New bus shelters?

[thelakelander]

They say there is nothing new under the sun.  How do other cities handle these issues?

[Charles Hunter]

I guess a basic question would be, do cities with bus shelter ads have sign ordinances similar to ours?

[thelakelander]

That would be the question.  For me, its hard to image that there is no other example in 50 states of a city with a similar sign ordinance having to deal with the bus shelter ad issue. 

[stjr]

As I recall, it was an infestation around the city of portable signs with flashing multicolored lights like these that moved people to do something: 





Once the business across the street or next door had one, everyone on the block got one.  It became a sign "arms race".  There were probably thousands of them!

Not to mention billboards popping up like weeds in a garden.  You will notice that no new billboards have been built in Duval County since the ordinance passed.  None of our newer or expanded roads have them either since they were built after the ordinance passed.  The ones that remain were grandfathered in under the property rights rules.  The owners would have had to been compensated a la eminent domain style as I recall and this was just too prohibitively expensive.  However, every now and then, one comes down when the property it's on gets redeveloped, etc.  One day, they will go the way of the dinosaurs.

Give Jax credit on this issue.  We probably have less billboards per capita than any city in Florida and probably most in America.  Jax was a real leader on this issue. You really appreciate it when you drive I-4 through Orlando or I-95 through South Florida.  Really, quite honky-tonk due to the uncontrolled signs.  Thank you Bill Brinton and fellow supporters!  Great job in beautifying and distinguishing our City.  We need more people like you in our community.

[Charles Hunter]

Thanks, stjr, I couldn't find pictures of the kind of signs that, around here, were more prolific than kudzu - my Google powers were weak last night. 

[Dog Walker]

What is the difference between ads on the sides of the shelters and the huge rolling ads that are on the sides of the JTA buses.  How does one create a precedent, a camel's nose under the tent flap, that the bus ads do not?