Staff at the Ministry of Transport and Works sort through some of the thousands of unauthorised signs and banners that have been removed from utility posts, trees and sidewalks in the Corporate Area. - ContributedMORE THAN 1,800 signs have been removed from utility poles and trees in the Corporate Area as the Ministry of Transport and Works and the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) rid the capital city of all forms of unauthorised public advertising.
A three-man crew from the Unit for the Removal of Illegal Signage and Posters in the Ministry has been ripping unregistered signs from utility posts and trees that fall within the city limits.
KSAC Town Clerk Errol Greene says the agencies were trying to arrest the problem to ensure that there was proper regulation so that when people walk through the municipality they don't see billboards and posters and signs littering the landscape and creating an offence in any way.
Last November, the Ministry of Transport and Works and KSAC renewed efforts to regulate the posting of signs that are visible in public places.
The posting of signs and notices, bills, placards, posters and other publications that are in view from a public place is considered to be an advertisement and is mentioned for regulation in several Acts that are in place to guide public order, namely the Main Roads Act, the Town and Country Planning Act, the Litter Act, the KSAC Act and the Advertisements Regulation Act.
"These signs are not in any one particular community, they are all over the city. The offenders also cross a wide spectrum. They are churches, event organisers and large businesses," Mr. Greene said.
Citing a recent case in Liguanea, St. Andrew, he reported that "an illegal banner affected the electrical sub-station there resulting in a short circuit which knocked out power for hours. That should serve as a strong reminder of what can happen when we do things that are illegal and not regulated."
The KSAC is also working with interest groups to create a better environment, and is also in deliberations with the Advertising Association of Jamaica to outline a "best practice code" for super billboards.
Application forms are available at the KSAC for persons and businesses wishing to put up signs in public places.
The Chief Technical Officer in the Ministry of Transport and Works is responsible for granting permission for signs on sidewalks, verges, and banners across roads. This responsibility will soon be turned over to the National Works Agency.
