Since the Federal Highway Administration relaxed a rule against digital billboards in 2007, communities across the country have struggled with how to balance concerns about distracted drivers and disfigured landscapes with the desires of advertisers.
"Communities around the country increasingly are in fights over digital billboards: glaring, changeable roadside signs that visually scream for attention," reports Larry Copeland. Los Angeles, for instance, has been debating their presence since before the Federal Highway Administration "relaxed a rule against digital billboards on federal highways in 2007." Since that ruling, says Copeland, the number of digital billboards on local streets and freeways "has exploded" - "from 1,800 to 4,000 since 2010, according to industry group Outdoor Advertising Association of America."
"Critics, such as the conservation group Scenic America, call them 'TV on a stick' that distract drivers, disfigure the landscape and disturb the sleep of nearby residents."
"They create 'a Las Vegas effect,' says county Commissioner Richard Briggs of Knox County, Tenn., who's trying to stop companies from converting existing billboards into digital signs."
"I'm very pro-business, but I believe in protecting the aesthetic of our community," Briggs says. "I like Las Vegas, but that's not what we want here in the cradle of Southern Appalachia."
FULL STORY: Cities snipe over super-bright digital billboards
Congestion Pricing in the San Francisco Bay Area
Planners call them “express lanes,” but make no mistake, they are congestion pricing in action, and they're successful. The Bay Area network of what the Federal Highway Administration calls “high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes” is growing.
Judge Declares Federal Emissions Rule ‘Arbitrary and Capricious’
Another judge already vacated the rule nationwide before the latest case was decided.
FHWA Proposes Changes to Highway Safety Requirements
The proposed rule change would require states to include vulnerable road users in their road safety plans.
Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Test News Post 1
This is a summary
Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service