The Scenic America Blog

Scenic Rapid City collects enough signatures for billboard vote

2011-03-31T19:29:00.000-04:00

It appears as though Rapid City, SD voters who go to the polls at the June 7 municipal election will have the chance to limit new billboards in their community.

The new Scenic Rapid City has been working hard to collect enough signatures to trigger the vote, and they were able to gather over 3,000 verified signatures, according to city officials.

The proposal would ban new digital billboards, following a trend that has included cities such as Denver, Houston, St. Louis and Indianapolis. It would also double the required distance between new and existing billboards to 2,000 feet and fix their maximum size at 250 square feet.

A second proposal would establish a 20-year expiration date on sign credits, the city's currency for new billboards. City ordinance now grants one sign credit for every billboard taken down and requires two sign credits to be surrendered for every new billboard that goes up.

No branding on the Seattle skyline for now

2011-03-31T19:03:00.002-04:00

A proposal to allow corporate signage at the tops of Seattle's downtown office buildings has been tabled for at least a year.

Photo by United States Geological Survey

The idea, which proponents had hoped would pass quickly and with little public scrutiny, instead sparked a series of heated public gatherings where architects, designers and average citizens came out vociferously against the proposal.

Now, the editorial board at the Seattle Times says the idea should be dropped for good:

Seattle's skyline, featuring the Space Needle and tall buildings reflecting shimmery waters of Puget Sound, looks grand as it is. The council should drop this idea permanently.

Scenic Pittsburgh sues to have billboard removed

2011-03-28T15:53:00.001-04:00

Scenic Pittsburgh has filed a lawsuit demanding that a partially completed electronic billboard atop the city's downtown transportation center be taken down. The sign started to go up in 2008 before the city revoked the permit when it was revealed that the public process for granting variances had been subverted.

The revelations that a Lamar Outdoor executive had given gifts to Pat Ford, then executive director of the city's Urban Renewal Authority, led to much public outcry and Mr. Ford's eventual resignation. The sign has remained uncompleted for nearly three years. Scenic Pittsburgh says it's time for it to come down, and it seems many in the city agree.

Hundreds of thousands of new trees to line historic corridor

2011-03-28T15:22:00.000-04:00

As the state of Georgia prepares to allow billboard companies to cut down huge swaths of the public's trees to improve the visibility of their signs, news comes that over 600,000 new trees will be planted along the historic U.S. 15 corridor between Gettysburg, PA and Charlottesville, VA.

Our friends at the Journey Through Hallowed Ground have secured funding for The Living Legacy Project, which will plant one tree for every soldier who perished during the American Civil War, each serving as a living memorial to the 620,000 fallen soldiers.

Sign owner says digital billboards can be distracting

2011-03-28T14:57:00.004-04:00

Craig Heard, owner of Gateway Outdoor Advertising in Michigan, said he knows digital billboards can distract drivers. "I know, myself, driving down the highway and all the sudden the sign changes, your eye catches it, no doubt," Heard said.

The billboard industry says digital billboards pose no safety hazard and has paid for their own studies to back that up. Yet at the same time they promote billboards as the "one media that is truly unavoidable."

Considering that, and knowing that our peripheral vision is particularly sensitive to light and motion, and knowing that any glance away from the road for more than two seconds greatly increases the risk of a crash or near-crash, it seems counterintuitive to say that digital billboards pose no safety hazard.

Salt Lake City next to ban digital billboards?

2011-03-28T14:11:00.000-04:00

by Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News

It's looking like Salt Lake City will be the next major American city to ban digital billboards. "It's the mayor's intent to establish a citywide ban on electronic billboards," said Art Raymond, the mayor's spokesman.

Salt Lake City already has six digital billboards within its bounds. The city is questioning the validity of the permits for three of those, and will attempt to get a 24-hour change time on the others.

By banning digital billboards Salt Lake City will join Denver, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Houston and many other cities and towns, as well as the states of Montana, Alaska, Vermont, Maine and Hawaii.

Billboard industry seeks to end local control in North Carolina

2011-02-23T15:24:00.002-05:00

Just as South Dakota is looking to give control over sign regulation to local communities, the billboard industry in North Carolina is trying to end local regulation of signs in that state.

The move comes just months after residents of Durham, NC fought off an attempt by Fairway Outdoor Advertising to get the city to open up its regulations and allow them to convert some static billboards to digital. Citizens, who worked hard to craft regulations that would eventually see Durham billboard-free, rose up en masse to protest the proposal. A unanimous city council vetoed the proposal.

"The big concern is who decides about community appearance and whether billboards are sited in a community, and how visible they are," said Ben Hitchings, the planning director in Morrisville and past legislative chair of the N.C. Chapter of the American Planning Association. "It's a key question of local control: Will communities still be allowed to control the appearance of their own community, or will that be something dictated [to them], in this case by the billboard industry?"

The only entity that appears opposed to local control is the powerful billboard industry, which understands that when given a voice, communities quite naturally often prefer beauty over blight.

Massachusetts Judge orders billboard to come down

2011-02-04T17:40:00.000-05:00

by Jack Foley / Herald News

A Superior Court judge has ruled that a large billboard located on property owned by a Massachusetts State Senator must come down because it was improperly permitted.

A smaller, shorter billboard stood on the site for several decades and became nonconforming because of its location in a residential neighborhood. It was grandfathered in and allowed to stand, however when that sign was completely removed and a new one was built, it lost its grandfathered status.

The judge ruled that the new sign should not have been given a permit because it is located in a residential area. The sign owners have 90 days to take it down.

Jacksonville considers reinterpreting city charter to allow digital billboards

2011-01-13T15:42:00.005-05:00

The city of Jacksonville, FL is poised to be bombarded with a slew of digital billboards if a new interpretation of the city charter is allowed to stand.

photo by Max Ashburn

A 1995 settlement agreement between the city, concerned citizens and billboard companies prohibited construction of new billboards in Jacksonville. It also sought to gradually clean up the city's visual environment by requiring that a certain number of signs come down each year in residential areas and allowing a certain number to be rebuilt along busy commercial corridors using "identical sign faces."

In 2009 Clear Channel Outdoor requested permits to rebuild four billboards as digital billboards, a request that was denied by then-City Attorney Shannon Eller, who said flat out that the digital signs were a completely different kind of billboard and not identical in any way to the ones they would be replacing.

Digital billboards were not mentioned in the 1995 settlement agreement because there were no digital billboards in Duval County at that time. In fact digital billboards as we know them today didn't exist at all in 1995. However, any common sense interpretation of the requirement for an "identical" or "exact" sign face replacement says that a static sign rebuilt as digital does not meet that requirement.

Still, current city attorneys and the departing mayor stand poised to allow this reinterpretation (or really, misinterpretation), to go through. They are sure to meet strong opposition from citizens, community groups and the legal community. Stay tuned.

Winnipeg orders downtown digital billboard turned off

2011-01-12T14:33:00.000-05:00

Our neighbors to the north have not been immune from the onslaught of digital billboards, and now one of Canada's largest cities has ordered a large digital sign be turned off.

photo from CBC news

The sign, in downtown Winnipeg, was erected illegally and in spite of the fact that permits for it had been denied. At three stories high, it shown light across neighboring buildings. Residents in one building complained to city officials, who again denied the sign a permit and ordered that it come down.

Gordon McDiarmid, who lives nearby, called the illumination from LED bulbs on the sign "highly intrusive" and "disturbing." He said it is akin to having an outdoor movie theatre "right outside our window 24 hours a day."

