I just read on NewsOK that the City Council has passed new restrictions on billboards in town, increasing the distance required between them, as well as restrictions on size.

Let me know if I'm alone here, but I think it would be really cool if the city would get more restrictive, especially around the CBD? They're such an eyesore. Though, I understand that they help local business increase foot traffic and all that...

Thoughts?

Here's the link: NewsOK: Oklahoma City restricts billboard sizes (http://newsok.com/article/3203685)




www.unitedstatesofmichael.com

Yeah I think most here would agree that restrictions are a good thing. Glad to see the city being more progressive in that area. We've come a long ways.

Awesome.

I wouldn't mind them lifting a few of the restrictions if companies used the new LED billboards. There are several of them located around downtown Atlanta and they are pretty cool. They create a big city feel.
LED SIGN COMPANY BILLBOARDS | Electronic Billboards | LED Billboards | Digital Billboards | New and Conversion (http://www.theledsigncompany.com/billboard-advertising-signs.html)
LED Billboards: Outdoor Advertising in the Video Age (http://www.signindustry.com/led/articles/2002-07-30-LBledBillboards.php3)
Electronic LED Billboards: The New Voice of Business (http://www.signindustry.com/led/articles/2006-09-01-LB-LED_Billboards2.php3)

We have quite a few digital billboards, but they are still images, not video or motion graphics.

Although I like the technology of the LED billboards, I can't see how video or motion graphics won't be yet another distraction for drivers. Many drivers are already weaving all over the road talking on the phone, putting on makeup, or whatever else. I don't think our eyes need to be diverted from the road long enough to watch video clips on the side of the highway.
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One thing they could do as part of a less restrictive policy when it comes to the LED boards. If they could some how tie it into civil defense as well for items like severe weather and amber alerts. For the weather alerts they can show the type of warning and stream radar or have an agreement with one of the local TV stations to simulcast their live broadcast. The Amber Alerts you could have it to where it has a picture of the type of car the suspect is driving in addition to the license plate and even a photo of the child.

Just an idea.

Or even better, don't allow ANY new billboards in the metro. Did you read the Oklahoman article? It talked about the new ordinance now requires a $34.50 permit to demolish/construct a new billboard and how they project it will create an additional $2,100 in tax dollars a year for the city. Any beautification they can do with $2,100 easily is going to be outweighed by the ugliness of more new billboards. Whoppeeee. I bet they could easily get a private donation of at least that NOT to allow new billboard construction. If billboard companies want to survive, they should have to convert all their signs to LED so they can get more than one ad per side of the billboard. This way, they can still grow their business, however, they can keep eyesores down for the public.

Metro - that is the beauty of LED billboards. They can target different markets depending on time of day. There is one between downtown ATL and the airport. In the morning it is an ad for Airtran Airways. Around 4PM it swithces to a Budweiser add.

So, throw private property rights out the window?

Private property rights are restricted all the time ... some easy examples include historical neighborhoods like Heritage Hills, homeowners associations, and city zoning ordinances. Generally these restrictions are good in my view ... but then again, my aesthetic sensibilities are often easily offended, thus my support of them. ;-)


www.unitedstatesofmichael.com

exactly what mheaton said. Even in non-historical areas, you still have to comply with local zoning laws, property inspections, property maintenance, etc. Creating a zoning law forbidding any new billboards is no different than requiring sprinklers in a building, restricting house size, type of electrical requirements etc.

So, then what's one more restriction... pile 'em on!
;)

LED and digital billboards are EXTREMELY expensive at this time. Most businesses using outdoor advertising could in no way afford it.