Friday, June 24, 2011
Unintended consequence of billboard law
QUEENS, NY (PIX11) — If you have driven on the Long Island Expressway lately, you may have noticed a lot of empty billboards.
It's not a reflection of a bad economy, says Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr., it's a reflection of a bad choice by the City.
"The City passed a law banning them from the highways to beautify our City. But they couldn't actually ban the sign. So now they are still up and covered with graffiti," complained Vallone.
Up and down major roadways in the City, drivers have noticed the empty space, now covered in ugly graffiti. "Interesting. Why don't they just put up inspiration thoughts or messages like Welcome to Queens," asked Shiela Madison, from Long Island City.
Vallone says a law passed years ago was designed to prevent clutter on highways, and is now creating a new concern. "It's just blank canvasses for graffiti. They are eyesores," said Vallone, hoping to ignite a conversation among City leaders and the community for a change.
6 comments:
Another well planned move by the government of NYC.
That's all right. Once the owners of those billboards realize that they won't ever be able to actually sell the space again, the costs of rent and insurance will cause them to be removed.
So change the law and have them demolished altogether. Shouldn't be a problem for a megalomainac who weasled an illegal third term, despite term limits.
Why not list all of the disgraced or convicted Queens politicians on one of these empty billboards?
Begin at the top with Brian Mc Laughlin and end up (so far) with Alan Hevesi.
Leave ample room at the bottom for future additions.
Another billboard might read:
"We're doing our best to clean up our borough government".
Yet another might proclaim:
"Welcome to Queens where politicians are most eager to serve a developer's needs".
"Anonymous said...
So change the law and have them demolished altogether."
there is a problem here, those con-servative cruds on the Supreme Court have ruled that this sort of expression is essentially the same as corporate free speech.
So, as long as both property own and billboard owner agree the -existing- boards me physically remain.
Thus the only remaining solution is to starve them out.
Order the owners to clean them or dismantle the structures.
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