Florida town says goodbye to last billboard

2011-01-06T13:14:00.001-05:00

A small town on the Atlantic coast of Florida saw its last billboard removed in December. The town of Beverly Beach said good riddance to the sign, which had lingered around since it was damaged during hurricanes in 2005.

Clear Channel Outdoor, the owner of the sign, had wanted to renegotiate with the town to keep the billboard up, but the town held firm despite fears of litigation.

John McDonald, the town commissioner, thinks Beverly Beach's lack of billboards distinguishes it from nearby places. "We're probably the only town around here that has no billboards," he said. "I think it makes the place much better-looking than everything else."

Where are Vermont's roadside billboards?

2010-12-23T09:07:00.002-05:00

At the history museum of course!

Light pollution linked to air pollution

2010-12-21T17:05:00.000-05:00

photo from Curbed LA Magazine

A new article in Wired examines a molecule that fights air pollution - with one catch: it only works in the dark. The molecule - a "nitrate radical" - breaks down harmful chemicals and toxic fumes in the air, but only under the cover of darkness.

Normally the molecule comes to life at night - but in our modern night skies full of the spillover of man-made lights - there is less and less of the benevolent molecule in the atmosphere.

The article mentions bright electronic billboards as contributors to light pollution and thus the reduction of the air-scrubbing molecule.

Main Street Revisted

2010-12-14T11:24:00.006-05:00

Postcard view of Sauk Centre, MN, "The Original Main Street," circa 1975

(image via postcardy.blogspot.com)

Scenic Minnesota has produced an excellent short film about "signs, icons and changing times" in the Land of Sinclair Lewis and the Original Main Street. Main Street Revisited is a must see. More Scenic Minnesota videos here.

Scenic Jacksonville fights to preserve digital billboard ban

2010-12-13T14:29:00.004-05:00

Digital billboard near Tampa traffic signal (photo: myfoxtampabay.com)

Scenic Jacksonville is opposing Clear Channel's effort to replace eight traditional billboards with new digital ones despite a 1995 settlement agreement between the City and sign operators prohibiting new billboards. While the Federal Highway Administration allows digital billboards, it recognizes their nature is quite distinct from traditional billboards; that is why it does not allow them to replace nonconforming signs. However, Jacksonville's law department has reversed its common sense opinion from just last year that agreed that digital signs are new construction, and it now approves of Clear Channel's effort to introduce a new form of distraction and sign blight to Jacksonsville roadways.

Seattle Skyline Gets Reprieve

2010-12-10T10:07:00.009-05:00

Seattle's scenic advocates won a huge victory yesterday when Council decided to postpone a vote to loosen restrictions on large, lighted corporate signs downtown. (See here for previous post.) The delay allows the city to work with citizens in a much more productive manner on any changes to the sign code. The Seattle Times put it well in an editorial against the ordinance,

Vibrant and aesthetically pleasing urban design are key Northwest values. Russell should find another way to brand itself. Seattle's skyline is gorgeous just the way it is.

Cell Towers Encroaching into Neighborhoods

2010-12-09T12:25:00.005-05:00

(image reporternewspapers.net)

The Washington Post has an article about opposition to plans to place cell towers in residential areas in Fairfax County. As this blog has already noted, however, the problem of cell towers in neighborhoods is growing nationwide as carriers seek to meet insatiable demand in part created by an increasing use of smartphones and less objectionable locations are often taken. For information on how to help your community plan widely for telecomunnication tower locations, visit our resource page.

Meanwhile, the Post also has a devastating report on how the major Washington-area utility Pepco wrongly blamed the tree canopy as the culprit for frequent power outages.

When the Bypass Comes

2010-12-08T13:16:00.005-05:00

Dan Barry has a poignant This Land column on how a small Nebraska town fought to preserve its identity in the face of a highway bypass. A visually pleasing sign serves as a statement that Hooper hasn't gone anywhere.

Reading billboards one of the "7 Most Dangerous Things To Do In Your Car"

2010-12-08T12:39:00.001-05:00

The Editors of The Car Connection have come up with a list of the "7 Most Dangerous Things You Can Do In Your Car," and among them is reading billboards.

The article points out that digital billboard technology is presenting a new array of challenges to drivers. From bright screens that change every 6 to 8 seconds, to signs that show full-motion video right next to the roadway, the driving environment is becoming continually more cluttered with distractions.

"The best advice is keep your eyes on the road," the editors say, but that can be easier said than done when it comes to out-of-car distractions. The human eye is designed to notice movement, particularly in our peripheral vision, so a bright, changing screen may in fact be near possible to ignore. Of course, billboard companies know this and that's why they sell digital billboards to advertisers as something "people won't be able to take their eyes off."

Click here for the full article.

Seattle's Skyline Threatened by Corporate Takeover

2010-12-06T22:44:00.007-05:00

ELLEN M. BANNER/ THE SEATTLE TIMES

Few cities are as fortunate as Seattle to have an iconic skyline marked by tremendous natural beauty as a backdrop. The skyline is central to the civic identity of Seattle and accounts for the marked absence of corporate logos above 65 feet. But this sound and long-standing policy to let the skyline speak for itself free of corporate clutter is now under threat as city leaders are poised to give away the logo-free skyline to a newcomer to town, Russell Investments. Scenic adovcates, however, have sounded the alarm and are gaining momentum in their effort to preserve the iconic skyline from an unneccesary corporate takeover.

UPDATE: The Seattle Times covers the issue here.

Beauty Creates Strong Community Attachment

2010-11-19T13:06:00.012-05:00

Pittsburgh Skyline (photo by Flickr user jmd41280 creative commons license)

While it seems intuitive that a community characterized by beauty and green spaces might be attractive to residents, researchers are now establishing the critical nature of aesthetics to community attachment and well-being. In fact, extensive research conducted by Gallup and The Knight Foundation for the Knight Soul of The Community project has shown that aesthetics is one of the three most important qualities in determining community attachment. Beauty, along with openness and social offerings, was consistently rated by residents as a key driver for community attachment ahead of other areas such as local economy, leadership and safety.

These important findings buttress additional research conducted recently. (See for example this study conducted by Richard Florida for the Martin Prosperity Institute.) The research conducted Soul of the Community Project has also shown that that beauty and the other key drivers of community attachment also correlate highly with local economic growth. So for community leaders looking to inspire passion and loyalty in residents as well as growing the local economy, fostering policies and programs that lead to good aesthetics and green spaces is a great place to start.

Montreal Borough Set to Remove Billboards

2010-11-09T10:14:00.005-05:00

One of 45 billboards ordered to be removed (photo: CBC)

Council members of Montreal's Plateau Mont-Royal borough have banned new billboards and ordered the removal of existing ones within one year. In response to this call for scenic improvements, the outdoor industry has promised a lenghty legal fight: "We won't stop, and we will get to the end and citizens will pay. That's for sure," says their attorney.

Don't count the borough impressed by the threat to raid the public treasury. City attorneys have given the okay to proceed and City Councilor Alex Norris remarked, "We're not going to be moved by such threats. We're here to represent the public interest and the public is solidly behind us on this initiative."

More Billboard Clutter to Blight Pheonix Highways?

2010-11-08T16:28:00.002-05:00

Putting aside a Pheonix City ordinance limiting billboards, a Board of Adjustments decision threatens to blight uncluttered vistas along Pheonix freeways. A Pheonix Planning Commissioner is fighting to uphold the integrity of the ordinance and is seeking to appeal the Board of Adjustments decision in the courts.

