Are there any good reasons *not* to ban billboards?

Started by kernals12, July 29, 2022, 09:32:36 AM

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kernals12

I just learned that 4 states ban billboards: Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, and Vermont. Billboards are ugly and they can distract drivers. And with the abundance of advertising space that can now be had on the internet, they are not really necessary anymore. Is there any reason, besides lobbying from billboard owners, other states haven't done it?


Max Rockatansky

Is there a reason to ban aside from nominal aesthetic?

triplemultiplex

But how else can you annoy half the drivers on the road with a giant, bullshit political message?
"That's just like... your opinion, man."

kernals12


Max Rockatansky

Quote from: kernals12 on July 29, 2022, 10:59:15 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 29, 2022, 10:10:44 AM
Is there a reason to ban aside from nominal aesthetic?

Rubbernecking

Okay, but is there any substantial data to show that billboards lead to an increase in accidents or traffic delays?  I can see a better case for those potentially being made on limited access roads but probably not other more conventional kinds of highways.

kernals12


Max Rockatansky

Quote from: kernals12 on July 29, 2022, 11:13:34 AM
https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2022/04/21/supreme-court-upholds-austin-ban-digital-billboards/7402483001/
90% of all cities in Texas have billboard bans. I have to imagine Lady Bird Johnson had a role in that.

Any link to the data Austin was using an argument in their court case?  The article reads more along the lines of first world Austin problems than being about actual safety. 

NWI_Irish96

I'm not in favor of banning things unless they're shown to be a true safety concern.

A better strategy is to diminish their value naturally through online advertising and those blue signs that are in advance of exits.
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kernals12

Quote from: NWI_Irish96 on July 29, 2022, 11:22:51 AM
I'm not in favor of banning things unless they're shown to be a true safety concern.

A better strategy is to diminish their value naturally through online advertising and those blue signs that are in advance of exits.
https://www.scenic.org/sign-control/digital-billboards/swedish-digital-billboard-study/

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: NWI_Irish96 on July 29, 2022, 11:22:51 AM



Couldn't have articulated my thoughts on the matter better myself.  I don't particularly care for billboards, but in some limited instances (especially off freeway) they can be useful.  I see no need to ban something unless there is some value more weighty than aesthetics.

SP Cook

Billboards provide useful and needed information to the traveling public.  The safety argument is silly, and people should not get to tell other people how to use their property because they think the use is "ugly" . 

1995hoo

I loved the old non-PC billboards for South of the Border. They were funny. Made a boring drive more interesting. The new ones are not entertaining.

I am puzzled, however, by the OP's reference to Internet advertising as a substitute for billboards. How is a responsible driver supposed to be viewing Internet advertising while driving? I understand the primary purpose of a billboard as being to induce you to stop at an upcoming business/tourist trap/whatever that you otherwise might not have known about. Seeing Internet advertising at home before you leave seems like a poor substitute for that sort of thing because you're unlikely to be examining what's available at every exit on your trip.

I do find gas station billboards useless, especially because a lot of them reflect the annoying fad of not listing the prices for all the available grades.

(With that said, I certainly concede that long strings of billboards can get ugly. I-75 in Georgia comes to mind. But I don't view that alone as being reason to ban them.)
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"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
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Scott5114

Advertising is just a combination of panhandling and vandalism that we agree is OK because rich people are doing it.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

plain

The only billboards I've ever found to be useful are the ones telling you about services (food, fuel, etc.) at an exit/junction somewhere down the road. Outside of that, they're garbage.
Newark born, Richmond bred

kernals12

Quote from: SP Cook on July 29, 2022, 11:50:02 AM
Billboards provide useful and needed information to the traveling public.  The safety argument is silly, and people should not get to tell other people how to use their property because they think the use is "ugly" .

The MBTA put up a billboard on I-95 in Burlington telling commuters to beat the traffic by riding on a rail line that doesn't exist.

Scott5114

uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

Rothman

Quote from: SP Cook on July 29, 2022, 11:50:02 AM
Billboards provide useful and needed information to the traveling public.  The safety argument is silly, and people should not get to tell other people how to use their property because they think the use is "ugly" .
You really gotta know where the gentleman's club is?
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

GaryV

Quote from: kernals12 on July 29, 2022, 09:32:36 AM
Billboards are ugly and they can distract drivers. And with the abundance of advertising space that can now be had on the internet, they are not really necessary anymore.
It's probably much safer to look at the billboard than your cell phone when you're trying to find that Cracker Barrel.

