Council must say no to more signs
Enough.
There are enough billboards lining Sussex County roads without allowing any more, much less the digital billboards under consideration by Sussex County Council.
Last year, two huge billboards were installed at the Nassau Bridge, the gateway to our beaches. More recently, what can only be called Sussex County’s newest redwood – a huge red pillar topped off with two billboards – now towers over Route 1 at Dartmouth Drive.
These billboards are already here; if council allows electronic billboards, more huge signs, visible for miles, will no doubt follow.
Billboards can be placed only on commercial property and only with a special-use exception from the board of adjustment. But the recent proliferation of signs clearly demonstrates the board of adjustment rarely gets an application it doesn’t like.
Businesses located in commercial areas are permitted signs advertising the business at that location; once moving electronic signs were permitted a few years ago, the number of intensely bright onsite signs quickly mushroomed.
The electronic signs now sought in Sussex County are not composed of changing lights; what has so far been proposed is a series of signs that electronically scroll into place. Sign proponents say these signs are so expensive there won’t be many in Sussex County – but like any other technology, once electronic signs are permitted, more and more will follow.
Driver attention is already diverted by the thousands of on-site signs that advertise businesses on their own properties. Aren’t drivers distracted enough trying to find the signs for the businesses they are looking for?
Approving more signs along our roads might benefit a sign company or two, but should every sightline and every inch of sky above commercial buildings be dominated by advertising?
Residents and travelers come to see the beauty our region has to offer. Council must protect the beauty of our skies and roadways for generations to come – and it can start by saying no to digital signs.