Billboards in Unincorporated Areas Threaten Chicagoland Communities

2010-11-04T16:05:00.005-04:00

Incorporated communities like Homer Glen are concerned about a proposal to allow digital billboards without public hearing in unincorporated Will County, the Chicago Tribune reports.

As city officials note, billboards outside city limits can still have negative impacts upon a community. Interestingly, Texas allows most cities to regulate billboards in adjacent unincorporated areas. In fact, 59 billboards erected illegally in Houston's "extra-jurisdictional" territory will be taken down under court order.

Proposal for Billboard in Boston's Savin Hill Pulled

2010-11-02T14:17:00.002-04:00

Fierce local opposition forces billboard company to pull proposal from Boston's Savin Hill neighborhood.

"City Councillor Maureen Feeney said that the billboard proposal would have a “devastating impact” on the neighborhood and the people who have tried for over 25 years to beautify it," reports the Dorchester Reporter.

County Commissioners Lobby for Stronger State Billboard Restrictions in Texas

2010-03-30T10:47:00.003-04:00

Texas communities take great pride in strictly regulating billboards. In fact, over 130 cities in the Lone Star state prohibit new billboards. Unfortunately, Texas counties do not have the same authority to regulate billboards as incorporated areas do. Out of concern that too many billboards are popping up in rural areas, many county commissioners are pushing the state to strengthen its own regulations.

Kentucky billboard measure dies in Senate

2010-03-27T14:31:00.000-04:00

The House bill that would have allowed "non-commercial" billboards to go up without permits in Kentucky was shot down in the Senate chambers on Friday.

An amendment to the bill also would have allowed for trees and vegetation to be cut down around billboards throughout the state.

Thanks and congratulations go to the folks at Scenic Kentucky, whose hard work helped stop this bill in the Senate.

Kentucky billboard bill could cost loss of $42 million in federal highway funding

2010-03-26T11:30:00.007-04:00

Despite warnings from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet that a bill exempting non-commercial billboards from the Cabinet's permitting process was non-compliant with the Highway Beautification Act, the House approved the measure. Now, the Federal Highway Adminstration has officially warned the state officials that the bill does indeed appear to violate the HBA and that the state could lose 10% of its federal highway funding allocation if it passes.

Philadelphia Inquirer Cautions Against Digital Billboards

2010-03-25T11:25:00.004-04:00

The Philadelphia Inquirer runs a strong editorial against Big Billboard's rush to digitize the American landscape and the need for governments to assess the safety of digital signs. The editorial notes that with plans for as many as 60,000 digital billboards across the country, our highways will look like Times Square without action.

USA Today Covers Digital Billboard Regulation

2010-03-23T11:13:00.005-04:00

Television on a stick. Fully animated, on-premises digital sign on I-70 in St. Louis. (photo by Tim A. Parker for USA Today)

USA Today covers the growing number of local governments enacting prohibitions and moratoria on digital billboards. Saint Louis, which just enacted a one year moratorium on digital signs, is featured.

Rapid City Studies Digital Billboards During 90 Day Moratorium

2010-03-22T16:34:00.004-04:00

The Rapid City Journal runs an in-depth article on digital billboards and how other cities are regulating them as the South Dakota city prepares for new regulations during a 90 day moratorium enacted last week.

Meanwhile, Daktronics, a manufacturer of digital signs, argues against the fact-based reality of traffic safety researchers: despite the ongoing FHWA safety study on digital billboard distraction and th exhaustive 2009 report prepared for AASHTO which concluded that the best science shows that digital signs indeed distract motorists eyes from the road for demonstrably unsafe periods of time, Daktronics says there are no concerns about their safety.

Now That is a Distracting Billboard!

2010-03-20T10:37:00.003-04:00

Now that the traffic safety community has concluded that there is a sound and growing body of scientific evidence that digital billboards distract motorists' eyes from the road for unsafe periods of time, there may be a new, and possibly uncomfortable field of study if the naked man that stopped Dallas traffic by dancing on top of a billboard becomes a trend.

In the News

2010-03-19T11:43:00.003-04:00

Court says Oakland's billboard removal legal (San Francisco Chronicle)
Study of digital billboards needed (Detroit News)
Bossier City and Parish enact strict billboard regulations (Shreveport Times)
New billboards in Union Gap may no longer be permitted (Yakima Herald)

Billboards Behaving Badly

2010-03-18T15:13:00.005-04:00

The Side Streets blog at the Colorado Springs Gazette has an excellent post highlighting the views of homeowners who have had the misfortune of a digital billboard moving into the neighborhood.

"The light shines right on my living room window. It blinks and I see it all the time. Blink. Blink. Blink," says one homeowner of the ultra-bright billboards that rotate ad copy every six seconds.

Across the country, the story is the same: digital billboards are bad neighbors. (See here and here for news videos of homeowners impacted by light trespass from digital billboards.)

Plan to Create a mini-Times Square Raises Opposition in D.C.

2010-03-17T11:35:00.008-04:00

Washington D.C.'s Gallery Place district, home of the Verizon Center and adjacent to the city's Chinatown, may become a mini-Times Square as developers are proposing to add a mass of digital signage to the area. Included in the plans are six fully animated street kiosks and two 45 foot tall signs that would be attached to a condominium.

As could be expected, the proposal is being met with opposition from neighborhood residents and preservationists in a city that has strict sign limits. Several condo owners in the building that would host the signage have started the website www.stopthebillboard.org.

Rapid City Puts Brakes on Digital Billboards

2010-03-16T11:22:00.002-04:00

Rapid City is the latest community to enact a moratorium on digital billboards. The three month moratorium was initiated after billboard companies were taking advantage of a loophole in the current ordinance to convert traditional billboards to digital. Rapid City's goal is to reduce the number of billboards in the city.

Campaign billboards versus campaign yard signs

2010-03-15T12:15:00.005-04:00

The Desert Sun raises an interesting issue as Rancho Mirage city council candidates battle over which type of sign is more environmentally friendly and less blighting... the traditional yard sign or the giant highway billboard?

The issue arose when a council candidate issued a challenge for everyone to run environmentally clean campaigns and to not despoil the beauty of the city with election signs all across town. However, the challenged candidates were quick to point out hypocrisy as the candidate has paid $4,000 to put up a large billboard on a highway in a town where billboards are illegal except for a few remaining "grandfathered" signs.

Now, I must admit that having public rights-of-way overrun with campaign signs can be a bit annoying, but make no doubt about it: billboards are environmentally unfriendly. In fact, a typical highway-sized billboard is 672 sq. ft. and almost always the poster gets dumped in the land fill. Further, most billboards are lit at night, wasting energy and polluting the night sky.

Bridges and Billboards

2010-03-11T18:55:00.006-05:00

One journalist referred to the world's growing proliferation of commercial outdoor ads as "the colonization of the public space."

Here in Sydney, majestic views of the Harbor Bridge, and towering office buildings are protected from the blight of towering billboards, eye-popping digital signage and giant commercial wallwraps. America has sadly failed in this regard and we need elected leaders who understand that beauty is an irreplaceable asset that is good for business. Change is inevitable. Ugliness is not.

Michigan and Minnesota Consider Statewide Digital Billboard Moratoria

2010-03-11T09:32:00.005-05:00

The legislatures of Michigan and Minnesota are considering statewide moratoria on digital billboards. Minnesota's bill has a hearing today.

