KEY POINTS:
Fresh from its attempt to ban billboards from the centre of Auckland, the city council is now turning its sights on the signs that clutter suburban shopping centres. The jumble of suburban commercial signs will be replaced by a thicket of complicated - and expensive - regulations.
Columnist Brian Rudman says we need regulation and enforcement.
What do you think?
Send us your views
>> Read Brian Rudman's column and
>> Read the Herald editorial on the topic
Here is the latest selection of your views:
Bob
Dont worry about the signs. It would be better if the council did something about the explosion of graffiti across Auckland. Graffiti is now occurring on domestic fences, garages etc,as well as traffic signs, shopfronts. Recently I had visitors here from California and they remarked on the widespread graffiti in Auckland. Having travelled widely overseas,I know that our city compares badly on this issue.
Loki
Terms like "civilised urban environment" roll off the tongues of Auckland City councillors. Presumably they wish to be seen to be doing something for the betterment of the city. But is this a 'betterment' with an anti-business focus? Granted, some signs are in unfortunate positions and some are not particularly pleasant to look at. That said, while the screen area of our tvs grow, the viewable area shrinks as advertising encroaches and more and more sponsorships, pop-ups and self-agrandisement occurs. The same with our computers, our letter boxes, buses, vehicles on the road, et al. Advertising is everywhere. Its not going to stop. Stripping back building accoutrements leaves the woeful state of our urban design exposed. The Auckland CBD is a complete mish mash of building styles and lets face it, some would be considered ugly in cold war East Berlin. How easy is it to find a street number in Auckland when you're looking for one? What is more, the compliance cost to business will be huge and many businesses already crippled with high rent resulting from limited suburban commercial building supply in many parts of Auckland will call "enough" with signage rights revoked. Do we now build advertising into the permanent structure of the building to get around city by-laws, like the brick design of the Oxo Tower in London? Its one thing to have tightly controlled signage rights where there is consistent heritage to protect, as in European and some US cities, but quite another where a commonality of building architecture is lacking. I'm concerned at the Council's approach in stacking the committee with only councillors who have voted in favour of the proposed change. Surely this bias will be open to judicial review. I am also wary of any justification that the elimination of a small business sector is inconsequential in the context of the entire economy of a city, as I believe Auckland City Council have done. Especially within a nation of small businesses.
Deirdre Elliott
It is not only the city and suburban shopping areas that have this problem. There are so many residential streets now where there are sandwich boards either on the footpath or grass verges, also large signs stuck up in front of what appear to be private homes. This is so unsightly, and in the past I have contacted Auckland City Council about specific areas and signs, but to no avail. The clutter continues, and commercialism continues to creep throughout residential zoned areas. Very bad planning Auckland City Council!
Trilby
Regulating signage (or anything else, for that matter) to enforce "good taste" is not the business of government. It is proper to regulate signs to ensure they don't create traffic hazards and obstacles, block residents' views or light, or destroy cultural and natural treasures. Its not reasonable though, for the council to require than everyone who rents a bit of Edwardian scrollwork must at all times display it for the public to view. Let there be a big blue stereo shop in Dominion Rd. Let the video rental shops look like Broadway theatres. Let there be signs in Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Sanskrit or whatever on every noodles and kebab shop. Let there be billboards 10 metres tall on the downtown shopping centre. This clutter of signs may be annoying, but mere annoyance is not something we look to governments, local or national, to protect us from.
Mitch Owens
The business sector shouldnt be overly concerned. This is a structural change to available marketing channels and is the same for all business. Billboards are an invasive form of advertising and practically impossible to avoid. All benefit from a city thats nice to look at.
Alan Wilkinson
Brian Rudmans perpetual and ignorant enthusiasm for depriving property owners of their rights is without merit. First, regulations have direct costs. Multiply some $5000 times the number of small businesses in Auckland and you get a very large sum which will now be devoted to replacement sign-writing rather than other necessary improvements in transport, health and education. Second, they have indirect costs. Regulations inhibit both efficiency and innovation. Current signage is not there because of some malign intent or ill-considered philosophy or aesthetic. It is there because it works and is cost effective. The replacement signage will be less cost effective. Businesses will suffer ongoing impacts. Competitive businesses in other places and modes without these constraints will prosper more. No doubt Mr Rudman thinks himself immune to any adverse effects and looks forward to a cityscape tailored to his own personal taste at no cost to himself. That has been the ambition of every dictator and tyrant the world has ever seen. It has always been achieved at the cost of the lives, liberty and happiness of their unfortunate subjects. The present welfare of our people has been achieved as a result of individual freedoms to pursue our own welfare with whatever innovations we can devise and with security of tenure, use and enjoyment of our personal property. These are lessons that Mr Rudman consistently ignores.
Malcolm
Some billboards are placed with approval and advertise or advise both of which may be necessary. However,what is becoming prevalent and an eyesore is the proliferation of real estate agents Open Home signs, which every weekend grow like flowers on footpaths and intersection corners. This to me is undesirable as they, 1, pose a distractive danger to motorists, 2, they are placed without seeking any approval, 3, they are often left for days after the open homes are concluded. Whilst we are billboard knocking lets knock this one on the head straight away.
Sue
As an ex-Aucklander I remember only too well the distraction the billboards created when trying to keep your eye on the road (and unpredictable pedestrians!). The distraction was also enhanced by the somewhat inconsiderate placement, obstructing your view when attempting to merge with traffic you could not see too well through billboards - be they commercial advertising or electioneering. I dont think they are ugly - some are entertaining - so find your poll indicates you either approve of them or dislike them - I am neither, I would just like to see more consideration put into their location, as they take our minds off the road (even when stopped at a red light) and on what is happening around us. And I dont think it is just a problem in Auckland.
Dick Thompson
Council employees have little business experience, to guide appropriate advertising signage, per se! Clearly bureaucratic interference with business promotion is purely related to revenue collection. Not only are Council employees unqualified to set advertising standards but put themselves at risk of encouraging rate-paying business interests to find realistic marketing support elsewhere! Bureaucracy are least qualified to act as arbitrators of public standards, given historic propensities to overcharge for core-business Council services, over and above their excessive Commercial rates! -Let the public taste choose, where to spend their discretional dollars, presumably based on reasonable signage or otherwise?
Jack Smith
There are some very bad buildings in Auckland that the billboards are covering up eg the St James that is just a mess behind when there was no billboard up there before Xmas.