I don't get the ones that are for non-travel-related products. Like insurance. "Oh honey, let's pull off at the next exit. I think we need to update your life insurance policy."

1995hoo

Quote from: GaryV on July 29, 2022, 02:08:11 PM
....

I don't get the ones that are for non-travel-related products. Like insurance. "Oh honey, let's pull off at the next exit. I think we need to update your life insurance policy."

Stuff that is not travel-related per se but that is not available in a nearby state could be a reason (fireworks or firecrackers are the obvious thing that come to mind).
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Ned Weasel

Quote from: SP Cook on July 29, 2022, 11:50:02 AM
Billboards provide useful and needed information to the traveling public.  The safety argument is silly, and people should not get to tell other people how to use their property because they think the use is "ugly" . 

I agree, except billboards with moving images should be regulated, since they actually can distract motorists.

Billboards can enhance the aesthetics of a landscape by providing visual stimulation. In that vein, they can help stave off driver fatigue and thus have a safety benefit.

I'm really tired of puritanical aesthetics police.  Beauty must be in the eye of the individual beholder if individuals are to have any mental autonomy at all.

Quote from: Scott5114 on July 29, 2022, 12:01:23 PM
Advertising is just a combination of panhandling and vandalism that we agree is OK because rich people are doing it.

One person's art is another person's vandalism.
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Disclaimer: Views I express are my own and don't reflect any employer or associated entity.

US 89

Quote from: Ned Weasel on July 29, 2022, 06:35:59 PM
Quote from: SP Cook on July 29, 2022, 11:50:02 AM
Billboards provide useful and needed information to the traveling public.  The safety argument is silly, and people should not get to tell other people how to use their property because they think the use is “ugly”. 

I agree, except billboards with moving images should be regulated, since they actually can distract motorists.

Long before we worry about anything fixed and off the road, I want to regulate those horribly bright electronic billboard type ads you sometimes see on box trucks. I hate those with a burning passion. Not only are they super annoying and distracting, but they blind everyone else on the road, especially if it's foggy out.

formulanone

Quote from: Scott5114 on July 29, 2022, 01:03:53 PM
Quote from: SP Cook on July 29, 2022, 11:50:02 AM
Billboards provide useful and needed information to the traveling public.


Quote from: Rothman on July 29, 2022, 01:10:19 PM
Quote from: SP Cook on July 29, 2022, 11:50:02 AM
Billboards provide useful and needed information to the traveling public.  The safety argument is silly, and people should not get to tell other people how to use their property because they think the use is "ugly" .
You really gotta know where the gentleman's club is?

Don't forget which one of three popular light beers are The Choice of the current city you're visiting.

CtrlAltDel

Quote from: Scott5114 on July 29, 2022, 12:01:23 PM
Advertising is just a combination of panhandling and vandalism that we agree is OK because rich people are doing it.

I don't think anyone has a right to my eyeballs, and I'm kind of surprised that there are people in this thread that disagree.
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State Interstates clinched: I-26 (TN), I-75 (GA), I-75 (KY), I-75 (TN), I-81 (WV), I-95 (NH)

Scott5114

Quote from: Ned Weasel on July 29, 2022, 06:35:59 PM
Quote from: SP Cook on July 29, 2022, 11:50:02 AM
Billboards provide useful and needed information to the traveling public.  The safety argument is silly, and people should not get to tell other people how to use their property because they think the use is "ugly" . 

I agree, except billboards with moving images should be regulated, since they actually can distract motorists.

Billboards can enhance the aesthetics of a landscape by providing visual stimulation. In that vein, they can help stave off driver fatigue and thus have a safety benefit.

I'm really tired of puritanical aesthetics police.  Beauty must be in the eye of the individual beholder if individuals are to have any mental autonomy at all.

Quote from: Scott5114 on July 29, 2022, 12:01:23 PM
Advertising is just a combination of panhandling and vandalism that we agree is OK because rich people are doing it.

One person's art is another person's vandalism.

I've done art, and I've done advertising.

Advertising isn't art.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

Hobart

Quote from: SP Cook on July 29, 2022, 11:50:02 AM
Billboards provide useful and needed information to the traveling public.  The safety argument is silly, and people should not get to tell other people how to use their property because they think the use is "ugly" .

I don't think I can get erectile dysfunction treatment while I drive... even if there's five billboards that tell me where I can get it.
Also, is knowing that there's a Lion's Den 50 miles south of Kankakee off of I-57 really "useful" or "needed"?

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