Existing studies make clear that digital signs distract motorists eyes for demonstrably unsafe periods of time. Indeed, it is only common sense that these extremely bright and vivid signs which rotate ad copy as often as every six seconds violate the well-established "two-second" rule of motorist distraction.

Abby Dart of Scenic Michigan calls digitals billboards "weapons of mass distraction" and notes, "if you are distracted and looking at the billboard, then you are not looking at the road."

Many communities and some states already have prohibited digital billboards; enacting a moratorium should be a no-brainer for public officials who believe it is their job to protect the public based upon the best scientific evidence.

Denver Enacts Digital Billboard Ban

2010-03-10T10:18:00.002-05:00

Add Denver to the growing list of cities that are saying "No" to digital billboards.

Sydney Australia - First Stop on the International Billboard Scan

2010-03-09T18:37:00.019-05:00

Ed. note: Scenic America President Mary Tracy is traveling around the world as part of the International Outdoor Advertising Scan, a tour organized by a division of the Federal Highway Administration. She will be updating us on her findings frequently. Check back here at the blog often, or at our Twitter feed.

I arrived in Sydney on Wednesday morning after a 20 hour plane ride. Passing through the international date line, I realized that Monday disappeared forever. If one has to lose a day I decided that Monday is a good choice. I photographed my first sign in Sydney, located in the entrance way of the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Sydney is considered one of the most attractive cities on the earth, and I must agree.

More to come...

St. Louis Moves Closer to Digital Billboard Moratorium

2010-03-09T09:46:00.002-05:00

After many neighborhood complaints over the city's only digital billboard and with a new sign readied to go up in a historic neighborhood, Saint Louis City officials move forward with a moratorium on digital billboards.

Put Digital Billboards on Hold

2010-03-08T09:42:00.005-05:00

The Pocono Record is the voice of reason in its editorial calling for Pennsylvania to put digitals on hold for more safety study. Statewide moratoria on digital billboards are already under consideration in Michigan and Minnesota. A bill in Missouri would prohibit them all together.

No Oscars for LA Supergraphics

2010-03-07T14:26:00.002-05:00

Hoping to cash in on the Oscars by draping buildings on Hollywood Boulevard with illegal multi-story supergraphics, several owners instead were served with criminal warrants. By Saturday morning, the illegal signs had been removed.

Durham Residents Fight Effort to Allow Digital Billboards

2010-03-06T14:28:00.002-05:00

Durham, NC has had a strong billboard law for over 25 years, but now neighborhood groups are leading the effort to fight off an attack by Big Billboard to allow existing "grandfathered" billboards that do not meet current standards to nevertheless be upgraded to digital technology and possibly even moved to new locations. A CVB poll of Durham residents last summer found residents favored keeping the existing law by a margin of 9 to 1. The Durham News reports that city leaders also are reluctant to weaken the effective billboard law that has enhanced Durham's attractiveness.

Electronic Billboards Up for Debate in Denver

2010-03-05T13:43:00.002-05:00

Denver already has strict limits on digital signage, and is now moving for a vote that would prohibit them altogether. Scenic Colorado and neighborhood groups are leading the effort, and the Council plans a public hearing and vote on the matter on Monday. ABC-7 has more.

Drivers Can't Escape Digital Billboard Distraction

2010-03-02T00:10:00.004-05:00

The New York Times covers the motorist distraction issue of digital billboards as part of its ongoing Driven to Distraction series.

Existing studies make it clear that digital signs are a distraction. As an exhaustive report conducted for the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials of prior studies concludes:

"Those [state and local officials] who think their job is to do what they can to enhance safety for the traveling public based upon the best available evidence now have, in our opinion, access to a strong and growing body of evidence, including evidence from industry funded research, that roadside digital advertising attract drivers' eyes away from the road for extended, demonstrably unsafe periods of time."

See more on digital distraction at Scenic America here.

Businessman Jailed in LA Supergraphics Case

2010-02-28T22:25:00.004-05:00

The LA Times reports a businessman was jailed and held on $1 million bail for the blatant disregard of the city's sign code for allowing an 8 story tall supergraphics sign to be erected without a permit.

As city attorney Carmen Trutanich said in a prepared statement, "The days of lax and inconsistent enforcement of billboard and outdoor advertising laws in this city are over."

In the News

2010-02-25T11:14:00.004-05:00

-CBS Profit Drops 57% on Billboards, Radio Write-Down (Business Week)
-Aspen Takes Action Against Billboard Van (Aspen Daily News)
-Billboards Go Dark in Venezuela (UPI)
-A Digital Billboard That Watches You (ABC News)

LA Sues 27 Sign Companies over Supergraphics

2010-02-24T11:13:00.003-05:00

(photo: Kirk McCoy/ Los Angeles Times/ March 25, 2009)

In another encouraging sign that Los Angeles city government has had enough of flagrant violations of its sign law, the City Counselor's Office filed a civil suit this week against 27 companies that have been wrapping supergraphic signs over as many as 250 buildings in the city. Criminal charges are also pending against some companies.

The suit not only seeks the removal of the signs as well as damages and the disgorgement of profits made through the illegal activity. Crimal charges are also pending against some companies.

Update: The Los Angeles Times' coverage of the suit is here.

Illegal Spot Zoning Attempt Denied

2010-02-23T17:40:00.003-05:00

A rather common practice of potential billboard owners is to attempt to reclassify agricultural or residential property to commercial or industrial in order to allow for a billboard. What is disconcerting is when local government officials seem prepared to accommodate such requests.

But planners in Dyer County, Tennessee had to drop an effort to rezone a small portion of agricultural land in order to accommodate a billboard after learning from TDOT that such "spot zoning" is illegal and runs afoul of both the letter and spirit of the Highway Beautification Act, which only permits billboards in commercial or industrial areas.

Big Billboard Seeks End to No New Billboards Law in Petersburg, VA

2010-02-22T10:33:00.005-05:00

Petersburg, VA has benefited from a strong sign ordinance that has prohibited new billboards since 1991. But now Big Billboard has written up an ordinance change that it hopes will bring a digital landscape to the 1-95 corridor. For every digital billboard allowed along I-95, the proposal would require the removal of an existing billboard in the inner city. City council will vote on Big Billboard's proposal on March 2nd. This excellent letter to the editor of The Progress-Index has more.

National Scenic Byways 2010 Solicitation of Grant Proposals Announced

2010-02-21T16:45:00.004-05:00

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has issued the FY 2010 solicitation for proposals under the National Scenic Byways Program. FHWA has added a new emphasis on proposals that support livability, and once again is encouraging the application of large-scale, high-cost projects that provide strategic benefits to the byway. Local governments and 501(c)(3) entities are among those eligible to apply in coordination with State DOT's.

Individual DOT's will set their own deadlines to review individual applications, but must forward applications to FHWA regional offices by April 16th. Visit www.bywaysonline.org/grants for more information.

Denver Moves Towards Digital Moratorium

2010-02-20T14:39:00.003-05:00

In a further move towards ensuring that the Denver's beauty doesn't get threatened by digital blight, a proposed moratorium on new digital billboards was approved by the zoning committee and will now head for a public hearing and vote by the full council.

Denver already has strict limits on digital signs and only allows a change in ad copy once every hour; as a result, there are only three digital billboards in the city. A moratorium to allow for the study of the safety affects and other issues should further ensure that the city remains vigilant against the threat of digital blight. Kudos to city officials for putting public safety and the concerns of Denver's residents ahead of Big Billboard.

