was a mysterious sight along Norwood, yet somewhat familiar–a ruptured pedestrian traffic signal left hanging

from its steel pole. And even though the damage lasted for only a day, talk of the damaged sign was discussed on Facebook. That was until the city Department of Transportation dispatched a squad to fix it.

“I have never seen something like that in this area before,” said Sheila Sanchez, who first noticed the vandalized sign at the intersection of Bainbridge Avenue and Mosholu Parkway East on Jan. 22.

Sanchez, a community activist and member of the Northwest Bronx Democrats, may not have been the first to notice it, but she was the first to snap a photo with her cell. “It’s not something that can be ignored for too long,” she said. “It was almost surreal.” But even after complaining to Community Board 7 and haranguing 311, news of the broken light had reached the DOT.

The pedestrian light was not completely disconnected from the seven foot pole. The light was indeed functioning despite its cockeyed position.

The Department of Transportation, for its part, said it normally gives maximum priority to broken traffic and pedestrian lights, in order to avoid excessive disruptions. Much of the legwork in alerting the agency of these problems comes from complaints. “While we had not received this complaint earlier, we inspected and made any necessary repairs,” said Nicholas Mosquera, a DOT spokesman.

About the possible causes of such an occurrence, Sanchez has no doubts: “From what I saw, the wind was so strong this week and the days before, the lights got broken. Another traffic light post was half torn off at Mosholu Parkway on East 204th Street.” Sanchez dismissed the idea this could have been a case of vandalism. “If somebody wanted to destroy or steal a traffic light, why leave it still hanging from the mast? It doesn’t make any sense.”

Defacement of walls and wreckage of public property is not unusual in an area with an ongoing graffiti war and teen crews contending for territory. But the damage typically involves other targets. “Kids often assault the benches on Mosholu Parkway,” Sanchez said. “They rip the wooden plank apart, and use them as sticks to play with or improvise fights among themselves. Officials can’t do much. Unless they catch them on the spot, it’s impossible to stop them.”

Still, despite the back story, Sanchez was relieved to see DOT’s rush to remedy the broken light issue. “It was fixed by DOT the day after we called them,” said Sanchez. “It was very quick.”