Billboards Not Only an Eyesore But Also a Danger!

Upon investigation, NoS found out other similar incidents elsewhere.  Laurent, from St Pierre, told NoS that his van was damaged by a billboard, while he was driving in the locality. The mishap took place at approximately 8.15 am.

 “In the twinkling of an eye the billboard came flying off from a two-stored building towards my van. If it wasn’t for the electricity cable wires that lessened the impact, many people would have been seriously injured. A woman was traumatised by the event and my van sustained damages,” He said. Officers from Moka District Council were on the site to access the damage.

Contacted by News on Sunday, a spokesman of a billboard company stated that for road safety reasons, it is essential to bring down all billboards when a cyclone approaches. “The chances of the metal frames moving is minimum, however due to safety reasons the actual board inside needs to be taken down. Various billboard companies across the island recognise the danger billboard pose, but others choose to ignore it,” he said.

A proliferation of billboards is today seen everywhere across the country. Huge boards are appearing - grabbing and attractive and are transforming the advertising sector. Various types of hoardings are now in use: digital billboards, inflatables, mobile trailers, etc. Every space is being commercially exploited these days: roof tops, building façade, roadside, etc. However, billboards have shortcomings that can even cost a life. Installing billboards, which are usually placed on high places due to their gigantic size, requires a worker to climb many feet above the ground. One wrong step and the worker can fall off the trusses.

Billboards have also been blamed for the eye sore they cause and for distracting drivers, increasing accident risks. Natural landscapes alongside motorways are now marred by the visual pollution of haphazardly placed hoardings. Moreover, many billboards are fully lighted at night, considered as a waste of energy.  Billboard advertising being a lucrative business, the government introduced a tax on them last year.