U.S. Court of Appeals Upholds NYC Billboard Limits

2010-02-19T23:21:00.002-05:00

In another legal blow to Big Billboard, the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld New York City's prohibition of commercial off-premises billboards along the city's major highways.

The city has had such a ban since 1940, but has had a weak record on enforcement. The Court of Appeals ruled that spotty enforcement in the past does not preclude the city from enforcing the prohibition now. The court also rejected the argument by Clear Channel and other large billboard companies that New York violated the First Amendment by prohibiting highway billboards while allowing smaller signs elsewhere in the city.

D.C. Residents Face Threat from Supergraphics

2010-02-19T10:07:00.005-05:00

photo: Washington City Paper

Unlike major cities like Los Angeles which have cracked down on supergraphic signs, residents of our nation's capitol city may be seeing multi-story tall billboards on building facades under proposed "special sign" legislation.

The presence of supergraphics in a concentrated, unique entertainment district like Times Square is one thing, but even NYC now takes a strong stand against supergraphics elsewhere in the city. Allowing D.C.'s stately beauty to be despoiled by supergraphic signs is unthinkable.

A public hearing on the special sign legislation is scheduled for 2 p.m. today.

LA finds digital billboards should not have been allowed

2010-02-18T16:33:00.004-05:00

In yet another reminder that digital billboards have no place near neighborhoods, the Los Angeles Area Planning Commission ruled that permits for three digital signs were wrongly issued by the city's building department. L.A. based Coalition to Ban Billboard Blight reports that the highly distracting signs generated numerous complaints from surrounding residents.

The ruling means the signs are now operating without a valid permit and may lead to similar decisions against the other 90+ digital billboards in the city.

UPDATE: The Los Angeles Times covers the victory for scenic advocates.

South Saint Paul residents live digital billboard nightmare

2010-02-17T11:16:00.005-05:00

Digital billboards are a safety concern to motorists, but in yet another reminder that these extremely bright signs also are a frustrating nuisance to neighboring homeowners, WCCO -CBS brings us this story of a South St. Paul neighborhood under a digital assault from a nearby sign in West St. Paul.

As one homeowner says, "Its here all the time. It's like a tv set on all the time." As for the decision of West St. Paul to allow the sign, another homeowner says, "I think it is a really crummy, disrespectful way to treat people you live so closely with."

After viewing the video, I think you'll agree that municipal officials who allow distracting digital signs to invade the quiet enjoyment of homeowners are indeed disrespectful.

Scenic activist questions proposal to weaken Tucson sign ordinance

2010-02-15T12:21:00.003-05:00

Tucson, Arizona activist Mark Mayer is highlighted in an Inside Tucson Business article about a proposed change to the city's sign code that would allow nonconforming signs to be exempted from complying with the current code in cases of signs affected by street widening.

Mayer notes the proposal would upend long-standing policy by Tucson that has successfully removed over 70 nonconforming billboards over the past 25 years.

Atlanta Board Says No to Digital Billboards

2010-01-22T11:15:00.005-05:00

Attempts by the billboard industry to launch a wave of digital blight upon Atlanta's landscape received a great set back as the city's zoning review board unanimously accepted a city council recommendation that the amendment be defeated. Atlanta does not allow new billboards or the replacement of traditional signs with digital ones. Speaking against the amendment were a number of civic groups including Scenic Georgia and Keep Atlanta Beautiful. The recommendation to keep Atlanta free of digital billboards goes to a full Council vote February 15th.

Largo to consider FHWA digital billboard safety study

2010-01-21T09:55:00.004-05:00

City staff and some council members in Largo, Florida wisely are seeking to ensure that the upcoming results of the Federal Highway Administration study on the safety of digital billboards are taken into consideration before the city acts on any decision to allow the new technology.

Largo is among the thousands of communities in the country that do not allow new billboards.

The FHWA study is scheduled for release in April and will provide the most comprehensive research to date on the extent of motorist distraction caused by digital billboards. It will complement an exhaustive research review conducted by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program for state transportation officials released last year that raises serious concerns about digital billboards and concluded that public officials have a growing and sound body of evidence that digital billboards pose a safety issue. A pdf of the report can be downloaded here.

More information on the safety issue and other problems of digital billboards can be found at this Scenic America resource page.

In the News

2010-01-20T11:06:00.002-05:00

Opponents of Vancouver Olympics' digital billboards plan boycott (The Globe and Mail)

Aldermen withdraw billboard request; Park Ridge citizens victorious for now (Herald Advocate)

Digital billboards halt traffic as Moscow commuters distracted by X-rated porn (Geek.com)

Off-Premises Ad Creep on Digital Signs

2010-01-19T11:41:00.006-05:00

(photo: ADAM RICHINS/ Pocono Record)

With the ease of programming new ad content on digital signs, it is not surprising that some owners of on-premises digital signs that do not have a valid off-premises sign permit nevertheless may be tempted to disregard the law and put up revenue producing illegal ads. Such appears to be the case with an on-premises digital sign for a travel center in Pennsylvania that has caught the attention of PennDOT regulators.

CSS National Dialogue Webcast Event February 4th

2010-01-18T09:12:00.001-05:00

The CSS National Dialog will hold its next workshop on February 4th in Charlotte, and registration for a free webcast is available at www.cssnationaldialog.org.

The workshop will include an up-to-date overview of Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) plus presentations on exemplary CSS projects with case studies selected from over 90 submissions from across the country.

Blue Ridge Parkway Turns 75!

2010-01-15T15:03:00.010-05:00

(WPA reproduction via Ranger Doug Enterprises)

2010 marks the 75th Anniversary of one of America's most scenic drives. Visit www.blueridgeparkway75.org for more information on how to celebrate this jewel of the National Park System!

NYC Officals Order Removal of Celebrity Gym Supergraphics

2010-01-15T10:24:00.010-05:00

photo via Curbed

After being bombarded with complaints from Greenich Village residents of giant supergraphic signs on a gym located in a preservation district, New York City officials have ordered the removal of the illegal signs. Stiff fines will begin today if the ads are not removed. The New York Post has more.

Update: The owners complied with the deadline and the signs have been removed to the delight of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.

Is Your Community Ready for America in Bloom?

2010-01-14T09:12:00.004-05:00

The more than 200 communities from across the country that have participated in the America in Bloom contest can attest to the benefits of this wonderful, friendly competition that encourages community involvement in the beautification of their communities.

If you look around your community and are proud of where you live, it just may be ready to share its beauty through America in Bloom! The deadline for the 2010 competition is February 28th. In addition, the 2010 AIB Symposium will be held in Saint Louis September 28 - October 2nd. To find out more about the competition, symposium and resources of America in Bloom, visit its website today!

Is there a "Green" Civil War?

2010-01-13T13:46:00.005-05:00

USGS photo: Wind energy project on BLM land in California

While the headline of "Green Civil War: Projects vs. Preservation" goes overboard, the "Room for Debate" online column in the New York Times is well worth reading as it provides a number of thoughtful comments by leading environmentalists on the tension that sometimes arises between preserving wide open spaces and using public lands for renewable energy projects.

Clear Channel Clears Out

2010-01-11T11:42:00.013-05:00

Scenic Saint Paul passes along this video of the removal of a rooftop billboard. Kudos to the property owner for saying no to a new billboard lease!

