Sign of the Times
Prince George, B.C.- There is a song about "signs signs, everywhere signs" but an application for a new animated sign to be erected at the Northern Electric site on Versatile Place,which would be clearly visible from Peden Hill was closeto being rejected.
The sign company requested a variance in the height of the sign, boosting it to 12.19 meters up from the allowable 9 meters and wanted to have an animated sign allowed. The animation would be similar to that on an animated sign on Victoria, another at the CN Centre, and another along highway 97.
City staff recommended the sign not be approved, largely because of concerns from the Ministry of Transportation. The Ministry of Transportation says it didn’t approve of this sign because of the distraction to drivers. Councilor Murry Krause supported that line of thinking saying there are enough distractions for drivers.
The applicant countered saying the Ministry of Transportation itself uses animated signs on highways throughout the Province to share messages with drivers about road conditions, construction or delays.
Only Councillor Garth Frizzell, opposed the height variance. As for the matter of allowing animation, Councillors Frizzell, Krause and the Mayor opposed having an animated sign at that location.
According to ICBC stats, last year there were 23 crashes at the Cowert Rd, Vance, Highway 97 intersection which is just a stone’s throw from the sign’s location.
The sign, which is said to be valued at $200 thousand dollars, will be installed and it will be animated.
Comments
The dabate on this was very lengthy and it took an unbelievably long time to get some of the applicable information out of people, especially City staff.
1. sign heights are measured from the base of the sign, not from the adjacent level of the land from which it will be viewed. In this case there is rise of a good 2 metres to the level of the adjacent highway. Of course because of the hill, the sign will be lower in the line of sight for those people approaching the sign from the Domano intersection and higher for thos aproaching from Cowart Rd.
2. Not one person mentioned the animated (readerboard) sign at PGSS along 97.
3. how about the series of billboards along the road leading to the airport? There are many more of those kinds of billboards placed one after the other in cities such as Victoria and Kelowna.
4. An then they would not acknowledge the CN Centre sign because Ospika is not a highway. However, it is an arterial which often has cars pared along the road during events, a pub across the street from an event attraction with an associated crosswalk, and soccer fields which generate a lot of car and pedestrian traffic. It is a high sign and readable from quite a distance. The animation has important information about what events are coming and when; the type of information which often causes people to want to see more than just one “page” and thus keep their eyeson the sign for longer than normal in a relatively busy part of the road. The sign would have been better, in my opinion, near the intersection of 18/ospika so that at least those people stopped for signals could have read it while stopped.
5. The owner said they would put not for profit community info on it as well as paid advertising. Not an enforceable matter, so really of no value in decision making of this kind.
I find it interesting that highways can simply express an opinion without good quality statistical backup for their opinion.
Just past Domano heading west is a sign just before the underpass turnoff that says “Westgate”. Not Walmart or Home Depot or Crappy Tire. I’m sure a sign with a place of business name on it might prevent westbound tourists in 40 ft. motor homes and such turning left into oncoming traffic on the highway when all of a sudden to their left appears Wallymart. Maybe it is because “if we put your place of business on the sign we have to put everyone’s place of business on the sign”. Keep up the good work. council.
So, was the sign allowed or not?
Personally, if all it takes is for an animated sign to cause drivers to have accidents then they shouldn’t be driving in the first place.
What about tokyo, las vegas? Its a neon jungle over there!
I don’t see the problem with Northern electric doing this. It is at their cost and I have seen the Espenhain boys build up their company from nothing into the prosperous business it is today through simple hard work and good business fortitude. They are a success story business wise for Prince George.
This is just a typically example of the type of thinking we have to deal with at City Hall.
The purpose of signs is to get our attention. That is exactly why they put flashing signs up that say what speed you are going, to warn you of uneven pavement, to prepare you for the change in traffic patterns in August of 2013 when the paving crews begin to work on a section of our highways/streets, to warn you of delays or construction or flag persons or any other reason to get your attention.
That is the point of all signage, to get your attention. Why restrict or limit the use of signage in our community? Those who vote against this do not understand anything. Pathetic leadership again from an application from a business who is just trying to become visible in our community without blocking someone else’s view.
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