The desire to protect heritage can go too far

As the economic crunch continues yet another heated debate has sprung up between retailers and a local council. This time the trouble is brewing in the historic city of Edinburgh. It is understandable that those charged with preserving and promoting the historic beauty of Edinburgh – and in particular the World Heritage Site – feel very protective towards it. To that end few would disagree that the rules relating to what should, and shouldn't, be allowed to happen in the Old and New towns must be carefully monitored. In keeping with this objective strict protocols have been established to prevent the general feel of the areas being ruined. Quite rightly then quality and size of signage is strictly controlled.

So now a row has erupted, the main bone of contention being advertising "A boards" placed on pavements. Businesses say they want them because they encourage trade, but conservationists and planners have long argued they create unnecessary street clutter. As a result, a list of strict regulations as long as an arm were drawn up to govern their size and positioning and each business was restricted to a single board. It seemed a sensible compromise as environmental wardens were empowered to deal with rule breakers.

But it would appear that the council may not be prepared to honour this agreement any longer and proposals have been drawn up for a blanket ban on all boards. Unless they can produce compelling evidence of the dangers they pose this seems a step too far.

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New Scottish Signage For Sainsbury

Focusing on its business in Scotland, Sainsbury's has launched a new range of in-store signage designed to showcase the excellent selection of Scottish products available to shoppers. The material will feature prominently at Sainsbury's 32 stores across the country. he new signage will see not only the Saltire prominently displayed across Sainsbury's stores but will also feature information on Sainsbury's Scottish suppliers.

It is hoped that the initiative will not only increase awareness about the wide range of quality food and drink available in Scotland but will also encourage shoppers to support Scottish producers. New point of sale material is also being introduced which will highlight individual products made in Scotland. A great example of this is the award-winning Isle of Bute Cheddar. The Cheddar, made by the Rothesay creamery with 100% Scottish milk, was first sold by Sainsbury's in 1996 and is now available at Sainsbury's stores across the UK.

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Sign of the times

Motorway drivers tearing their hair out while trying to navigate the M4 will be given helpful visual clues next week with the introduction of pictures on overhead signs. Following research drivers are said to find pictures easier to read and react to than text. Drivers using the M4 in Berkshire will start to see some new signs on the motorway from the middle of June. The Highways Agency is changing the display on almost a hundred existing overhead electronic signs around Newbury, Reading and Wokingham to show pictures as well as words.

Designs are based on already familiar road signs such as those for accidents, queues, snow and ice, high winds and skid risk. At the moment the motorway signs are only able to display text messages in block capitals. The well-known symbols now being introduced are inside red warning triangles which are recognisable from some distance away. Because they are easy for all road users to read and react accordingly, they should help to make roads much safer.

Highways Agency Network Operations Director Derek Turner was quoted as saying; "We are now upgrading these latest generation signs with pictograms to get helpful and up-to-date information out to drivers. The programme is being rolled out across the country during the year."

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Urgent Signage Review Called For

Scottish Councillors have considered the Scottish Government's response to their call for greater use of Gaelic signage on trunk routes in the Highlands.Highland Council's Gaelic committee wrote to Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson strongly urging him to install bilingual signs on the A9, A96 and A82. However Mr Stevenson was quoted as saying that the impact of existing bilingual signage would have to be reviewed first. The Gaelic committee wrote to Mr Stevenson asking that the review should not be seen as a barrier to the expansion of bilingual signage

Road signs in both Gaelic and English have been requested by the local authority on key routes to and from the region. It has also asked that the Scottish Government to give "urgent consideration" to bilingual signage on the A9 from Perth northwards.

The Scottish Government said it was seeking to "fast track" this review. The report from the review of existing trunk road signage was not expected until 2011.

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Sandwich Signs Get The Crunch

As reported in the US press today .. in North Adams, Massachusetts— The Planning Board is taking a long hard look at both shops and eateries around the city because of what has been perceived as a proliferation of sidewalk signs over the past few years. Many of the sandwich signs appear to be unapproved and are infact illegal, said Chairman Michael Leary, who requested authorization to craft a letter at last Monday's Planning Board meeting to be sent to errant businesses.

The letter would be sent to business owners in the city who do have sandwich board-style signs that were not approved as part of their signage package or not approved afterward ... asking them to come before the board to have them approved as they should have been." Public safety is of paramount concern given that some of the signs in public ways. City Administrative Officer Jay Green said other downtowns, such as Northampton and Rockport, have had to deal with the issue as well.

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Las Vegas Neon Museum

In an barren yard not too far from the world famous Las Vegas strip that spawned them is a huge smiling duckling, a giant pool player, towering slippers, and a pair of immense golden nuggets. These, and more, are the still proud remains of vintage neon signs that once beckoned visitors. No longer wanted by the businesses that originally commissioned them, they are carefully propped up and stacked throughout the two lots that make up the Boneyard of the Neon Museum in Las Vegas.

Vegas is known for imploding much of its history, but the tangle of old icons that makes up the Boneyard, and the restored signs throughout Fremont Street Experience show that someone cared.

The Neon Museum was started back in 1997 with the simple goal of collecting, refurbishing and exhibiting that classic Las Vegas art form – the neon sign. A tour of The Boneyard makes it clear that the advertising has become not only a part of modern popular culture, but a form of public instant art. If the Neon Museum gets its way, these iconic signs will one day return to their former glory, and provide us with a glimmer of the vintage Las Vegas.

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Crackdown On Signage

As reported recently in the North Carolina press - illegal signage can cause problems. Folding sidewalk sign boards. Strategic street-corner signs. Intersection direction signs. All are tools of the trade some Southport business owners passionately defended this week as the city's sign code came under official review. But city officials say a contagion of sign clutter is making Southport streets unattractive and unsafe. And, they say, many of the signs are illegal under the city's sign code.

Four business owners, all defending their promotional signs, spoke during the public comment section of Southport Board of Aldermen's Thursday meeting. The backlash came just two days after sign ordinance enforcement was discussed by the Southport Planning Board.

"We are talking about something which is extremely sensitive," said Phillippe Arroyas, developer of The Cottages at Price's Creek.

Arroyas said that even though he knows his signs are in the city's right of way, they help guide people to his business, which is not on the main thoroughfare.

"It is very bad timing for this," he said of limiting signs during the summer tourist season and in a struggling economy. Arroyas said he used to employ 40 people building houses, but now he employs just six. "I have $5 million worth of property out there, and I will go bankrupt if I cannot advertise."

Other Southport business owners expressed concern about how, exactly, enforcement officials will decide which signs to allow and which signs to pull.

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Signage In A Scrum

As widely reported across the sporting press today AUSTRALIA’S threatened boycott of their Four Nations match against France in the autumn is set to be resolved. The Kangaroos are backed by brewery Victoria Bitter, whose name appears on their shirts, and that would have gone against French law, which bans alcohol sponsorship and signage. Now the Fosters group, who own VB, say they are prepared to let the Kangaroos play with “clean shirts” without a sponsors’ name for the scheduled game New Zealand, who are also backed by a beer brand, Lion Red, and are due to play in France, are still considering what their position is.

Sponsorship of sport is now a multi-million pound industry and despite the major economic crisis we face - there are still dozens of large multi national companies willing to sponsor both sporting events and the major teams within those sports.


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