It’s a real bad sign
It’s about time the city’s leadership looked around, saw all the signs, and muttered, “You know, this is a real eyesore!”
We’re not talking about billboards here. That’s another editorial. We’re talking about those small placards — some handsomely printed, too many of them crudely hand-drawn — that are nailed or stapled or taped to poles and just about anything else in the Northeast to advertise yard sales or vehicle auctions or lost pets or circuses or acupuncture specialists or cool work-at-home opportunities that’ll make you a millionaire or . . . well, you get the idea.
And worst of all, it seems some ’em have been hanging around on poles since the first George Bush was president.
A couple of weeks ago, some representatives of the city’s brain trust, led by managing director Philip Goldsmith, convened a news briefing at Ashton and Willits road to outline a new get-tough policy. (Read all about it on Page 7 of today’s paper.)
This was a sign of good things . . . right?
Not really.
We applaud the concept in theory. However, in practice, we have this nagging feeling that the city has found a way to make a buck — quite a few of them, actually — by going into the advertising business.
Anybody can still hang a sign . . . with city approval. It’ll cost you $25 for every 100 signs, and then there’s a nice price break — it’s just $15 — for each additional 100 signs. Oh, and don’t forget the extra 75 cents for each sign to get a stamp that’ll prove you’re legal in the city’s eyes.
That’s a hell of a lot of signs. And it really won’t cost a hell of a lot of money. Violate the code and you’ll be fined $25. Big deal.
During his press briefing, Mr. Goldsmith cranked up the rhetoric machine, railing against this signage avalanche in Philly as “visual blight.”
Very true. But this new policy’s a laugher. If you’re going to get rid of this visual blight, get rid of it. Forbid the signs to be posted.
Months from now, expect the landscape to look as ugly as it looks now. The only difference will be that the city has found a way to get a cut of the action.
But, hey, that’s a sign of the times. ••