Meanwhile, here is news story (with video) from Rock Hill, S.C. on a major street enhancement project that included a requirement that businesses replace large signs with a more appropriate 50 square foot limit.

Garbage in, garbage out

2010-01-08T10:19:00.015-05:00

photo: Coalition to Ban Billboard Blight

Previous posts have decried the environmental damage the billboard industry inflicts upon clean air and the night sky. But billboards are also literally trash on a stick. It is estimated that every year, over 3 million billboard ads get trashed in America's landfills, generating over 10,000 tons of non bio-degradable vinyl.

While most of us wouldn't think of tossing out trash from our car windows, we really don't consider the environmental costs of billboards. These ads may have a "useful" life of a few months to get you to switch your wireless service or buy a supersized soft drink, but the vinyl is an environmental problem lasting virtually forever. Advertisers should give our landfills a break and use less environmentally damaging forms of communication than litter on a stick.

Billboard Industry Offends Working Mothers

2010-01-07T11:52:00.003-05:00

The billboard industry executed a massive failure in London with an ad campaign attempting to prove how effective billboards are; instead, they simply offended working mothers with the message "Career women make bad mothers." Shame on these giant corporations, including U.S. based Clear Channel and CBS, for deliberately pushing this nonsense.

Park Ridge Mayor Stands Against Billboards

2010-01-06T10:36:00.004-05:00

Billboard proponents are trying to sway city officials in Park Ridge, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, with an offer of a payment of impact and licensing fees in exchange for the right to erect four 80 foot signs along I-294. The fees could generate in excess of $500,000 over twenty years.

But the mayor is spot on that limited financial benefits that can be gained from allowing billboards is not worth the price of diminished community character. The mayor noted that Planning and Zoning voted unanimously against the proposal, and that the fees would do little for the city over the long run. Of course, as the legal wrangling in Los Angeles instructs, Park Ridge likely would be sued by other billboard companies trying to get in on the action if the proposal were approved.

LA billboard blight awards

2010-01-04T16:23:00.004-05:00

The Los Angeles Times today continues its coverage of the billboard litigation in LA, this time with a focus on arguments that the city made unfair deals with certain billboard companies at the expense of others.

Meanwhile, LA-based Coalition to Ban Billboard Blight hands out the First Annual Ban Billboard Blight Awards.

LA homeowners fight the glare of digital billboards

2009-12-28T10:38:00.004-05:00

(photo: Jay L. Clendenin/ Los Angeles Times/ December 17, 2009)

The Los Angeles Times covers the unfortunate consequences of digital billboards in Los Angeles. As one member of a neighborhood group fighting three digital billboards laments about lowered property values, "would you buy a home with one of these things in your backyard?"

Season's Greetings

2009-12-24T12:35:00.004-05:00

Click here for a scenic Season's Greetings slide show from Scenic America.

Venezuela Sets Billboard Curfew to Save Energy

2009-12-23T10:10:00.003-05:00

Amidst an energy crisis due to low water levels at one of the world's largest hyrdoelectric dams, Venezuela is instituting a range of energy-saving measures. Included in the far-reaching effort to reduce energy demand is a midnight curfew on billboards. It's not a new idea; President Carter proposed such a curfew during the 1970's energy crisis. It's time to turn off the lights on billboards.

Bye Bye Billboards!

2009-12-22T10:12:00.011-05:00

(photo: Bates Area Civic Association)

Recently we brought you a story from the District of Columbia about determined residents of the Shaw neighborhood targetting illegal billboards that were a nuisance to the community. We're now pleased to pass along news that all of the offending signs have been removed! Congratulations to the dedicated citizens who successfully brought the issue to the attention of city hall and to city leaders for finally enforcing the sign ordinance!

In the News

2009-12-17T09:45:00.008-05:00

- Park Ridge (NW Chicagoland) citizens object to proposed billboards near residential areas (Journal Online)

- LA council vote stops billboards from converting to digital (KPCC Public Radio)

- Rapid City nixes digital billboard conversion on Mount Rushmore Road (Rapid City Journal)

- New Jersey residents oppose proposed cell tower adjacent to scenic byway and preserved farmland (myCentralJersey.com)

Billboards and the Night Sky

2009-12-15T12:07:00.008-05:00

Standard billboard with wasted light (photo: IDA, via National Geographic Kids)

To follow up on yesterday's post from earlier this week on the energy use of billboards, it also is important to note the negative impact billboards have upon the Night Sky. Billboards generally are lit in an upwards, wasteful manner that unnecessarily spill light into the night sky and neighboring properties. To find out more about outdoor lighting and the importance of preserving the wonders of the Night Sky, visit our friends at the International Dark-Sky Association.

U.S. Supreme Court Turns Down Billboard Appeal; Big Victory for Cities

2009-12-15T09:51:00.004-05:00

Illegal Metro Lights/ FUEL street-level ads (photo: Coalition to Ban Billboard Blight)

The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday provided good news to scenic advocates across the country as it refused to hear an appeal by a billboard company challenging Los Angeles' prohibition of billboards in 2002. The closely watched case addressed important free speech issues and the billboard company was assisted by noted consitutional scholar Laurance Tribe.

The federal district court judge agreed with Metro Lights claim that LA violated its free speech rights because the city itself generating revenue from a sanctioned "street furniture" billboard program on public property. However, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that ruling and yesterday's decision by the Supreme Court is another important victory for the right of communities to control outdoor advertising. While scenic advocates generally disagree with street furniture ads on public property, the decision of a city to engage in the practice should not prohibit it from being able to control visual clutter by banning billboards elsewhere.

Scenic America notes that Metro Lights (now called FUEL) has been a litigious thorn in the side of large cities across the nation. It has placed thousands of illegal signs in Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, New York, Washington, D.C. and elsewhere, and its threat of legal action against any removal of its illegal signs has had the intended effect of delaying municipal action.

Yesterday's Supreme Court decision should now encourage these cities to restore the visual character of their communities by reigning in rouge advertising companies like Metro Lights. And as the LA-based Coalition to Ban Billboard Blight notes, a court ordered disgorgement of the huge profits Metro Lights/ FUEL made in LA with these illegal signs would send a strong message.

R U SRIUS?

2009-12-14T09:19:00.000-05:00

" B MOR EFCNT" (photo: John Regenbogen)

"SAV NRGY" (photo: John Regenbogen)

Saint Louis electric utility giant AmerenUE is running a multiple billboard campaign supposedly encouraging energy efficiency. Here's a suggestion: turn off the lights!

The lighting for standard billboards, including the ones depicted above, typically use four lamps that generate about 1,600 watts of energy use per sign on average. With an estimated 500,000 billboard structures nationwide, the cumulative energy consumption of the outdoor advertising sector is certainly an eye-popping figure and worthy of analysis.

AmerenUE's environmentally-unfriendly 24/7 billboard campaign (ironically being run during the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference) not only is polluting the atmosphere unnecessarily, it is also disturbing the night sky and, if industry practice holds true, will result in thousands of square feet of vinyl wrap eventually tossed into local landfills.

...

UPDATE: At least AmerenUE apparantly is not using even more energy-intensive digital billboards for its campaign. According to the Central Texas -Balcones Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, the carbon output of a single digital billboard is roughly the same as 49 traditional billboards or 13 homes!

Texas DOT Advances Good Street Design, CSS

2009-12-12T11:14:00.008-05:00

Kaid Benfield at the NRDC's Switchboard blog has a great post succinctly informing readers of the benefits of Context Sensitive Solutions in designing walkable and attractive communities and how TXDOT, of all places, is leading the way for state agencies.

