Times change; technology changes. Any time a new technology is developed, someone will decide to use it to make money. It is, after all, the American way.
We used to have Burma shave signs, signs painted on the roofs of barns and billboards. Now we still have billboards, but they’ve been supplemented by electronic variable message signs. In their simplest form, EVMs have been used by businesses to tell us the time and temperature. Those signs developed to convey more complex information, and with the advent of computer control, they could be changed fairly rapidly, allowing, say, a bank to post its CD rates and the services it offers.
Now, light-emitting diode technology has been added to EVMs, and businesses can provide messages and pictures.
Not surprisingly, many businesses want to take advantage of this new medium, and also not surprisingly, cities are worried about the aesthetics and the potential distractions they provide. The state jumped into the fray by recently implementing rules that allow EVMs along highways that pass through cities unless the cities specifically object to them.
Keene recently decided to ban the signs, and Cleburne is struggling with the issue. In the absence of clear problems with the signs, however, cities should keep their regulations to a minimum.
Businesses generally have a right to put their messages before the public, and the EVMs serve that purpose, just as billboards do. And like billboards, cities that are concerned about aesthetics can regulate factors such as size and light intensity.
But they should not ban them entirely on the basis of how they look any more than they would billboards. And their regulation of the signs’ contents should be limited as well.
In Cleburne one of the issues is whether a sign belonging to a business should be allowed to advertise a service for another business. So far, the only businesses seeking to do this have the same owner. But there’s little difference between this practice and the city or chamber having signs they use to promote activities by local organizations.
Some would argue the signs, especially LED-powered EVMs are too distracting. But those who object have offered no hard evidence that the signs cause any more problems than a giant billboard with a doctor’s face staring down at drivers does. In fact, cell phones, GPS units, car stereos and food provide more distractions to today’s drivers than EVMs are likely to.
A city like Keene might want to preserve a specific look, but banning the signs will probably drive away some businesses who believe EVMs provide serious bang for their advertising buck. Cleburne’s roadways are already an olio of portable signs, billboards, letter boards and storefront signs. Allowing EVMs could actually be an improvement.
The keys here are balance and consistency. Don’t restrict trade, and don’t expect businesses to adhere to rules that don’t apply to the city or the chamber.
This editorial is the opinion of the Cleburne Times-Review
Opinion
Editorial: Consistency needed with sign regulations
- Opinion
-
-
Don Newbury: A lament for linemen of all makes and models
No, this isn’t about Super Bowl “grunt” players “duking it out” in the football trenches. I’m referencing Glen Campbell, who is crooning around the country on his well-earned “farewell tour” to cap off a career spanning 50-plus years.
-
Don Newbury: Uncle Mort and a sixth sense about double whammies
My Uncle Mort claims to have a sixth sense that warns of upcoming “whammies.” As long as they arrive in single file, he can handle ’em with grace — dodging, hiding or meeting head-on.
-
Don Newbury: Din in the den jiggles the Richter scale
Our grandkids shred Christmas wrapping paper in seconds, joking about their dexterity in “baring gifts.” Soon, though, they squirm with “indoor-itis.” Crowded into our den, they are ready to put aside month-long warnings about “Santa Claus watching them.” Their deportment grades plunge, ranging from “gremlin to grinch.” (Grades typically peg to the right of the latter than to the left of the former.)
-
Don Newbury: Is David Hatala an accomplice for Cupid?
David Hatala claims no kinship to Cupid, but as operator of a fondue restaurant where proposals of marriage are common, he’s a willing accomplice upon request.
-
Don Newbury: Half-time kicks off with musings with Mort
Surely he uses cue cards when he phones during bowl game intermissions, touching topics all over the conversation map in record time. Verbal responses lengthen calls, so I simply smile, nod or frown, relying on assorted expressions of bewilderment.
-
Don Newbury: Holiday decorators attempt to ‘keep up with the Joneses’
There’s much to appreciate about friendly competition. This said, an addendum is in order — all’s fair not only in love and war, but in Christmas decorating as well. In the latter category, however, we should forgive otherwise normal people who, at Yuletide, cast judgment aside in favor of reckless abandon.
-
Don Newbury: A scruffy scarf meant to last for the ages
No one ever asked the little old man about his scruffy scarf. Oh, it was noticed, usually by uppity passers-by. They’d giggle about its unquestioned homemade construction, guessing it may have been plucked by someone with limited vision from the 25-cent barrel at the thrift store.
-
Don Newbury: Galveston Island: A tribute to visionaries
As islands go, it’s a small one — 32 miles long and 2.5 at its widest point — but thanks to the grit and determination of visionaries who dug in 109 years ago, it’s still on maps.
-
TCU’s switch to Big 12 renews old rivals, quotes
Surely clever T-shirt messages will pop up any day now. They’ll flow from creative juices of Texas Christian University students whose athletic teams have been members of four different athletic conferences over the past dozen years.
-
Don Newbury: The business of smiles is still profitable today
When balance prevailed in the world — on the scale of your choosing — folks sought, claimed and ingested daily intakes of humor, whether from media, across the backyard fence or in the workplace. But no more.
- More Opinion Headlines
-
