New Dublin Billboards concern NCBI

NCBI has serious concerns over the erection of new advertising billboards in Dublin City centre as they pose a threat to the safety of people who are blind or vision impaired.

Des Kenny, NCBI's Chief Executive, said "We are extremely concerned about the situation. We have been in contact with DCC for 18 months in relation to this project and advised them that these billboards would pose a problem for people with sight loss unless they were designed and located with accessibility in mind.

"Following very construtive discussions with DCC we reached an agreement to work closely together to ensure that safety and accessibility were central features of the project. Unfortunatley, DCC failed to deliver on that agreement.

Mr Kenny continued, "We will be seeking a meeting with DCC to work through the issues with them, particularly in relation to the finish of the steelwork which has sharp edges, and the choice of locations, which do not take account of proximity to pedestrian crossings, path width and the possible obscuring of the pedestrian by these signs.

"These issues are not only important for the safety of blind and vision impaired people, but to all pedestrians. I hope that the City will look to retrofit the existing billboards to deal with the extremely sharp edges that pose such a problem and that they will hold back on erecting any more until we can ensure they will be safe in terms of design and location.

"The focus must be on addressing these issues as quickly as possible."

Urban Clutter

Metropanels and Metropoles, what ever way you look at it, the whole thing stinks.

It was a stitch-up between Dublin City Council officials and the Advertising Company JCDecaux. In return for taking down 48 billboard ads around the city, JCDecaux get to erect 120 ads all over the middle of Dublin. The amazing thing is that many of the signs they're removing never had planning permission in the first place, and they haven't even made public the list of what is being removed. JC Decaux know their way around Dublin, and I've know doubt that they've picked the highest value sites for their urban clutter.

Apart from the visual pollution they're causing a traffic hazard and an impediment to pedestrians. Just look at this poor couple crossing Parnell Street with a walking aid. In a moment they'll be invisible to fast moving traffic. It's an accident waiting to happen and makes my blood boil. Thankfully they've removed the one on Dorset Street, but they should just drop the whole project. Boards was on to it early on, as was the Village magazine and Ian Lumley from An Taisce.

Oh, they're throwing in a few free bikes as a sop to the Council, but as far as I'm concerned the whole idea should have been killed at birth. Well done to DangerInDublin, Mulley (though I can't find my way through his old entries to find the exact link) and others who have also highlighted the issue. Bee's entry on Boards.ie of a terrier pup whimpering after it ran under one grazing its back would be humorous if it wasn't so sad, not to mind the concerns of NCBI. Their guidelines on street furniture are ignored left right and centre with these signs, and there's worse to come when they put in the ones at head height.

Lunatics and asylums come to mind. I also feel a rant against Michael O'Leary coming on, but I'll deal with that in another forum.

Hopefully our County Manager in Dún Laoghaire Owen Keegan won't fall for their same sales schpiel from JC Decaux.

JC Decaux signs start appearing - Shocking.

This is already over on Motors, but I'm sure a lot of you don't read that forum regularly.

It's pretty flabbergasting, and everyone with an interest in commuting and road safety in general should see what we're up against from our own authorities.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055329822