11 Questions about Electronic Billboards
Prepared by Omaha by Design based on information provided by Scenic America (www.scenic.org)
Q: Why are some people concerned about electronic billboards?
A:There are three main areas of concern: driver safety, aesthetics and environmental consequences.
Q: What are the driver safety implications of electronic billboards?
A: Electronic billboards are the brightest object in the driver’s field of vision, especially at night. They cause inadvertent and instinctual glances. Images rotate every 4, 6 or 8 seconds, causing lingering looks to see what’s next. Complex messages often take 5 seconds to comprehend. These factors can ultimately result in substantial distraction of drivers.
Q: How bright is an electronic billboard?
A: During the day, an electronic billboard can be set at over 10,000 nits (the sun is measured at 6,500 nits). The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found digital billboards to be 10 times brighter than the surrounding area and three times brighter than a traditional billboard.
Q: How do the factors cited in the previous two questions relate to driver behavior in a metropolitan environment?
A:According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 23 percent of crashes and near-crashes that occur in metropolitan environments are attributable to eyes off the forward roadway greater than two seconds. Nearly 80 percent of the crashes and 65 percent of near crashes were caused by distractions that made the driver look away for up to three seconds. (Source: 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study, USDOT National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.)
Q: Wouldn’t electronic billboards be helpful to local law enforcement agencies regarding child-abduction cases?
A:The City of Omaha and the Nebraska Department of Roads have existing government-operated electronic highway signs to broadcast Amber Alerts in conjunction with a television and radio system for emergency communication. They do not need electronic billboards to run these messages.
Q: Isn’t there existing research that validates the safety of electronic billboards?
A: The billboard industry sponsored two studies of digital signs in Cleveland, purporting to show they are safe. The Maryland State Highway Administration commissioned human factors expert Jerry Wachtel to assess the validity of the studies and prepare a peer-review report. He found serious deficiencies in both reports, summarized as follows: “Having completed this peer review, it is our opinion that acceptance of these reports as valid is inappropriate and unsupported by scientific data, and that ordinance or code changes based on their findings is ill advised.”
Q: Are there any national agencies studying the issue of safety relating to the use of electronic billboards?
A: Yes. The Federal Highway Administration is conducting research with a completion date of 2009. In addition, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is sponsoring preliminary research leading to future investigations.
Q: Why are aesthetics a concern?
A: Electronic billboards become the dominant visual element and overwhelm the fundamental character of their surroundings. They distract from other visual or scenic qualities, and they clash with historic or established architectural elements - even at great distances. Their significant size and brightness, and the lack of any shielding of the light they put off can result in significant light pollution, which can be detrimental to citizens’ enjoyment of their property and/or community.
Q: What are the environmental consequences of electronic billboards?
A: One electronic billboard consumes 397,486 kWh (kilowatt hours) per year (Source: U.S. Green Buildings Council Central Balcones Chapter – Texas). The carbon footprint of one digital billboard is equal to 49 traditional billboards or 13.39 homes.
Q: Are there other factors to consider?
A: Electronic billboards can have detrimental effects on property values, and light and noise effects on nearby neighborhoods and businesses. In addition, they could represent a significant potential liability to the city. If a street widening project or other city construction would require the removal of an electronic billboard, the eminent domain payments necessary to compensate the billboard company could be several hundred thousand dollars, which might make the street widening or other community improvement project infeasible.
Q: Aren’t electronic billboards the wave of the future?
A: To the extent they may be, that is exactly why they deserve careful study and regulation. As noted, electronic billboards represent a new land use with the potential to significantly affect the community. On the other hand, some communities, and indeed, even some states, have banned them completely. Therefore, they are by no means universally accepted as the wave of the future. By seeking reasonable regulations for electronic billboards, Omaha is addressing both the future technologies of the billboard industry and the needs of the community.
