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It's worth noting that even in the US, billboards are not universal, but a conscious choice of local voters. Four US states prohibit them: Vermont, Maine, Ha
by nkurz 8y ago
It's worth noting that even in the US, billboards are not universal, but a conscious choice of local voters. Four US states prohibit them: Vermont, Maine, Hawaii, and Alaska. It's possibly interesting that all of these states also have excellent reputations for scenic beauty.
Here's a Vermont Public Radio story from 2008 about how they were banned in 1968: https://vprarchive.vpr.net/vpr-news/billboard-ban-turns-40/ https://vprarchive.vpr.net/vpr-news/billboard-ban-turns-40/. Interestingly, it was mostly a Republican party initiative, although it eventually gained enough bipartisan support to pass.
- reaperducer 8y agoSome cities prohibit billboards, too. And some places only allow them along freeways, or prohibit them only along freeways. Or restrict their size, color, intensity, how often they change, etc... It's a very messy space. I don't envy their lawyers.
- ianleeclark 8y agoJust an anecdotal add-on to this, but when driving through South Dakota, I encountered more billboards than I'd previously seen in my entire life.
- dzwillia 8y ago...and half of them were probably for Wall Drug! ;-)
- ianleeclark 8y agoOh god so many for Wall Drug. The funny thing is that I have no idea what Wall Drug is, just that it was ahead... Until it wasn't.
- dsfyu404ed 8y ago>It's possibly interesting that all of these states also have excellent reputations for scenic beauty. They all have large tourism industries based off of said scenic beauty and want to protect it. This is openly stated.
- setr 8y ago>a conscious choice of local voters I think you've inverted it; the removal is a conscious choice. The presence is simply a default at this point (I'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who has even considered that they were something to be banned).