TXDOT is the first to officially adopt guidelines set forth in a new manual written by the Congress for New Urbanism and the Institute for Transportation Engineers. The manual, CSS in designing Major Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities, is a great tool for helping both transportation designers and community advocates implement effective projects that make communities more livable and beautiful.

With its central role in the seminal release of Flexibility in Highway Design FHWA manual in 1997, Scenic America played a critical role in helping the transportation design profession first move away from a rigid, "design/defend" process to a more progressive orientation that involves the public and better meets community needs. What was once seen as somehow heretical within the profession is quickly becoming main stream common sense.

St. Petersburg City Council Delays Digital Billboard Proposal

2009-12-11T09:51:00.004-05:00

The Saint Petersburg City Council ended hopes of Clear Channel to secure an agreement by the end of the year to allow it to erect 10 digital billboards in exchange for the removal of traditional billboards elsewhere in the city.

Clear Channel worked in secret with the outgoing mayor on the proposal for several years, and neighborhood groups and council members were naturally concerned about the proposal unveiled to the public at the end of the mayor's term. The city's Development Review Commission and Planning and Visioning Commission both had previously recommended that the council delay action on the proposal so that a more thorough review could be conducted. The Saint Petersburg Council of Neighborhood Associations had expressed the common sense argument that a rush to approve digital billboards ahead of the upcoming release of the FHWA safety study on digitals was premature.

Wind Turbines and Neighborliness

2009-12-10T16:50:00.006-05:00

(Ridgeline Wind Turbines: Pennsylvania Resources Council, Inc.)

The Green Inc. blog at The New York Times carries an interesting post about how a federal judge has halted a large-scale wind energy project on the basis that it fails to protect an endangered species. The judge found that the endangered Indiana Bat would be harmed by the project, which is located on top of a mountain ridgeline, and that the company failed to take the proper steps to preserve the species required under the Endangered Species Act.

As the judge wisely commented, "The development of wind energy can and should be encouraged, but wind turbines must be good neighbors."

For more information on scenic issues involving wind energy projects, visit Scenic America's Wind Energy Resource Page.

FCC Enacts "Shot Clock" Rule on Cell Tower Permits

2009-12-09T10:08:00.005-05:00

(Illegal cell tower overlooking Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park: Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility)

Local zoning officals and scenic advocates need to be aware of an important rule change by the FCC requiring municipalities to act on cell tower permit applications within 90 or 150 days.

The new "shot clock" rule is a reminder to local authorities to have good rules regarding cell tower placement on hand to help guide good decision-making in a timely fashion. Poorly placed cell towers are often met with community opposition and can diminish property values and degrade the enjoyment of parks and scenic or historic areas.

For more information on the regulation of cell towers, visit Scenic America's resource page on telecommunications towers.

Toronto Passes Strict Billboard By-law and Tax

2009-12-07T15:53:00.005-05:00

After several years of study and considerable debate, Toronto finally passed a billboard tax and strict new sign code to regulate billboards.

Illegal Signs.CA has a good synopsis of what the sweeping victory means for Toronto's landscape. The new by-law limits digital technology and will make it very difficult for new billboards to be erected. The inclusion of heavy fines should also force the removal of hundreds of illegal signs in the city-- previously, operators of these signs would simply ignore the law because of weak penalties and lack of enforcement. The tax is expected to raise $10.4 million annually, and the revenue will help the city enforce the new by-law. The expectation is that the number of billboards in Toronto will be halved over the next twenty years.

Big Billboard will seek to overturn the Council's action, of course, but the supporters of a beautiful Toronto are ready for the challenge.

Pinellas County Citizens Fight Digital Billboards

2009-12-06T13:00:00.015-05:00

On Friday, we posted on how Tampa Bay neighborhood groups are strongly opposed to a plan to allow digital billboards. But the good folks at Scenic Pinellas informed us that the fight against digital billboards is ripe throughout the Tampa-St. Pete metro area.

FOX 13 provides an excellent news piece on the situation in Saint Petersburg, where the out-going mayor supports a proposal by Big Billboard to erect 10 digital billboards in exchange for the removal of static billboards elsewhere in the city. But City Council and neighborhood groups are wary of the proposed deal, noting that the results of the long-awaited FHWA safety study on digitals are just months away.

(FOX 13: myfoxtampabay.com)

And that's not all. Last month, Pinellas County enacted a moratorium on new digital billboards after learning that the industry seeks a larger digital roll out in the county. County engineers also have found evidence of an increase in distraction-related accidents near the location of an existing digital billboard. Undeterred, billboard companies propose that the county lower the 60 second duration between ad copy changes to every six to eight seconds.

For more, visit Scenic Florida affiliates Scenic Pinellas and Scenic St. Petersburg.

FHWA Unveils CSS Primer

2009-12-04T17:24:00.010-05:00

(Photo: Center for Transportation and the Environment, NCSU)

Confused about what Context Sensitive Solutions is and what it can mean for your community? Well then check out FHWA's new, user-friendly CSS Primer.

The collaborative CSS process results in better transportation projects than the "our way or the highway" decision-making method of the past. CSS promotes liviable communities and sustainable transportation and allows for increased preservation of scenic, aesthetic, historic and environmental resources.

For more on CSS, visit Scenic America's CSS resource page and www.contextsensitivesolutions.org.

Toronto Council to Continue Debate on Monday

2009-12-04T16:48:00.009-05:00

Although debate began this week on the future of billboards in Toronto (see prior post), City Council adjourned for the weekend and will bring up the issue on Monday.

But this excellent update from spacing toronto soundly counters an argument that one councilor made that digital signs are simply "modernization." As the blog post makes clear, light trespass for affected homeowners is more nightmarish than anything else. The post also points us to this disturbing open letter from an unfortunate soul subjected to "modernization" and a must-read 2008 LA Weekly article about how LA council members regret approving digital billboards after having had no idea what they were unleashing upon the landscape.

Tampa Bay Citizens Oppose Digital Billboards

2009-12-04T09:50:00.023-05:00

Tampa Bay citizens and neighborhood groups are actively opposing a proposal to allow digital billboards in the city for the first time. The bill stems from a proposed legal settlement between the city and Big Billboard that hinges on the legalization of digital billboards in exchange for the removal of static billboards elsewhere. Residents voiced their opposition in a public hearing and raised concerns about the distracting nature of digital billboards, which rotate ad copy as frequently as every eight seconds and have been found to be a distraction to motorists.

Meanwhile, the Tampa Tribune passes along unusual testimony from the industry on whether digital billboards are like the moon: "If you never had any complaints about moonlight then you shouldn't have a problem with digital billboards." A more reasonable assessment of the brightness of these signs -- which an industry funded study found are ten times brighter than the surrounding area and three times brighter than traditional billboards -- comes from promotional material of a manufacturer:

"Nothing's as eye-catching as an electronic LED display. The brightly-lit text and graphics can be seen from hundreds of feet away, drawing the attention of everyone within view."

Indeed, as these unfortunate folks who happen to live in the vicinity of a digital sign in Saint Louis know, Tampa Bay residents have reason to be concerned about light trespass and distraction. Visit Scenic America's resource page on digital billboards for more on the serious safety and visual implications of these new signs.

Update: Here is another disturbing news video about how brightly-lit digital billboards are negatively affecting residents, this time in Detroit.

