[Durham INC] billboard issues: facts vs. myths

[RW Pickle]

>From the oaaa.org website.

Facts vs. Myths

Myth #1: The Highway Beautification Act (HBA) was created to get rid of
billboards

o The HBA was designed to regulate billboards, not eliminate them
o The HBA intended billboards to be located in commercial and industrial
zones
o “Advertising has a vital place in our economy,” said President Lyndon
Johnson, White House Conference on Natural Beauty, May 25, 1965

Myth #2: Overall, people hate billboards

o Most people say billboards provide useful information to travelers
(Arbitron, 2002)
o American public opinion has been steady for more than three decades,
supporting regulation but not elimination of billboards (Dr. Charles R.
Taylor, Professor of Marketing, Villanova University, 2002)
o More than four out of five people feel digital billboards provide an
important public service (Arbitron, 2008)

Myth #3: Billboard bans help tourism in places like Vermont

o Tourism in Vermont and Maine (no billboards) has lagged the rest of the
country and similar-sized states (William Lilley III, iMapData, 2001) o
Loss of billboards causes immediate, significant economic harm to roadside
businesses that rely on directional advertising
o Most billboard advertising promotes local business; the travel-tourism
sector is the Number One buyer of outdoor advertising

Myth #4: Most localities ban billboards

o Regulation – not prohibition – is the norm
o Four out of five localities provide opportunities for the construction
of billboards (Survey of local ordinances conducted by Cleveland State Law
Professor Alan C. Weinstein)

Myth #5: Billboards distract drivers, causing traffic safety problems

o Billboards – even the most attention-getting billboards – do not affect
driver behavior (Dr. Suzanne Lee, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute,
2004)
o A comprehensive study of accident data found that digital billboards
have no statistical relationship with the occurrence of accidents (Tantala
Associates, 2007)
o Digital billboards are safety-neutral from the driver standpoint
(Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, 2007)
o The federal government says tri-action billboards do not pose safety
problems (FHWA, re amended Oregon state-federal agreement, Federal
Register, April 2, 2002)

Myth #6: Billboards light up the skies at night

o Most sky glow – some 96 percent – is produced by sources other than
billboards.
o Digital billboards are equipped with sensors so that lighting levels are
adjusted for surrounding conditions to avoid glare

Myth #7: Amortization is just compensation

o Amortization is an arbitrary time allotment, not compensation
o Longstanding federal policy mandates cash compensation for billboards
removed by government along federal roads
o 44 states protect against amortization of billboard assets along state
and local roads
o Amortization is slow-motion confiscation (George F. Will, May 9, 1991)

Myth #8: Billboards are devices to promote vices: Smokes, sin and sex o
Since the 1999 settlement agreement, cigarette makers have not
advertised their brands via outdoor formats

o The outdoor industry’s code features an anti-obscenity clause and a
500-foot buffer from schools, parks, and places of worship)
o OAAA member companies have adopted policies against accepting
sexually-oriented business ads

Myth #9: Billboards don’t pay taxes

o Billboards are heavily taxed and heavily regulated
o Billboard operators pay state, local and federal taxes
o In addition to generating tax income for government, billboards also
produce revenue via permit fees

Myth #10: Scenic Byways ban billboards

o Federal policy “segments” scenic byways, allowing billboards in
commercial and industrial areas

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
RWP
27 Beverly