City buckles down on boards

Motorists and pedestrians are exposed to an array of billboards and advertisements on a daily basis.

However, according to Virgil James, spokesperson of the City of Johannesburg, many of the billboards in the Sandton area and around Johannesburg are not legal as they contravene the outdoor advertising bylaws of the City.

It is for this reason that the City is clamping down on illegal billboards and are amending the bylaws to stop more of these illegal structures being put up. James said, “Some people [residents] even put them [billboards] up in their yards. Some do some ambushing and put the boards up overnight. However, the City can and will remove these boards when they are brought to light.”

He warned residents that in the event that the City had to remove a billboard, the advertising agency or entity that constructed it, will have to reimburse the City for all costs incurred for the removal.

According to James, the reason why residents put up these illegal billboards is because they want to avoid the costs incurred when following the correct legal process. “Before a billboard is constructed, residents need to obtain the proper permission from the City of Johannesburg.

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“We have to follow a process to remove illegal signage and have to obtain permission from the courts. This is lengthy, especially with the large billboards that cannot just simply be removed. With small illegal signs, the process is more simple and [Metro police] can simply come and take them down.”

James stressed that besides the fact that many of these billboards were an eyesore, they posed a safety threat to pedestrians and motorists. “What if one of the boards that are illegally and poorly constructed falls over and crushes a person or car?”

Meanwhile, it was previously reported in the article Hazardous advertising, Week ending 29 July, that a billboard was situated dangerously close to an Eskom pylon on William Nicol Drive in Sandton. Ward 102 councillor, David Potter has been trying to arrange for the removal of the billboard for more than three months. According to Eskom’s spokesperson, Khulu Phasiwe, the billboard would be removed.

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When the Sandton Chronicle asked James about this particular billboard he said, “If an advertisement is illegal, it should be removed between seven and 14 days. I cannot comment on this exact billboard but steps need to be taken to take it down if it contravenes the bylaws of the City… However, the court process of getting permission to take an illegal billboard down can take very long.”

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