Historic Pittsburgh Church To Make Way for Billboards?

2009-12-03T13:07:00.004-05:00

Preservationists in Pittsburgh are concerned about the future of the historic landmark St. Nicholas Church in Pittsburgh after Lamar Outdoor bought the property.

Lamar is seeking to erect billboards on the property as PennDOT is seeking to condemn a significant amount of billboards within the public right-of-way elsewhere in the area. But it is unclear whether it plans to raze the church building itself; preservationists are hoping to convince Lamar to allow them to covert the church into a museum on American immigration -- the parish served a Croatian population.

It is a large loss for established communities when churches close, and previous efforts by preservationists to buy the property themselves have failed. To think that a historic church could be razed for the purposes of commercial advertising is almost unimaginable.

UPDATE: Preservationists unveiled plans for the museum on Friday and will be meeting with Lamar next week. Lamar, which has not yet closed the purchase with the Diocese of Pittsburgh, hopes to erect 5 billboards on the property. It's unclear if the former church property needs to be re-zoned to accomodate the billboards.

Digital Billboards + Twitter = Epic Fail

2009-12-02T11:30:00.004-05:00

Local tv station GM and news director suspended after embarrasing digital billboard advertisement goes awry.

Toronto Council to Finally Vote on Billboard Tax & By-law

2009-12-02T10:01:00.006-05:00

Illegal billboard opposing billboard tax (illegalsigns.ca)

After much delay, Toronto City Council is finally set to take up final debate on the signs by-law and billboard tax that community groups have been working on for several years. Check out Beautiful City Toronto and Illegal Signs.CA for more on the creativity that Toronto citizens are bringing to the effort to reclaim the city's visual character from Big Billboard.

UPDATE: Yesterday's debate was ended to take up an issue concerning youth hockey; this is Canada after all. Follow the billboard debate on twitter at www.twitter.com/illegalsigns

Sao Paulo Thrives Without Billboards

2009-12-01T14:20:00.001-05:00

Who could ever have thought that Big Billboard's hysterical claims that Sao Paulo's decision to remove thousands of billboards in 2007 would bring massive unemployment and economic devastation to South America's largest city were laughable?

In fact, using the billboard industry's argument that the ban would result in measurable economic impacts, the move reduced the unemployment rate almost two full percentage points. Perhaps the industry wants to now argue that the way to avoid a global recession is to ban billboards?

Of course, it would be wrong to place Sao Paulo's good economic health on the billboard ban, but placing strict limits on visual pollution does improve quality of life. It is no wonder then that the ban is extremely popular with its citizens and that Buenos Aires and other cities across the globe are seeking to follow Sao Paulo's lead.

D.C. Seeks Removal of Illegal Billboards

2009-12-01T11:38:00.004-05:00

As this case from the District of Columbia shows, strong billboard laws often are not enough to keep illegal billboards out of our neighborhoods. Without strong enforcement, well intentioned laws can fall short of cleaning up billboard blight. The illegal D.C. billboards in question are over four decades old, and only recently has the city begun efforts to remove them. In addition to inviting graffiti, neighborhood residents complain they provide "cover for public urination, drug use and dumping."

Milwaukee To Boost Tax Bill for Big Billboard

2009-11-27T18:17:00.005-05:00

By switching to the income method to determine property tax assessments for billboards, the City of Milwaukee is expected to raise an additional $1.2 million in revenue from the two largest billboard operators in the city, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal.

Clear Channel, which has over 800 billboards in the city, is likely to see its tax bill jump from just over $100,000 last year to over $1.1 million this year under the new method. Lamar Advertising's bill would increase from $82,000 to $320,000- a nearly 300% increase.

Clear Channel has filed suit to challenge Milwaukee's new assessment method, but the city believes a recent Wisconsin Supreme Court decision involving a similar case in the city of Madison gives the city an ample basis to use the income approach.

Expect more cities to follow the lead of Milwaukee by seeking increased revenues from an industry that would not exist without public investment in roads.

Cleveland Officials Call Foul on LeBron Mega-Billboard

2009-11-21T10:12:00.007-05:00

existing supergraphic allowed by city

NBA superstar LeBron James generally rules Cleveland, but a shot by Nike to replace an existing mega-billboard of the hometown hero with a more blatant commerical ad was blocked by the City Planning Commission.

(See Cleveland Plain-Dealer story and image of proposed ad here.)

The existing sign does contain the Nike swoosh, but the city approved it on the basis that it is mural art. However, the proposed new sign was determined to be an advertisement for Nike and prohibitted by the city sign code.

Although advocates might question whether the current ten-story supergraphic with a world-famous corporate logo is art, city officials nevertheless should be applauded for blowing the whistle on this latest attempt to erect a blatant ten-story supergraphic ad.

LA Law

2009-11-20T09:42:00.006-05:00

Last month, we brought you the news out of Los Angeles that a federal judge had issued a temporary order dismissing the challenge of LA's restrictions on digital billboards. We're happy to report that her final ruling reaffirmed this decision.

But that's not all. Earlier this month a Superior Court judge struck down a controversial settlement in 2006 between a prior city attorney and Big Billboard that allowed over 800 traditional billboards to be switched to digital technology. However, the judge tampered the jubilation of scenic advoactes as he declined to void the permits of the 101 digital signs that already have been erected under the settlement agreement; instead, a case by case review of each sign may be required.

So what does the future hold for these digital bad boys? If community advocates have any say, the digitals will come down. Earlier this week, dozens of concerned citizens turned out for a city hearing on a new proposal that would order the Department of Building and Safety to stop issuing any new digital permits and to evaluate whether existing permits should be revoked.

To follow the roller coaster of legal developments, visit Ban Billboard Blight.

FHWA Awards Scenic Byways Communities $41 Million

2009-11-19T12:51:00.009-05:00

Communities in 43 states received nearly $41 million from the Federal Highway Administration for 160 projects to improve and promote scenic byways.

Scenic Byways grants fund a wide array of projects that enhance the byway experience for visitors.

Examples of projects that received funding for scenic preservation and enhancement include viewshed protection for North Carolina's Nantahala byway, the construction of a scenic landscape and wildlife observation deck for Wisconsin's Alma byway, a scenic pullout for South Carolina's Cherokee Foothills byway, and the development of a resource protection plan for Arizona's Navajo Nation byway.

Other grants helped support the development of marketing and interpretive materials, the construction of pedestrian and bicycle facilities, historic preservation projects, and safety improvements.

For the official FHWA press release and list of grants, click here. And don't forget to seek out America's Scenic Byways in your future travels!

San Francisco Citizens Say No to Billboards

2009-11-19T11:17:00.007-05:00

The heft of a powerful developer and the billboard industry was no match for the grass roots efforts of scenic advocates as San Francisco voters soundly rejected Proposition D, a ballot iniative that would have created an intensive billboard district in the heart of the city.

San Francisco Beautiful led the fight to defeat the effort to lift a ban on new billboards so that the historic Market Street Street could be blanketed with intensive digital billboard advertising. The defeat of the proposition reaffirmed the strong civic pride and sense of place that make San Francisco a world class city. San Francisco Beautiful President Milo Hanke remarked, "San Francisco voters removed all doubt - they will tolerate no new billboards."

San Francisco voters blocked previous measures that would allow new billboard measures in 2002 and 2007.

The defeat of Prop D was not the only good news for scenic advocates on election day: city voters also passed Proposition E, which prohibits additional advertising on city property.