Our editorial Thursday noted that City Hall is making good progress toward better managing the proliferation of high-profile LED billboards. As soon as next month, the Wichita City Council could pass an ordinance that would set maximum nighttime brightness levels, limit the LED signs near historic buildings and more. Those who don’t think these signs are at least an issue of aesthetics must not get out much. As we argue, “although there are no definitive studies on whether LED signs are a driving hazard, many motorists find the brightest of these pulsating, strobelike signs almost impossible to ignore.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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10 Comments
Actually some of the new headlights on cars bother me much more than the signs.
I’ve lived in Vegas and Miami so it’s no biggie.
What we must remember is, children, is that LED signs are advertising. The WE’s business isn’t news or commentary, it survives by selling advertising.
Let’s all fight to outlaw their competition!
Hank
It doesn’t bother me at all, but since this whole issue has come up back several months ago, I have notice that the LED boards are a lot dimmer now.
So I think they have already voluntarily complied regardless if the council passes a law or not.
There need to be serious limits on those things. They just installed one at Hillside and Douglas, one of the more historic corners in town, and it’s truly offensive. Plus, they mushroom–when one shows up others will surely follow.
I live near Hillside & Harry, where a pawn shop has one of these signs installed. Three blocks east is a hospital, with ambulances coming and going all day and night. Three blocks south is a fire station, again with emergency vehicles coming and going all day.
The emergency vehicles flash red lights. The SIGN flashes red light. More than once, I have hit my brakes in or near that intersection when the sign starts flashing, thinking there’s emergency traffic coming through. It’s so distracting as to be dangerous.
I totally agree they must be controlled. At least have a way of toning them down during the nighttime, when they don’t have to be so bright to be seen; and they are more of a distraction and headache for drivers
I must also point out the problem with the “it’s advertising” argument–as if that exonerated any and all of it. Public forms of speech, advertising or not, do have limits. Tobacco companies have been banned from television for decades; advertisements for certain kinds of products are relegated to certain areas of town (and on tv, certain time slots) and not others; billboards are only allowed in some parts of town and not others (how would you like the city allowing a billboard on that thin strip of land between your lawn and the road, which the city actually owns and puts road signs on?).
I’m so, so, so tired of the “it’s the free market” defense. The market has NOT been “free”in the pure sense for about 150 years, and it isn’t going back. Think about Chinese meat and toys, bad spinach, adult stores in your neighborhood, Love Canal, etc.– so please get over it.
The signs should be left alone unless they are intruding upon the rights of other property owners (such as flashing brightly through somebody else’s windows) or public safety (such as flashing red and blue at the same rate emergency vehicles do or obstructing vehicle or aircraft visibility (not merely distracting).
Then it would be ok to have adult store billboards on every other corner?