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City Hall bars price display on billboards in new promo rules


Advertisers in Nairobi will be barred from promoting the prices of goods and service openly in restrictions that will also see City Hall control the spacing between billboards to reduce the cluttering of streets with publicity materials.

The directive in a new outdoor advertising policy means that advertisers will be unable to entice customers using price changes and offers in billboards, street pole adverts and other outdoor advertisements.

“No person shall erect or cause or permit to be erected or maintained any sign referring to a price or change in price of merchandise except in a shop window, or on the article itself,” the policy reads.

MCA’s MUST ADOPT

The policy will be implemented after adoption by the County Assembly and current outdoor advertisers will be spared until their annual licences are due for renewal.

The policy says that the overall number of signs placed along a transport corridor should be minimised, preferably to one advertising sign visible in a given view.

This will mostly target billboards whose number and size has been growing in the last decade and the lit box advertisements placed on street light poles.

“Along major transport corridors, no more than one advertising structure should be visible along a given sight line,” the policy says.

VISUAL POLLUTION

“The large billboards advertising products and services will not be associated solely with revenue generation without their impact on visual pollution being critically addressed.”

Specific details which may include distances between the billboards will be contained in a Bill to be developed once the policy is passed.

In the case of street pole adverts, City Hall said that they would have to be more widely spaced as had originally been envisioned in 2000 when they were introduced before the directive was violated.

“The light boxes should be installed after every two poles,” the policy says.

The spacing requirements will mean advertisers will in the medium term have to forfeit some prime areas along major highways like Thika Road, Mombasa Road, Ngong Road, Lang’ata Road and Waiyaki Way.

Currently, the city has over 20,000 signages and over 1,000 large format advertisements. City Hall says that the forests of directional signs and billboards crowded in certain locations, especially at road junctions and roundabouts, need to be addressed to conserve the environment and ensure public safety.

It adds that in some cases these advertisements can cause accidents as they block views around such junctions.

Large billboards such as those measuring 12 by 30 metres will be regulated according to the area they will be placed.

The policy says that they should not be seen to be protruding above buildings or tree canopies or block scenic views.

SOURCE: Business Daily