(Image Credit: Change.org)

A sign apologizing for whistling construction workers at a New Jersey mall has been removed after an online petition attracted more than 2,000 people who agreed the sign was "offensive" and "inappropriate."

"We apologize for the whistling construction workers, but man you look good! So will we soon, please pardon our dust, dirt and other assorted inconveniences," read the sign, which was posted at the MarketFair Mall in Princeton.

On the right side of the sign, a leggy brunette cartoon poses seductively.

Holly Kearl, founder of Stop Street Harassment, an online resource center, started the petition on Change.org on Sunday. By Monday, the sign was taken down due to the petition.

"The sign normalizes street harassment and sexual harassment that happens in public spaces," Kearl told ABCNews.com. "It's not OK, it's not a joke and it's not a compliment."

Not only was the sign demeaning to women, but it sent a negative message about construction workers too, she said.

"The sign assumes all the construction workers are harassers and don't respect women," she said. "And that's very unfair."